Reflections on Part 1 of the Course.

Well I have almost completed part 1 of the course; assignment 1 is virtually completed, I just need one more shot which requires high tide and darkness.  I should secure this this weekend and then I need to edit them down to the final 10/15, prepare and send them to my tutor.  I have however completed all of the projects and exercises and done some reading and research, although perhaps not enough of this.
I have enjoyed the first assignment.  I used the same locality as Assignment 4 in People and Place as I wanted to build on and improve my work from that assignment.  My aim is to display a range of styles and genres, although I have leaned towards my favoured wildlife and landscape.

 I enjoyed the section on writing descriptively.  Describing one of my own photographs flowed, although it was more taxing to write specific and succinct captions.

In writing analytically, I found it surprisingly difficult writing about one of my own photographs.  I elected to write it in the third person as someone viewing the image but perhaps it should have been done more personally.  It did make me look at it very carefully, though, and consider aspects that I normally wouldn't spend so much time thinking about such as intent, style and success.  I usually decide if I like it enough to keep it.  I do like my chosen shot and feel that it is a success but close examination made me notice some distracting features.  I do think it fits what I think of as my style in landscape photography.  I  set out to show 'just the right amount' of motion blur in the water and I think that I have succeeded in this.  I also feel that it illustrates the season well.  I really enjoyed researching and writing analytically about 'The Afghan Girl'.  It is more difficult looking at someone else's image as you have to try and get into their mind.  Care has to be taken to use only researched facts and not opinion.

Analysing the essay was excellent practice at teasing out the writers meaning and encapsulating it in a few words.  It was a good reminder also not to take on face value what someone writes.  Are they correct?  Is it just their opinion?  Do I agree?  Why/wny not?  I found this more difficult as I found Berger's style of writing convoluted and  and not easy to follow.

I hope that this will improve my own photographic practice by making me analyse my images more carefully and look at them through a third person's eyes; there is a lot of ownership of your own work.  Reading and research will also hopefully inform and inspire my own work.

Hopefully I will be more able to promote and disseminate my work by the use of careful descriptions and concise and succinct captions.

This part of the course has been a timely reminder to further hone my research skills and make sure that I read widely (more widely!) and to study other photographers for inspiration and ideas and to inform my own work.