Category: AGM59 Professional Development

Credit Value: 20 credits

Brief Description of Module

This module will assist me to reflect upon how to develop as an independent photographic practitioner. It offers me an understanding of professional structures and career options in the specific area of photography within the broader field of visual art.

The module is delivered through seminars on different aspects of professional practice, including:

• Exhibiting
• Publishing
• Networking
• Curating

These are supported by a visiting lecture series.

I will develop:

• My presentation skills
• A professional portfolio
• An effective online presence

Module Aims, Assessment and Support

This module aims to:

• Provide me information about the broad professional context of independent photographic practice
• Assist me in developing a range of professional skills and tools to enable dissemination of my work, a professional portfolio, and an effective online presence

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the module, I will be able to:

1. Demonstrate my knowledge of the professional context of independent photographic practice (LO1).
2. Demonstrate professional skills necessary to disseminate my work (LO2).
3. Articulate a plan of action for my individual career development (LO3).
4. Generate a professional portfolio online to support my individual professional identity (LO4).

Content

This module offers me a broad understanding of professional structures and career options within the field of photographic production within the visual arts and encourages me to develop my professional profile as a photographic practitioner.

The module is delivered through a series of seminars on different aspects of professional practice, including:

• Exhibiting
• Publishing
• Preparing project proposals
• Networking
• Writing

These seminars are accompanied by a number of visiting lecturers.

I will also be formally advised on:

• Developing my CV
• Making funding applications
• Entering competitions
• Giving presentations about my work

Central to the activity of this module is the development of my professional portfolio. Through the development of this presentation of my work, I will acquire fluency in thinking about the positioning of my practice and how I can make it convincing to a wider public.

I will be tasked with creating a digital expression of my portfolio for publication online.

I will be offered a practical workshop on web design after which I will prepare and present a website for discussion at the Final Review.

I will be offered one-to-one diagnostic teaching to assist me in developing a professional plan.

Learning Support

• Library resources: books: periodicals: audio visual resources
• On-line resources
• Digital studio

Indicative Reading

Campany, D., 2012. Art & Photography. London: Phaidon

Csikszentmihalyi, M., 1998. Photography’s Multiple Roles: Art, Document, Market, Science. Chicago: Museum of Contemporary Photography

Heiferman, M., 2012. Photography Changes Everything. New York: Smithsonian Institution/Aperture

Hill, P., 2004. Approaching Photography. 2nd ed. London: Photographers’ Institute Press

Shore, S., 2007. The Nature of Photographs. London: Phaidon

Thomas, G. and Ibbotson, J. 2014. Beyond the Lens. London: The Association of Photographers Thompson, J. L., 2013.

Why Photography Matters. Cambridge: MIT Press

Thornton, S., 2012. Seven Days in the Art World; London: Granta

Online Sources

Websites:

Artquest: https://www.artquest.org.uk

British Journal of Photography: www.bjp-online.com

Source: www.source.ie/index.php

Other Sources

 Depending on practice the following are recommended:

Art Market Monitor: www.artmarketmonitor.com

Artnet: artnet.com

PhotoVoice: photovoice.org/

Lensculture: www.lensculture.com

I can access study materials through Student Central, including examples of artists’ and photographers’ websites and online information.

Teaching & Learning Activities

I will be taught through a range of seminars, tutorials, workshops, and a visiting lecturer programme.

I will be consistently encouraged to be familiar with the online professional environment and to join it. The module therefore follows a blended learning approach through use of various techniques that include screening of audio-visual material, online material, seminar tasks, presentations, and lectures where I will consider a range of approaches to developing my professional identity.

I will be asked to give an oral presentation of my work in its professional context at a mid-point in the semester for formative assessment.

I will introduce my online portfolio at a later stage for final assessment. Formative assessments enable me to gain appropriate feedback throughout the stages of the module. This permits me to assess my level of knowledge and understanding prior to the submission of both summative assessment tasks at the conclusion on the semester.

Formative Assessment

Formative Assessment takes place throughout the module through discussion and feedback from my peers and my tutor on my work-in-progress.

It does not contribute to the final mark of the module but instead supports the development of my learning and prepares me for summative assessment.

Formative assessment will help me to identify what is good in my work and how to improve my work. My tutor will clearly indicate the points in the module when formative assessment is taking place and how I might prepare for it. Feedback on formative assessment is typically but not exclusively linked to the learning outcomes of the module.

Allocation of Study Hours

• Scheduled: 30
• Guided Independent Study: 170
• Total Study Hours: 200

Assessment Tasks

Task 1 (80%): For me to produce a professional portfolio presented on a website to include, as appropriate, elements from among the following:

• Artist’s statement of 150 words
• Biography of one page
• CV of one page
• Bodies of photographic work appropriately captioned or annotated
• Textual information on any relevant technical details and material qualities of work
• Any relevant web links to social media use, exhibitions, or publications (as appropriate)

Learning Outcomes: LO 2, LO4

Task 2 (20%): For me to produce a report on the online portfolio* articulating the professional strategy, principles underlying my organisation of my material, the design, and my intended audience (1,500 words)

Learning Outcomes: LO1, LO3

*The volume of the portfolio is to be agreed in consultation with my module tutor. The framework for its content is determined by formative assessment, while the independent study hours of the module will be indicative of my effort.

Submission Deadline: Wednesday 9 September 2021