On Wednesday 25 November, the Group Tutorial went ahead as scheduled. This was held following social distancing protocol within a University classroom. As all teaching would be online from 2 December, this would be the last in-person session of 2020.
The first aspect covered was the 1-1 tutorials due to be held on Wednesday 16 December. These would consist of 30 minutes via MS Teams. The aim of the session would be to present then discuss the current project, specially in regards to scope, the current status and any concerns.
The next session after this would be the Group Tutorial on Wednesday 20 January 2021 with the Final Review and submission of work on Wednesday 27 January 2021. At the time of writing, the Final Review is to be held at the University of Brighton and the Body of Work presented in its physical form. The required Research Dossier (in relation to Task 2 for this module) is to be submitted electronically via ‘My Studies’ on the same day.
One of these Task 2 submissions is a proposal for module AGM62, which should be a springboard to how the work will be taken forward. Our tutor, Åsa, gave a brief idea of what information should be included and how it should be written and will be sending a more-detailed template via email soon.
Åsa also went over the module course book and reiterated the key requirements and learning outcomes. The essence of this module is to absorb oneself in the intent of practice-based research. To make progress in the module, and as a photographer in general, it is key to value and appreciate the practice of ‘making’.
The key phrases Åsa said were ‘return and return’, plus ‘EXPLORE!’ (appropriately, of course).
Åsa also encouraged us to ask:
- What is my photographic practice?
- What will I show?
- How will I show?
- How will I talk about it?
- What are the parameters of my inquiry?
- How do I want to develop particular photographic techniques?
In addition, Åsa advised the class, at this stage of the project, to:
- Take an explorative approach to our way of working
- Continue making
- Reflect on works – and what doesn’t
With regards to the Research Dossier, it would be useful to include ‘Sub Works’. These are pieces that haven’t been included in the final Body of Work, but could constitute a separate body or springboard for an alternative direction.
My first reaction to this advice was to think about my own inquiry:
- How does digital photography relate to the images of trees?
This was sparked by my thoughts about the reciprocal relationship between photographer, equipment and subject. This will have to be explored further.
Image Feedback
During the tutorial, I presented some of the images on the large Promethean screen. I realised that during the Interim Review, the details within the images could not be seen when showing the smaller prints together. This helped in showing the details.
I also showed these following images as group to illicit a response. However, when I looked at the group, I realised that I didn’t want to create a ‘showcase’ of digital photography techniques.
One image that garnered a good response was this one. This was taken with the 35mm lens at F1.8, which resulted in blurring the background more, making the hawthorn stand out.
Again, the subject of using the Speedlight as a fill-in flash was worth pursuing. This will show the trees in detail, rather than silhouette (especially when shooting into the sun).
In general, the response was to refine my technique and focus on whittling down the images to create a cohesive body of work.
Actions
The action I need to take first is to take a ‘step back’ in light of the questions above. It is up to me to make the inquiry of what it is I am actually doing, process my answers then take action.
This has to come from the question:
How does my use of digital photography relate to my images of hawthorn trees?
Once I have a better idea of doing this, going forward I will:
- Focus on formulating then using a particular technique and work flow
- Strengthen the concept
- Extend and develop my use of equipment, specifically:
- Tripod
- Speedlight Flash
- Filters
- Experimenting with Depth of Field (making the tree stand out from its environment)
Jennie Meadows MA Photography 