Jasminealexphotography

First test shoot- (Illford 2 film- ISO 400) – In the film studio, using the main room light

• 1st and 2nd photo – Black backdrop – F. Stop 2.8 – Shutter speed 8
• 3rd and 4th photo – Grey backdrop – F. Stop 2.8 – Shutter speed 8
• 5th and 6th photo – White backdrop – F. Stop 2.8 – Shutter speed 60
• 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th, 13th, 14th and 15th photos – grey backdrop – F. Stop 2.8 – Shutter speed 30

I decided to carry out this shoot using film, as I have not used film since, I was in the first year of my degree and during my final year of my degree I decided to buy my own medium format film camera. There is something about film that I am really drawn to, probably for the fact that it encourages you to take your time when photographing your subjects. For this shoot I was using my friends Rose and Megan as the models. Although this was only a test shoot, I was really pleased with the images. Obviously technically there are some areas that I would need to work on, including the lighting/exposure and also working on making sure that the camera is fully in focus.

What first got you into biking?
Since 2006 I began to hang around with a lot of people who were bikers. My local pub was a biker pub. In 2008 I moved abroad and had lots of biker friends there too so in 2011 when I came home I booked my test and have never looked back. Riding a bike is very different to being a pillion. I’m in control and I decide how to ride.
 
What does biking mean to you?
Freedom and belonging.
Freedom from traffic jams. Freedom to park (for free). Freedom to think. Freedom to be anonymous (whilst I’ve got my lid on). Freedom to choose how I ride my bike. I have nothing to prove to anyone. It’s just me, myself and my ninja.
Having a shared interest with so many other people is great. I love hearing stories of other people’s biking adventures or hearing about rally’s home and abroad. It’s an instant sense of belonging. For most people who ride, it doesn’t matter what you ride as long it’s two wheels.
 
What was it that made you choose the bike you have now?
I chose the ninja 250 as I’m a bit of shortie. The ninja is nippy and light and easy to manoeuvre without feeling over baring. She’s quite pretty too. She just a sexy bike and i connect with her.
 
What judgement have you faced whilst being a biker?
I once had a guy come to buy a treadmill. It was in the garage. As I was getting the treadmill out from the side of my bike he said “be careful, you don’t want to scratch his bike”. I duly informed him I would take care not to scratch MY bike.
When I got to bike meets people I don’t know automatically assume I’m riding pillion. They are surprised when they learn I have my own bike.

What first got you into biking?
I used to sit on my dad's bike in the garage and loved putting his helmet on. My mum's side of the family consisted of all my great uncles, Grandaddy etc being bikers. My granddad was in a motorbike group with my grandmother's brothers and cousins, that's how they met and got married. The motorbike gene skipped men in my generation of the family only falling to me and a female cousin, no men. I feel like I'm keeping the family tradition going in a modern way. It presented as a logical step when I needed to think about transportation as driving a car didn't appeal. Love the look and feel of motorbikes, feeling in tune with your engine etc.
 
What does biking mean to you?
Freedom; when you’re on your bike everything else melts away or is insignificant. Unlike driving a car, riding a bike connects you to the bike itself, like an extension of yourself. Way to connect with my family such as my grandad whom I never met as he died over 50 years ago. It is my independence and ‘my thing’. It makes me who I am, and the fact that apparently I ‘don't fit into what people expect of a biker’ makes me feel unique and feel I am being true to myself
 
What was it that made you choose the bike you have now?
Was going to do das and get the Kawasaki z650 but decided to get used to the gears. The z125 is very similar to the 650 in body but smaller engine so as I wanted to upgrade eventually this seemed like a good option. The z range are lighter weight than other options and also low seat so can actually touch the floor. Needed light weight as only small so would be flattened by a heavier bike. I like the upright riding position as I don't want to look like a racer or get a bad back either! Wanted her pink as it's me, my favourite colour and shows I'm a proud female biker. 
 
