Thinking about the lessons, this week, I have had to consider where I locate my practice between personal projects and commercial photography. I am not yet doing any commercial work and it was only a few years ago that I rediscovered photography after earlier aspirations of being a photojournalist. Although I no longer necessarily wish to pursue a career in journalism, the documentary impulse still remains but is focused on social issues and causes. I also feel increasingly drawn to fine art photography and wonder if there is a way to combine both aspects into my photographic practice.
The difficulty for me has been in finding my voice as a photographer and I took on the MA Photography because I wanted to develop my personal style and learn more about turning my personal projects and passion for photography into pieces of art or meaningful bodies of work. I think that initially I would lean naturally towards photographic books and related exhibitions around these bodies of work. I am increasingly drawn to the work of social documentary photographers such as Zed Nelson and Alec Soth. Looking to the works of established photographers will be important in providing inspiration and helping me to find my own style within these genres of photography.
Learning from others in the industry, participating in contests and reviews, attending workshops, networking and developing my personal brand are my next steps in this process, and I will explore these avenues concurrent with my MA project and other personal projects as these may be the beginnings of a meaningful body of work. At the same time, I will look at breaking into the commercial photography market possibly through the sale of prints, stock photography and even some portrait work. I am currently building up a portfolio of related work. Due to working a full time job, my efforts to break into any form of commercial photography would need to be on a part-time basis and will take some time to plan. That said, it is a priority for me to put in the time and energy to build something for the future that is both sustainable and meaningful.
Although I am still establishing and developing my own visual language, I do have a personal style that comes through my work but which I still find difficult to define. Not everyone relates to or understands some of my projects, wondering why I would consider the subject matter that I do, but as these are personal projects, I make conscious photographic choices and stay true to my creative vision in this way. Learning from others is very important to my development and growth as a photographer, however, I have also learned it is essential that I don’t make comparisons to the work of others because this can be a downfall not just in photography but in all areas of life.
I do tend to focus on long term project work, so some of my ideas would take years to reach fruition and show results. This means that they would remain personal projects for now although there is always the possibility that this could change in the future. My current project for the MA is one that I view as a long term project that I foresee developing throughout the two years, however, as the course is structured into modules across terms, my challenge is to create meaningful visual chapters of a much longer process.
Journey Through the Lens 