Tag: journal

Journal Reflection -Sustainable Prospects Week 11

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Coursework this week looked at the importance of marketing and ways in which to do so. We were tasked to think about a marketing plan for ourselves for the next 10 weeks and to break it down into a series of steps. As I am very time pressured at the moment, I am aware that I will need to make this plan something simple, realistic and achievable.

  1. Create a site for my online portfolio and a gallery. This can be part of my final assignments and where I can present my work in progress.
  2. My website is only partially done so get this up and running during my time off for the holidays.
  3. Review my Instagram account and either re-brand or open a second account ideally to coincide with the first week of the New Year.
  4. Consider whether I want other social media platforms at this stage, such as Facebook and Twitter and set up the accounts if I decide to implement them.
  5. Plan a schedule for sharing content on social media – looking at content, best times and events/holidays.
  6. Design and print business cards to match online logo.
  7. Run a paid promotion on Instagram.
  8. Do some planned surveys via Instagram as a means of market research to understand what content my audience wants.
  9. Develop a professional portfolio.
  10. Write some blurbs about what I do and which can be used within pitches or at networking events.
Planning for the future ©Juanita McKenzie

Journal Reflection -Sustainable Prospects Week 10

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This week our module leader, Anna, invited us to create Instagram accounts if we didn’t already have them and to think about a strategy for using them. I have already got an Instagram account and have been active for about 18 months. I have taken very readily to this platform and have found it to be an excellent means of networking, forming community, connecting with an audience and staying in touch with what is going on in terms of trends, events and so forth.

My account has a good following that has been grown completely organically without the use of apps or paid promotions at this point. It was simply a case of sharing content regularly, initially on a daily basis and engaging directly with my audience. This is really about relationship building and I think this is very important and I will always keep this personal connection no matter how big my account may grow.

I now don’t always post daily as it is not necessary to maintain and grow my audience, however, I do post consistently at least 2 – 3 times a week at times and days of the week that have proven to be my best for engagement. I have a good engagement rate as a result and this is important in getting work seen based on the way that algorithms work on Instagram.

I have recently switched to a business profile for my account but have it listed as a personal blog. I chose to make the switch so that I could use the paid promotion feature in the future as my research indicates this does bring results and puts your work in front of the right target audience. It is also an inexpensive way to market.

I am considering changing my profile to make it more professional but I am not sure how this will impact on my current audience as essentially this would be a re-branding exercise. I am still debating wither I should rebrand or open a second account for my professional Instagram presence. Many photographers have more than one account and say this works well for them.

Lastly, I do make use of an app to track who follows and unfollows me as there is an annoying tendency on Instagram for people to follow and unfollow as a way to rapidly increase their following. I use the Instagram business account analytics feature to keep an eye on my engagement and to establish what content is working best. These are essential tools to assist with getting the right content to your audience.

Screenshot of my media insights tool showing likes showing the top posts and the number of likes and comments. These are useful analytics to work with. Instagram: @juanita_mckenzie_

Journal Reflection -Sustainable Prospects Week 8

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It has been a busy week with preparation for the pitch that is coming up and also with me attending the Laia Abril talk, the Sugar Paper Theories Exhibition and talk with the artist Jack Latham, and also a visit to the Martin Parr Foundation. These were all very valuable in learning about how to research projects and how to work with subjects for documentary projects in ways that are ethical and collaborative.

I was very interested in how these artists approached the photographic narrative and art of story-telling, something which I would love to develop further and would be eager to learn more about in the course of my MA Photography. The other aspect of these talks that was of big interest to me was the way in which they approached the creation of a photobook and made it unique with clever design, layout and inserts. These are all techniques designed to create visual interest and subtly guide the viewer to reach their own conclusions about the topic. Very insightful talks and it was great to be able to attend.

Events & Exhibitions

Journal Reflection -Sustainable Prospects Week 7

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After the second webinar with our module leader, Anna, in which we discussed aspects of the various photographic markets, it is becoming very clear that this is tough industry to succeed in, despite the fact that there is a constant demand for imagery. I find myself feeling daunted at times, wondering if it is possible to break into the photographic industry at this stage in my life. At other times, I find myself comparing my work to that of others and wondering where exactly it fits in, as I’m not quite sure who would buy it or where my market would really be. These are the days where I suffer from ‘low creative worth’ and wonder what I was thinking taking on this course.

My research project is taking up all my spare time and I am spending most of the weekend walking around the city and in the underpasses, a far less than glamorous role and not quite what people think photography is like. I have been tired, cold, rained on and stared at by strangers who can’t understand what I am doing hanging around a concrete underpass. I am getting used to being uncomfortable now and no longer notice the stares but I do feel a little bit like I’m losing heart in my project. This might be since Ursa the Bear was removed from the Bearpit a few weeks ago, as I feel like the heart of the city went with her. Even though I predicted it would happen, I never anticipated that it would hit me quite so hard or that I would feel a little lost without Ursa. I wonder if others in the city feel that way too.

Where Ursa Once Stood ©Juanita McKenzie
St James Barton Roundabout, Bristol
Left: September 2019 Right: October 2019

Journal Reflection -Sustainable Prospects Week 6

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This week we were given opportunity to prepare oral presentations ahead of our assignments at the end of the term and to practice these with our peers. Once again, I am unable to participate because my current work demands have been so high. There have been a number of events this term beyond my control that have thrown me into disarray, but work has been exceptionally demanding recently. I am beginning to worry that I am falling behind on coursework and not gaining the full benefit of the weekly discussions and peer work.

At the moment, I am using every available moment of my free time to work on my studies but there is simply not enough time in a day. I have had to prioritise certain parts of the course that I feel are most important: the live brief, as this is part of work within a group; getting out and taking the photographs that I need for my project this term; attending my individual tutorials and also webinars where possible, watching recorded materials as I can, and doing some of the contextual research and reading in the time that is left.

Feeling the pressure ©Juanita McKenzie