What judgement have you faced whilst being a biker?
When I've walked into a bike dealership with my husband salespeople have gone to him, expecting him to be the biker. Even when they've been told it was me they've still tended to talk to him more as if he makes the decisions . People have been very surprised that my husband doesn't like or ride bikes as if it doesn't make sense for me to without him doing so too! I've had quite a few people say ‘your husband lets you ride a bike’! I've started to walk into dealerships with confidence after being treated like a proper biker by surepass, they don't see me as inferior for being female. You get the feeling from some bikers that as a woman you shouldn't and can't handle a motorbike and should only be on the back. I've had a lot of other bikers he happy and pleased that I am a biker too so very mixed judgement. People tend to be surprised when I say I ride a motorbike as I'm a girl who loves pink, crochet, sewing, cross stitch and baking, so apparently my hobbies and being a girly girl doesn't ‘fit' with what people expect female bikers to be.

When Bill Ray first began this project, he spent at least a month shadowing the San Bernardin Hell’s Angels biking group. The photographs that he took were created to symbolise the carefree lifestyle that these individuals had. It was also said that during this project Bill Ray became quite close to one of the female bikers. The women in the series of images became quite iconic. The main aspect that Bill Ray liked about the female bikers was their appearance, they were not there against their will, they chose to be there; on the back of the bike with the man that they were riding with. The portraits that Bill Ray created were very insightful into the biking community, displaying themes such as “outlaw culture” and “explicit criminality”.

The work of Bill Ray is an inspiration for my current project, whereby I am looking at the female biking community, and how this community has evolved over time; starting out as being the “Old ladies” (as they refer to the female pillion riders), to then starting to ride their own bikes. Now in more recent years we even have all female biking groups being created all over the world. This is a subject that I am very passionate about as I myself am a pillion rider and possibly future female biker. I also want the images that I take to display a significant meaning within them and to show the importance of community within the biking world. Throughout this project I will be working closely with the Plymouth female biking group; “The Litas” and taking portraits of them with their bikes, I will also be looking to work with black and white film, in a similar style to Bill Ray.

Hajjaj is a contemporary photographer originally from Morocco. A lot of his images are placed within frames made up of well known brands taking on a fine art and popular culture feeling within them, also the use of bright colours and interesting backgrounds making the images stand out. ‘Kesh Angels’ was a project that Hajjaj created was focused around the bike culture of Marrakesh; the project was a
take on the ‘Hell’s Angels gang in America’ The models that Hajjaj uses are close friends of his, so he has already established a connection with the individuals that he uses. He described the girls as being “girls who usually paint henna tattoos on tourists in the main square, but you still wouldn’t want to run into them in a dark alley”, “These girls are tough.”

I am especially interested by the work that Hajjaj creates, because although his work is staged and a lot of these women don’t even own their own motorcycle. But it is not so much about the aesthetics of the images that I am interested in, its more about how Hajjaj has given these women a voice, allowing them to take control of the way that they are posed; giving them a sense of power in these images.

Linda K Alpern is a documentary photographer situated in New York. She has spent a good portion of her life photography in and around the city. The main inspirations for her work are her family and her previous vocation, working as a registered nurse back in the 70's. This is an ongoing project that Alpern is carrying out named 'documenting life on-duty'. The project takes on a documentary style as the photographs that she takes throughout the project are accompanied by writing, this will include parts taken from interviews  that Alpern conducts including herself and nurses in the hospital.

For my own ongoing project I was inspired by the work of Alpern purely for the way that she is executing her current project 'documenting life on-duty', including photographs along with text taken from interviews she had with nurses at the hospital. This is similar to my own project because I am looking to include text along with my images, text which I will gain trhough asking each of the bikers that I photograph a series of questions including a bit of background information about themselves as well as their experience as being a female biker and any judgement that they have faced during this time.

How would you describe/classify your current photographic practice in approximately 75 words?
Currently my photographic practice has taken a turn from previous projects that I have carried out. Currently I am looking into the relationship between photography and people, and the role that photography has to play in narrative images and other visual work. Through undertaking both primary and secondary research methods I also hope to be able to understand whether photography can be used as a way of benefiting the individual(s) involved in the process of taking these images, or whether in fact it can add to the misconceptions that we have about individuals of different categories/groups.

