Critical Appraisal: The Commission (300 words)

My series is about the availability of the second hand market and the advantage of having it in our current economy as well as the anonymity behind is context. My series is based around perfectly good furniture and objects which have become waste to one person but are appreciated by others; one mans trash is another mans treasure. I feel my work would sit best in an exhibition.

My understanding of the issues of waste is that it is generally a negative thing but has many different definitions. Waste can be positive: recycling; compost; the second hand market. I wanted to demonstrate a positive outcome of the issue.

To begin with I wanted to photograph a constructed set after being inspired by Anne Hardy’s work (my research here) but abandoned this idea because I felt it lacked depth. Then I decided I wanted to make portraits with a more personal touch. I looked at Alec Soth’s work (my research here) and aspired to recreate the subtle tones, square aesthetic and precise framing in my own series. I also spent some time researching the second hand market’s advantages and popularity found here. 

I chose to utilise natural lighting giving a more personal feel to my images. I used ISO 160 film for clarity and used a shallow depth of field to focus on either the faces of my subjects or the significant object and to demonstrate the personal essence in my series.

I managed my studies by taking two photographs and printing these, then re-shooting the other I took at an earlier stage - having already discarded the print. This way I worked well with two images and then concentrated on matching my last to fit the series (contacts and prints here) Time management is the most challenging aspect and to overcome this I need to plan each movement for future projects.

Critical Appraisal: The Urban Environment (300 words)

For my urban environment series I documented the process of development and have showed how humanity rebuilds, improves and changes their urban space, as I am interested in the idea of positive change and development in general.

Having changed my idea at a late stage, I did not have much influence other than my surroundings and how I perceived them but John Davies’ work documenting Britain’s industrialisation with a similar concept to my own would have most likely inspired me to document urban space in Britain like I have. An issue that could have arisen within this project would have been making sure each photograph compliments the others and they all work together. I’ve approached this by making each image correspond to the next as my series documents on topic and its change over time.

My photographic choices concerning the visual elements of the series were: to photograph in black and white which suits the topic more in my opinion; to use a large depth of field to include a lot of detail in my work because I wasn’t isolating anything in particular but photographing whole scenes; and to use the right angle for each image to showcase it best such as slightly elevated for the first image of wasteland and from a street level looking upwards for the middle image to show the scaffolding as I saw it.

For this project specifically I think I need to reflect upon managing my studies better and give myself the maximum amount of time to allow for changes. The most significant challenge in this unit was drawing inspiration from other work, as I seemed to simply perceive the urban space and visualise my photographs straight away so my work lacks input from others. However, I am happy with how my series works.

John Davies' work:

My Urban Series:

Critical Appraisal: The Body (300 words)

The concept behind my portrait was to photograph a colourful personality and style. Shooting black and white allowed me to get across her own perception of herself and not mine as much as possible. My intention was for the viewer to really see her, not just how she looks. As well as this, I had almost no input in my models choice of styling or her expression; I simply posed her in conjunction with my reference.

I drew my inspiration mainly from Paolo Roversi - the posture and lighting choice from this image of the actress Tilda Swinton. 

I admired the gradient background and highlights. Having decided this was what I’d work with; I looked into the lighting set up. I also appreciated Rembrandt lighting and managed to incorporate this too into my photograph. The most important factor I have learnt from my reference has to be how to achieve certain lighting and how it can transform the mood of a portrait. For example, the highlight and triangle of lighting I have achieved on my model’s face comes across to me as particularly expressive.

I tried to prepare as much as possible before the shoot date. I found my visual reference early on and I did a lighting test before the real shoot, which allowed me to view changes that needed to be made before my model arrived. I believe I should reflect upon my studio set up which quite often becomes more complicated than I imagine it and I should always cater to that possibility. Capturing my models best side, best feature and the most natural and comfortable pose from my contact sheet overcame issues relating to the Body. The most significant challenge was achieving the right effect with my lighting choice and I am pleased with my outcome. 


My Portrait: (soft scan)

Critical Appraisal: The Rural Environment (300 words)

My environment series on graveyards and cemeteries displays the juxtaposition between the beauty of them and their not so beautiful connotations. My aim is to demonstrate how beautiful these landscapes can be because my personal approach to representing the landscape is to portray it at its best as this is what I strive for in my photography: finding beauty. I want people to feel positive about my photos and understand how I perceive the environment.

During my research I looked through a lot of photographs of my chosen subject which were not befitting. It really made me realise I wanted my own to have warm lighting and colours and focus on the natural environment of these places. I wanted to create my work in a similar way to Simon Ward. The significance of his work is that he is known for creating images of beauty from something not commonly perceived as beautiful and I want to create beautiful landscapes of places often depicted not only in black and white but in an eerie and spooky manner.

I managed my studies conveniently though taking test shots on 35mm film, making contact prints of these and recomposing my favourites on medium format film then processing this for my prints. I also arrived early to print and utilised my time effectively to get them all done in a couple of days.

My final prints are warm in colour, and focus on the positivity of nature in my chosen locations; the graves even taking a step back from the focus in some cases. The challenging part of completing this project was managing time. I overcame this by being prepared with my negatives and being punctual. I wouldn’t change anything other than possibly fine tuning the colouring of my prints but I am very happy with my finished project.


My series: (inaccurate colour through scan)

Critical Appraisal: The Object (300 words)

Upon being asked to create a still-life concerning a current social issue, the concept of my photograph is a significant contributor to Global warming; the melting ice caps. Everybody seems to be aware of it and understand how it is affecting our planet. Through this I also display rising sea levels by photographing the melting ice floating on the surface; aiming to visually recreating the scene as it would be occurring.

Through my research I discovered that some people call the issue of Global Warming a theory. Others believe it is fact. One strong viewpoint is that natural climatic adjustment is causing the changes in our Earth and that this is inevitable. For this reason I wanted to portray Global Warming from a somewhat outside perspective as I was unsure of where my loyalties lay on this particular issue. I managed my studies through taking advantage of gaps in my day and spending time in the library doing my research and taking my whole idea to the tutorial to enable me to really explain my idea and receive developed feedback to help me.

The most challenging thing about creating my image was lighting it. I back lit my photograph specifically to create this glow which represents the sun and it's affect over this social issue. It plays an important role in my photograph as well as simply lighting my image. The use of a snoot on a light head being directed through full tough spung allowed me to successfully create my desired effect as well as utilising a soft box overhead to prevent reflection from the glass.

To improve I would consider incorporating more colours into my image; lack of time prevented me from doing this. However, I am happy with the almost neutral, cold feel which my image holds.


My still-life: (line only on scan)