As part of our coursework we are being encouraged to explore Strategies of Freedom – the photographer’s relationship to the apparatus. This was a very interesting exploration as it challenged me to think beyond the camera and it’s prescribed way of working, to think of creative strategies to expand beyond its boundaries.

I regularly challenge myself in my own practice by making myself to work with a different lens to my usual preferred ones as it means I have to think and consider the way I am approaching my photography. I like to work with prime lenses so that I have to move around to find my composition and frame it the way I envisage it creatively.

I would like to explore different formats and have considered polaroid as an option, along with experimenting with 35 mm expired film to achieve interesting and unexpected effects. I have not considered any of these for my current project as they didn’t seem like suitable choices for what I was hoping to achieve, however, these could be an excellent fit for other landscape photography projects that I have in mind.

I feel that I have lost my creativity with my project and perhaps this has been due to feeling uneasy with the project itself and questioning whether this is the correct one for me to pursue. I also feel that I have limited myself in terms of technique and approach to my subject matter. This is something I will need to consider prior to my Final Major Project as I will need to find ways to stimulate ideas and create art.

In the meantime, I have found it helpful to work on other projects purely for the fun of it and to create a visual journal for myself as a way to experiment with my photography and approach it in a less serious way.