Who is/are the audience(s) for your work currently?
Currently the audience that my work is aimed at is individuals’ that fit into a characteristic, for example age, gender identity, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation that feel that either have or still are being judged by other people as a result of having this type of characteristic. Individuals’ that have a characteristic that makes them more vulnerable to either being judged, bullied or harmed, are classed as high risk characterized individuals. I want individuals’ to be able to relate to my work and feel a connection with the individuals’ that are involved in my project and the stories that the images tell.

Creatively and photographically - what are you motivated by?
I am mostly motivated by images that have a strong narrative and have a greater meaning behind them than just what is visually apparent within the image itself, I look for things much deeper than this. This is what I want my images to show; I want people to be able to connect to my images in the way that I can connect with other artists work.

Whose work are you most inspired and influenced by, and why?
The artists that I am most inspired by are:
Cindy Sherman- I am inspired by the work that Sherman creates because although a lot of the work that she creates involves a lot of makeup and is usually staged, it is about what the images are actually showing and the message that Sherman is trying to convey to her audience; showing that being different is not always a bad thing, and standing out lets the world see you better for who you really are.
Jeff Wall- I am inspired by the work that Wall creates because of the subjects that are discussed within his images, including, “Urban violence, racism, poverty, class and gender”. A lot of Wall’s work is staged, but I like the message that each image connotes, and the feeling that it brings across to the audience; almost like a sense of escapism.
Nan Goldin- I am inspired by the work that Goldin creates as each of her images is unique and very intimate to her. I am also interested by the fact that her work highlights themes such as the LGBT. Some of her images may be staged, however, the way that she has taken her images is almost in the form of a documentary style; catching the moment in all its glory.

What are the core/recurring themes/ideas that appear in your work?
The recurring themes within my work include personal aspects; things that all individuals’ have either experienced or can relate to either on a personal level or that they have experienced through another individual, for example a family member, friend or a partner. Some of the most common themes include, Mental illness, for example displaying through images what it is like living the with this illness, highlighting aspects such as Anxiety, Depression, OCD and Self Harming. When working on topics such as these, I tend to use dark colours, sometimes even a black and white filter to add more emphasis to the image(s), and as a way of highlighting the main aspects within the image, whilst not giving everything away; allowing the viewer to connect with the work in their own way, and finding things within the image that some people may not have found within it, due to their own personal ideas and experiences.

From where do these originate? (E.g. Your upbringing, family histories, educational background, personal likes or dislikes)
For me a lot of the ideas I have for my projects resonate from my past experiences, as well as my own personal likes and dislikes with some of the work that current artists are making and comparing it some of the things that I am interested in. I constantly find myself taking inspiration from things that I can connect to on a personal level; whether this be images, writing and/or people, such as artists, as well as other inspirational people. I feel that I tend to hold my cards quite close to my chest and never really tend to let people in fully, only allowing them to have a sneak preview of myself, but when I find a topic that I am really interested in, that is when I really allow myself to shine through and let people get to know me and my story.


Reflecting critically on the ‘top 10’ images in your current portfolio, what are the main strengths of your work?
From coming into a photography degree as someone whom had never studied any photography or art related course previously, this has meant that I must learn the basic skills and how to use a range of equipment very quickly, as well as ‘perfecting’ these techniques in order to increase the quality of my images. As a result of this I feel that I am still in the stage of working on my portfolio; and at the same time working hard on building up my skill base in order to keep increasing the quality of my images, till I find something that truly shows my skills and qualities. Now I would say one of my key strengths is that I am able to communicate well with individuals’ whom I have not met before, meaning that I am able to make connections easily with individuals’, this can be used as an advantage within my projects.

What are the limitations / areas for development?
For me my limitations are that before I began my degree, I never studied photography or any other art practice, this meant that when I started my degree, I had a lot to learn, which meant that my work wasn’t up to the standard that it could have been. Currently I would say my area for development would editing my images, currently I know the basics for editing images, but I still need to learn how to use some of the other tools, available on software such as photoshop, InDesign and lightroom. This would enable me to improve the quality of my images and to use the tools to make changes and enhancements.

