The exam brief was to create a project portraying a transition of some sort. In my statement of intent, I explained how I interpreted it to mean a transition between the winter season to the summer months, from cold, dark weather to warm and brighter weather. I also planned on including some portraits among these images to show how humans also change and transition and age over time. I did both of these things as well as I could have, I think. My process of image selection was quite time-consuming, because of the sheer amount of images I took in order to have the best possible selection of images, but I think it was time well spent to be able to produce the best version of my photobook. In my statement of intent I set out that i wanted my photobook to be in colour, to properly showcase the transitioning seasons, and i kept to this and had all of my images in colour. In my statement of intent I also said that I wanted to insert some quotes or some form of writing alongside my images as well, but I reviewed this idea and decided it wasn’t important and would take away from the final project as a home, so I didn’t do it.

I had a few artist references: Eliot Porter, Robbie Lawrence, Katrien de Blauwer, and I also analysed Rinko Kawauchi’s photobook “Illuminance” to inspire my photobook layout and design. I was inspired by how Porter captured nature with such vibrant colour but still stayed true to it’s original essence, how Lawrence used soft light and how he photographed plants, and also how de Blauwer connected images through their shape and form to create a narrative. I used all of these elements in my own work, as well as including my own personal style.

My final product, the photobook, contains 58 images (not including the cover image, which is also one of my own images) in a carefully curated order specifically planned out to tell a narrative of the changing seasons. Overall I am pleased with the final book and the way it came together as a whole. I think my images were successful technique-wise and in how they contributed to the narrative. In my opinion, my overall photographic technique and skill level has improved through the course of this exam project. If i had to make any changes, or if i had to re-do this project, I would probably try to take more focused portraits and maybe try for more in-depth close-ups. Other than that I’m fairly happy with the project as a whole and I think I accurately fulfilled the exam brief to the best of my abilities.