Nostalgia, Femininity/ Masculinity/ Identity 

Home

‘Overall, this module was a new style to me and therefore quite challenging. I created a small number of images I am proud of but I don’t think that they are at all my best work as this was one of my first experiences with photographing objects, and often my intentions were not entirely clear to me when I set about taking and arranging my images. I am also aware that I did not really employ Photoshop to the best of my abilities as I was a bit out of touch with it and probably needed to use it a bit more often. I hoped that in my future projects I would be able to act with thorough forethought (in choice of objects, placing of objects, background, lighting etc.) and ensure that I took enough images on each photoshoot – as I think this was one of my biggest shortfalls in completing this project. I have included my favourite images in this Virtual Exhibition.’

The above is an adapted version of my final evaluation of the Home project – images that may inform my choices and inspire me in my personal study are below.

Romanticism

I enjoyed creating images for this project because I think that the beauty of the countryside and its emotional impact on us as people is something that can easily be emphasised through careful use of light and colour. I also really liked the work of the artists we looked at here. Images and artworks of the genre strike a certain chord in me as someone who grew up in the countryside and I think that the slightly sad, nostalgic effect of this is something shared by a lot of viewers, no matter their personal experiences. The work of Fay Godwin, Ansel Adams and Don McCullin was my favourite purely because their use of the camera as a tool through which to project and amplify the drama of the landscape is evident in each of their images respectively. I may well be inspired by my final outcomes to create a romantic element in my personal study, as I think my final results were very strong.

New Topographics

I like the images I took for this project because I think they all respond well to the brief of New Topographics because they all have a very muted and desolate tone. I also think that there is a lot of alignment between my images and those of the most famous artists of the movement. I was intrigued by their efforts to portray the damage inflicted on humans to the beauty of the landscape, and my interest was only heightened by the impact of context on my view of this work. The population boom of the 50s, and the consequent sprawl of suburbia across America, demonstrates exactly why artists like Robert Adams felt the need to document the endless array of buildings being repeated all over the country. My key and most inspiring images from this project are shown below.

Typologies

I did not produce many typologies but I do like the one shown below and I feel that this technique could be explored further in my personal study.

Anthropocene

I enjoyed the Anthropocene project because it gave a lot of opportunity to explore different avenues and approaches to the brief. I think that my final outcomes were very obvious in the message they were aiming to portray and therefore work effectively. I chose to present my final images as diptychs and this hence amplified the contrast I was attempting to display. In my final critique, I said this: ‘I think that my images are all really strong and I am happy with my editing choices. I think that all of the images that I put together do compliment and contrast each other in a productive manner. However, it was quite frustrating to not have been able to take as many strong and varied images as I would have liked; and I think perhaps a more clear framework in my head would have made this a little easier. On the other hand, I do still feel that the weather made things quite difficult during the week and this did invalidate a lot of my images that I actually took for the project. I think I did use the camera to the best of my abilities, but there is definitely more I could learn and settings I could utilise to take more interesting images… In conclusion, I enjoyed this project. Taking the time to research the different aspects of Anthropocene and its effects was really interesting and I feel that I have learnt a lot through doing so. I am proud of my outcomes, despite feeling that my idea was not as strong as it could have been, and I am aware that there is room for improvement in all areas of this kind of task for my future reference.’

Environmental Portraiture

I really enjoyed creating images for this project because I think the concept of Environmental Portraiture can produce some very personal and interesting material, depending on how one chooses to approach it. I think that I will be inspired to use this technique in my personal study, as the images I have already produced have been some of my strongest.

Studio Portraiture

I think that I need more practice with photographing in studio as I sometimes struggle with camera/light settings, however I have created some very strong images in the past which I may hope to use as inspiration for my personal study.

My original critique said this; ‘Overall, I am happy with my outcomes for this project as I feel that I was able to access a range of techniques and styles to build up a portfolio that will reflect my various talents in different fields of portraiture. I enjoy the more documentary style imagery and I feel like I was able to explore this on a few occasions over the past few weeks. Additionally, I was able to experiment with studio photography which was fairly new to me and I have created outcomes that I am proud of. I think that there were certainly improvements that could have been made across this project, and sometimes my plans were not executed as I would have liked, however I can say that I have also created work that was really successful.’

Saint Malo – Nostalgia

I think that the images I created in Saint Malo were strong and they certainly responded to the brief of Nostalgia, especially after editing to make them appear more reminiscent of older times. Thus, I think these images could provide inspiration for my personal study as this will also need to respond to the same brief.