As part of the module, Sustainable Prospects, students have been given an opportunity to participate in a live brief. There were mixed feelings among the students, with many raising concerns about the workload for this term. Working on the live brief is voluntary so not all students have chosen to participate. I am also concerned about the workload and keeping up with everything during this term, however, I am very excited about the opportunity to participate in a live brief and have chosen to take part.
We had different briefs to choose from and these were for Oxfam, Headway East London and City ID who each presented a video for us about their respective campaigns. Although City ID was probably the most logical brief for me to choose, it was Headway East London that really drew me and I put this forward as my first choice to work on. I based my choice on the brief that I most wanted to work on and give me time to, the one that I connected to the most. Headway East London’s video was great and I really felt that I would be proud to work with this organisation and I absolutely support the great work that they are doing.
I was delighted to find out that this was the campaign I was allocated to with three of my fellow students – Bloo, Raeann and Oliver. We have set up a WhatsApp group and have planned our first meeting as a group to do some initial brainstorming and discuss our next steps. It was a great way to start as everybody in the group seems very enthusiastic about this project and eager to pitch in and do the work. We will need to deliver the live brief for a pitch within 9 weeks and I look forward to working on this as a team.
Visit the website to find out more about this local charity and the amazing work they do.
The first week of this module has been incredibly exciting with the introduction of the live briefs and the opportunity to participate in these. We have been allocated our groups for the live brief project and I am pleased to have been allocated to my first choice, even though this is likely to take me out of my comfort zones as a photographer. Read more about the live brief here.
Already the importance of research in this context has been
emphasised as it is essential to understand the client and the brief in order
to create an effective project pitch. Preliminary
research for the live brief projects has involved looking at the client, the
visual language they are using, where their campaigns are appearing and how
they are being presented.
I have undertaken a lot of online research this week around
the live brief, focusing on how the client is utilising social media channels,
where they are focusing their campaigns and how they are presenting themselves
visually. This has led me to consider my
own visual language and how I am portraying myself and my work online. I anticipate that I will be making some
changes in the near future as I consider the importance of personal branding.
I have looked into various definitions of research methodologies and initially struggled to apply this to my artistic and photographic practices as it seemed rather theoretical. It was immensely helpful to look at how other photographers approach their research and to discover a number of varied yet equally relevant ways to approach this.
In the past I have used research methods in my formal studies, however, as these were not art studies, it was predominantly through books, periodicals, text books and online sources. These are equally relevant to my current photography project, along with practice-based research and constructivist methodologies.
This includes physical exploration of the urban landscape, engaging with people in these landscapes and communities, placing myself within the context of the project, and exploring relevant techniques. I was pleased to gain a real sense of context for my research and feel this will help to focus my work and photographic practice.
The project I have proposed to work on is centred around the idea of impermanence and how this is expressed in the context of the urban environment. I intend to explore the relationships between people, place and psyche through the concept of nonplace, impermanence and the architectural language of change. I will mostly be exploring this within my local environment but also within any other cities or suburban landscapes that I may have the opportunity to explore. The project will progress in stages across the different course modules and I am open to the idea that it could even change as I progress.
As part of my project I will be referring to a number of different sources to provide the contextual research that will underpin my work. Some of this will be achieved through reading a variety of different books, articles and periodicals, as well as doing online research around the genre of urban photography, the techniques used, projects around similar themes, and the work of photographers that inspire me or from whom I can learn.
Robert Frank is one of a number of photographers whose work inspires me and is relevant to my current project. He was an immigrant to America and set out on a two-year road trip to photograph the real America from the viewpoint of an outsider. This resulted in his 1958 book called The Americans. For Robert Frank, his work itself was the research, depicting a raw and honest documentary of America at that time.
Lewis Bush is another photographer whose work is of great interest to me as he explores issues of gentrification, capitalism, urban change and the political context of urban landscapes. His book, Metropole, is about the changing face of London in the context of global capitalism and how this drives modern property developments, gentrification and displacement of people. Lewis Bush does a vast amount of research during his various projects and brings together knowledge and research in the fields of economics, politics, journalism, technology, art and history.
