CONCLUSIVE/REFLECTIVE POST

This post will just document my process and analyse each aspect of research and practice which created my final project, evaluating the success of my work and seeing if there's anything I'd do differently for next time.

Reflection on Initial Ideas

Initially my project didn't have a strong theme of point of research, I knew I wanted to work with analogue and disposable cameras but not sure what I wanted to explore or capture. I was fascinated by how much the younger generation use these technologies in their everyday lives, despite a lot of the time, the images coming out poor quality. I started to research into the reasons behind this and capture my own images, exploring my hometown. I used these less advance technologies to capture the places and people around me, without having a solid theme I stumbled into the notion of capturing my memories in a vernacular way.

Projects Themes Throughout

As mentioned previous my projects themes didn't start out strong, I was more focused on the technologies and social aspects surrounding those. But when I did start to notice a trend in my images I began to research more into analogue photography, capturing memories and vernacular photography. I grounded my themes by the research that I did, even scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram allowed me to view other peoples interpretations of the topics and see if they could influence my practice.

I think in terms of this section, I would've loved to establish my ideas sooner, and spend more time research these before getting practical. Although I did like the creative stance I took on this and welcomed new ideas, styles and practice, I allowed my project to develop in front of me which was interesting to see.

Meetings with Supervisor

I found the meetings with my supervisor really beneficial and helpful when I felt stuck and had creative block. In total I had four meetings with my supervisor at four pivotal points of my project, the initial stages, the beginning of March, before Easter break, and finally a few weeks before the hand in date. Each of the meetings helped me to establish my project and reflect on the work I'd done previous and really question why and how I am exploring my topic. It grounded me to be more critical of my work and think more about what I'm trying to convey and discuss with not only my imagery but how these are displayed in an exhibition space.

Working Independently

I enjoyed the independence I gained from this project and the challenge of not having a brief to relate my work to. It was interesting to see how my thoughts and practice advanced and I think this blog is a perfect reflection of that, as I have documented practically everything here. This project has paved the way for my final year photography dissertation project in the independent research and self motivation needed to successfully create a piece of work you're passionate and confident with.

The thing I'd do differently in this section for next time would be, ironically, working more in groups and getting peer discussion and feedback on my work. I think it's so important for other creatives to bounce off each other and give suggestions or help, not in terms of photography but all sorts different styles of art.

Experimentation

This was a very important part of my work throughout this project, mainly with the different technologies I'd used. The project gave me the opportunity to explore different types of photographic capturing, with disposable, 35 mm analogue and digital cameras being the main three. Each of these three technologies gave me completely different photos and captured my memories in different ways, this has been something that's really interested me and perhaps something I'd revisit in the future.

I was limited with the amount of experimentation I could do, with the COVID restrictions not only restricting us with the amount of outdoor activities, but also limiting university access. I really wanted to be able to develop my own film and experiment in the developing lab, to create different visuals with the images that I'd taken. This is definitely something I want to explore more when things start to open up more, as well as taking more analogue imagery to improve my knowledge in that field.

Final Images

Although my final images aren't the most professional standard of images expected to see in a university project, I think the meaning and context behind them is so important and frames them really well. I'm really proud with the set I have produced, I think they all represent my themes and personal memories clearly and lots of different ways.

The only thing I wish, is that my images looked like a more cohesive set, although this is a positive when relating it to vernacular photography, I would've loved my images to clearly look like a collection of 12 images, without needing context. I think this would've only been possible with more shoots and more access to equipment and the wider world, I was restricted back home in terms of equipment and the people I could see, meaning only one roll of film was used on a 35mm analogue camera.

Presentation/Pitch

This was a completely new experience for me, but one of my favourite aspects of this whole project. I always love discussing my projects and ideas to likeminded people, getting their feedback and showing how passionate I am. I think this all came across in my presentation, I have been passionate about this project since I started it and although it isn't a conventional project to work on, wanting to explain why it's important to study and view.

The exhibition part of this process was tricky to me as I wanted to be able to properly visualise what these images and creative space would look like, which is why I did a few mock ups. It was really interesting to think about how your images are perceived and how you're communicating your images in a larger space to a group of strangers who don't know you or your memories.

I think if I were to do this section again I'd focus more on the details of the exhibition itself and maybe make a 3D interactive mock up of the exhibition that would frame my project even better. I didn't really talk too much about the target audience, although this was purposeful as I'd like to think anyone at any age would appreciate and relate to the image I'd taken. Perhaps I would mention that it's tailored a little more to students, with the time spent with friends and at the pub, although this would work for those who are older as they see their old selves in my work, and those who are younger who are nostalgic for the future they will have.

Project as a Whole

To conclude the project feels odd to me, in both a positive tying up loose ends kind of way but I'm also sad to see such a personal project come to an end. I've really loved working on this module and in this project, it's taught me a lot about myself as a creative and an academic, with the blog reflecting the amount of hours I've put into the work. I'm satisfied with the work I've produced and think that they relate to my themes of memory documentation, nostalgia, memory sharing and vernacular photography.

I do think I'll carry on practice similar to this in more personal projects, snapping more vernacular stuff and exploring how I share and reveal my memories, perhaps focusing more on online sharing this time.