With
everything now ready for assessment submission, this seems like a good time to
record some final thoughts about ‘People & Place’ & my own state of
development. The ‘learning outcomes’
listed at the beginning of the module would seem like a good place to start.
They define what we should be able to do by the end of the course and looking
at them now, in overall terms, I’m comfortable that I have demonstrated that I
can do all of them. However, there are
areas worthy of a bit more discussion and thought.
·
The first says ‘Use
technical and interpersonal skills to capture images which reflect your ideas’. I would particularly like to home in on the ‘... and interpersonal skills ...’
aspect. I’m sure that this is primarily
about the photographing of strangers or relative strangers, with their
knowledge, agreement and involvement.
I’ve certainly done that – especially in the final two assignments. I have done it and, I think, had satisfactory
outcomes from it. But it is only a
start. I’ve drawn comparisons a few
times between making portraits and conducting interviews. I have vast experience of the latter but6
still very limited experience of the former – but I reckon that, with practice,
I can use what I know from 20+ years of drawing out peoples’ experience,
personality etc to inform and enhance my approach to making portraits. I would, perhaps, be critical of myself for
not making better use of that skill in Assignment Five.
·
The second learning outcome is to ‘Demonstrate the importance of note taking, research, ideas and
concepts to the process of developing a story’. In the course of studying this module, I have
certainly done quite a bit of researching & planning – maybe a bit too much
at times. I have a feeling that my
interpretation of ‘research’ in a traditional and even dogmatic fashion might
have contributed to the frustratingly ‘blinkered’ view of the brief that caused
me trouble early in the course. One of
my next books for study is ‘Behind the Image’ by Anna Fox and Natasha Caruana,
published by AVA, in the Creative Photography Basics series; and this will
hopefully help me develop the way I go about this aspect of my work.
·
And then we come to ‘Demonstrate
a good level of ability in the effective selection and editing of images to
achieve objectives’. Once again, I
feel reasonably comfortable with that side – though I have made a few changes
to my selections between submission to my tutor and submission for assessment.
One aspect of this process that I’m not sure I have quite got balanced in my
own mind is the potential dilemma/conflict around presenting ‘variety’ (which
is often asked for an encouraged in assignment briefs) and ensuring ‘focus’
(which is often important in trying to get across a particular view or
message). It came up, for me, in
Assignment 4. In seeking to select a variety of images that would offer choice
for a magazine editor, I end up failing to present a focused, personalised view
of my subject. I’m not sure I’ve quite
worked out how to resolve that, yet.
·
Finally, there is ‘Show
that you can reflect perceptively on your learning experience’ and I have
to say that I think I’ve done plenty of that, too. I was a bit nervous about how I would handle
it in the ‘public’ environment of this blog, but I’ve just gone for it in the
end. I might have bored the pants of
anybody that chose to read my thoughts, but at least I’ve reflected – and hopefully
with a touch of perception at times!
And
that almost brings me to the end; but not quite. Putting things together for assessment has
led me to think about one or two other aspects of my approach.
This
is a familiar sight to OCA students – and probably to tutors/assessors, too.
This
notebook is where most of my thoughts, ideas, plans, reflections etc have
started out whilst studying this module.
There have been a few examples on WeAreOCA and elsewhere, recently, of
students presenting very ‘visual’ note/sketch books; and this approach seems to
have been praised by the tutors/assessors.
Now, I’m not sure that I work that way.
I sit down and scribble notes ... and the ideas get developed that way.
Is
that bad/wrong? Should I be more ‘visual’
in my research, planning and reflection? Does it say something about me,
potentially, as a photographic artist, if I pursue my thoughts that way? I know that I ‘soak up' everything that I see
– in magazines, on the Internet, at exhibitions. But ought I to do more cutting and
sticking? I certainly don’t want or
intend to do it because it’s what seems to be catching the eye of the
assessors. This process has to be about what
works positively in my own creative activity.
But it has set me thinking about a very, very fundamental
principle. I think in words not
images. Right now, after 62 years,
that’s where I am. But should the
development of an effective creative process be encouraging me to change? That’s a tough one and I don’t know the
answer.
Another
thought at present is that this course has taken me a long time to complete – longer
than any of the previous modules, even though I’m only working part-time
now. There are three main reasons.
·
I have, for the last twelve months, had the time-consuming ‘distraction’
of being OCA’s Student Association President; and that has impacted on time
available, without a doubt.
·
Photographing people involves more organisation and diary
planning around availability; and that has certainly contributed.
·
But I also think that it is a reflection of my own wish to be
serious about what I’m doing. These
days, I have a better understanding of what standard to aim for in the work I
produce and a stronger desire to achieve and maintain those standards. Whilst I might, from time to time, say ‘enough;
I cannot afford to spend any more time on this, even if I want to make it
better still’; but I don’t ever say ‘that’ll do; it’s good enough’ – and there
is a difference, I reckon.
And
then one last thought of all; this module has, without a doubt, given me the
confidence to make images of people. I
may still have a lot to learn, but my appetite is ‘whetted’ and, whereas I
might once have felt that portrait making was not for me, I now feel that I may
do more; and might yet come back to it as a significant part of my photographic
practice. Time will tell!