How is your work informed by research?
With each of the projects I carry out, I always start off with an idea and then begin by looking at artists whose work is similar to my own project that I am carrying out, this gives me additional ideas and inspiration for my own project. Once I have my idea and my inspiration, I am then able to carry out further research, using methods such as the internet, books and interviews this then allows me to increase the knowledge base for my project. This also allows me to be more involved with my project and the work that I am creating.

Name one key theory/theoretical position that could be applied to your current work?
Discrimination and Categorization

How could you produce your work differently – creatively, technically, practically?
I could produce my work differently by being more open to new ideas and new methods of working, for example using video/stop motion photography and sound. Through using these methods, it will allow me to become more creative within my practice.

How will your contextualization / dissertation module inform your creative production?
Through writing my dissertation this will inform my creative production through allowing me to become more informed of my subject matter, this will then allow me to truly connect with my work and the individuals’ that are involved within the project.

What were the 5 most important things that you learned during your studies last year?

1. Using the crit sessions to my advantage and making sure that I am always bringing along new work to be shown and discussed within the class.
2. Making full use of the resources available to me, including the library, workshops, the tutors and all the equipment available within the college.
3. I also learnt that by completing small amounts of work each day, it will make the workload more manageable and will allow you to complete the task more quickly.  
4. I have also learnt how to make connections with individuals. Especially individuals’ whom I will be using within my project.
5. It is also important to take full advantage of opportunities that arise during your academic year, including work/shadowing opportunities. 

What do you wish you had learned? What key things do you want/need to learn this year?
​​​​I wish that I had learnt how to properly make connections with individuals that you are looking to use within your project. How to talk to them whilst you are carrying out the task, and how to direct individuals’, getting them to do what you need them to do without it being awkward or for you to feel like you are being ‘bossy’. This is something that usually takes place within commercial photography, but it is something that I feel could have and still would be beneficial to my own practice. This is something that I hope that I can learn this year; possibly when I carry out the shadowing/placements that I will be doing throughout this year.

Are there any personal/circumstantial issues that might hinder you from achieving goals this year? If so, what are your strategies for overcoming them?
​​​​Still being a sufferer of anxiety and depression, I feel that this could hinder me at times when I begin to feel stressed. Sometimes as soon as I start to feel stressed, I want to immediately remove whatever it is that is causing me the stress, however, when carrying out a project like the one that I will be doing this year this is not something that is possible. So, it is important that I find ways to deal with this stress so that it does overtake me and my project. This is where I feel that by using the resources that are available to me, I will be able to feel more in control and so as a result should be able to manage this stress more effectively, so that it does not cause further damage to myself and jeopardise the potential for my project.

16/10/2019- Family photo shoot

• Studio setting
• Family of 6 - mum, dad, 6yr old, 5yr old, 2yr old and a two week old baby
• 3 backdrops
• Props included bunting, small rugs, make shift bed for the baby, large beanbag and blankets
• Duration of the shoot 1 hour

1. First set of images included the baby, whilst she was still asleep, alternately using two different props as beds.
2. The second set of images included all of the girls sat together. During this part of the shoot we were experiencing issues with the two youngest girls; the baby wanted mum, and the two year old was becoming bored with just staying sat down, so mum and dad had to distract her with videos on their phones.
3. The third set of images included the two year old on her own. It took a lot of distraction to keep her looking at the camera.
4.  The fourth set of images were of the five year old on her own, this little girl was a right character and was full of lots of different poses, which made it easy to work with.
5. The fifth set were of the eldest girl; she was really great to work with, as she was older this meant that she listened to instruction better.
6. For the sixth set of images we changed the backdrops. We initially started off with the two eldest girls together and then we added in the two youngest girls, so that we had all of them sat together. Then unfortunately the two year old began to get upset and so we ended up with the two eldest girls sat with the baby.
7. For the whole family shoot we moved to the white backdrop and varied from having them standing to sitting on the beanbag and then using one of the previous backdrops with them sitting/kneeling on the floor.

This shoot was overall really interesting as I have never worked on a family photoshoot before and also four young children, but overall this was a really enjoyable experience. 