I will be referring to the work of French anthropologist, Marc Augé, around the concept of non-place and will do further research on any other artists working with this concept, as well as any relevant sources within the fields of sociology and anthropology. The concept of psychogeography is another area for potential research that may bring a different aspect to my project.
Lastly, I plan to incorporate literature into my background research, and hope to find time to read some of the works by authors or poets, such as William Blake, who write about city life and the contrasts, paradoxes and changes inherent to it, as well as referring to other written or visual works that explore our relationship with the landscapes we explore, inhabit or interact with in some way.
Another important aspect to my research will be the practical context of physically exploring the urban landscape to gain knowledge of it, as well as attempting to engage with people in these landscapes and communities. This supports a practice-based approach to my research, as well as supporting a constructivist research methodology.
These are perhaps ambitious plans for my research as time is always a constraint, however, I don’t see the research as being limited to only this semester of the course, but rather an ongoing process that will continue to inform, develop and evolve my project.
Last week I had my tutor meeting with Jesse Alexander which was very supportive and encouraging. We spoke about the challenges of being a part-time student and balancing studies, work and life. I was able to discuss my ideas for project work and get some advice around finding a focus as I am still struggling to identify my style of photography.
Later in that week, I also had my 1-2-1 session with my tutor for this semester, Paul Clements. Again the feedback on my work was encouraging and some great suggestions were put forward for me to explore by looking at the work of other photographers who have produced work on similar projects to what I am currently focusing on – namely, that of the urban landscape, the constant changes and cycles of urban decay and renewal, as well as issues such as gentrification.
This week we have had the opportunity to present our draft Oral Presentations to our peers and tutor during a webinar. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to attend due to other commitments and I am feeling somewhat anxious about missing this opportunity as my peers have said it was extremely helpful. It seems that one of my biggest challenges is going to be time constraints.
On a positive note – last week I had spent a day at the St Paul’s Carnival in Bristol with the aim of doing some street and carnival photography. The Martin Parr Foundation, Arnolfini Gallery and St Paul’s Carnival organisers had announced a pop up gallery event that would be hosted after the carnival and invited the public for submissions. I found out this week that some of my images had been selected as part of the pop-up exhibition. Really excited about this!
Chance, coincidence and sometimes faux pas can play a very important role in photography and this is something I am always aware of in my practice, particularly when I am photographing in the streets and urban spaces of the cities that I visit. I always have my camera ready and know that I may need to be very quick in order to capture a fleeting moment in the dynamic of the every changing and moving urban environment.
Yet still there is a moment of choice involved as to whether to capture something in that precise timing and what to include within the frame. This is what Henri Cartier-Bresson refers to in his concept of the ‘decisive moment’, implying a readiness and ability to recognise the elements of a great photographic composition. This is both the creative impulse and the technical knowledge combined to bring forward a compelling photographic image.
As walking and exploring the urban environment is so integral to my photographic practice, I am often spontaneous in my work but have found it tremendously helpful to place a focus in my mind for the particular outcomes I hope to achieve in a given session. Finding a balance between planned focus and creative spontaneity is the way I endeavour to approach my photographic process so as to remain flexible and leave room for new directions.
“Having a clear understanding of concept, the rationale for a piece of work, will inform many decisions you will make as a photographer; prior, during and after the actual picture-making event. The conceptual approach is the essence of the process and the photograph. From informing subtle choices concerning subject, materials, composition and final presentation, the relationship between concept and subject underpins all that the photographer does.” (Short, 2011)
The choice of lens, location, time of day, season and intention can all be factors that will influence my work and all involve making technical and creative decisions beforehand. The processing and editing of images afterwards are also important technical and creative decisions that are part of my photographic practice. These decisions are always shaped by knowing my reasons for a particular project, enabling a focused and meaningful process. Yet it is often through remaining open to chance and spontaneity that some of my best work is achieved.
* Short, M. (2011). Subject. In Basics Creative Photography 02: Context and Narrative (pp. 40–65). Lausanne: AVA Publishing SA. Retrieved November 29, 2019, from http://dx.doi.org/10.5040/9781350088993.ch-002
Journey Through the Lens 