Representation, Self-expression and performed gesture
Dinu Li

• Gina Pane and Francois Mason – using her body as a canvas within her performance work she creates. Francois Mason works as a commercial photographer. Is the performance heightened by the use of the commercial photographer rather than a photographer who is more discreet in the way that they take the images?
• Dinu Li has a great interest in archives
• ‘The rising sun in China’

Nation Family – 2017 – Single channel video installation

• The title written in Chinese means ‘Country’
• Psychological escapism – An image displayed his uncle holding what looked to be a radio whilst situated in the labor camp, however on confronting his uncle about this, he said in fact it was a brick with a bamboo shoot poking out of the top with buttons painted on it. Although he could not physically hear anything from this object, psychologically he could hear music playing; this was his escapism from the horrible reality that he was living in.
• In the video it displays a range of images, in the background you can hear a radio being tuned, changing through the channels.
• Then two individuals began discussing the experience of the labor camp; the things that they would get them doing and punishment that they would receive if they didn’t do it.
• During the new year they would come back to see their family, but the individuals were never the same; they were reciting the story of Dinu Li’s uncle and the brick.
• Metal - arts organization helped support the work of Dinu Li with the making of his video

Crescendo – 2010 – Single channel video with sound

• To make this Dinu Li went on a 3-month residency again using archives within his work
• A state funded museum collaborated with him on his work as part of this project
• He met a group of individuals, whilst he was taking the bus and he saw them in the middle of the dual carriageway burning pieces of paper, including old funeral documentation, Dinu immediately got off the bus and questioned the individuals on why they were carrying out this old tradition in the place that they were and not on the pavement out of the traffic, and they said that the exact place where they were burning the paper was where they used to live and China knocked these houses down and built the dual carriageway.
• So as a result, they were angry. Dinu Li asked them if they would be interested in creating a project with him to display how angry they were. He decided to create a flash mob that would take place on the metro and they would be confronting each other about the immediate issue. Within this project Dinu Li was also working alongside another artist, making this project a collaboration piece.
• They decided to execute the project on a Saturday when they knew that the metro would be at its busiest. The project was overall a real success as the team started accidently shouting at individuals who weren’t part of their group and these other individuals were also getting involved; creating a sense of realism throughout their project.
• This project was quite high risk, as causing trouble on the metro can land you in a great deal of trouble and people were becoming very upset about the group filming.
• The execution of the flash mob did not go as planned and instead of carrying out the ‘confrontation’ and going about their business again, they instead got embroiled in a situation that could have resulted in them becoming arrested.

Dear (Artist/ Photographer Name),

Firstly, thank you for your time in reading this message. I am a third-year BA (Hons) Photography student at Plymouth College of Art, and we are currently raising funds towards our final degree show at Free Range in London 2020, which means contacting artists and photographers like yourself for a book and print(s) which you may be able to donate for us to auction off at our Print Auction in December this year.

As I have long been an admirer of your work, I would be genuinely honoured if you would be able to donate a print for our Print Auction, ‘ISO19’ on the 10th of December 2019. If needed, we would be able to reimburse you for post and packaging costs from sending us your work.

If you’d like to follow our progress on social media and through our Facebook event, you can find that [here].
Hyperlink “here” with this link: https://www.facebook.com/events/765272723910506/
I look forward to your reply and hope to hear from you soon!

Many thanks,
(Your Name)

BA (Hons) Photography
Plymouth College of Art
Tavistock Place
Plymouth PL4 4AT

Dear (Their Name),

Thank you for taking the time to read this message. I am a third-year BA(Hons) Photography student at Plymouth College of Art. My cohort and I are currently raising funds towards our final exhibition at Free Range in London 2020. Free Range is a huge annual exhibition showcasing a variety of photography from almost all universities in the United Kingdom. This exhibition is something that we have been ramping up to since our first day at university, and we want to make sure we do it right.

Our largest event is a Print Auction which will be held on the 10th December 2019 in the Plymouth College of Art Student Union Bar (Tavistock Place, PL4 4AT). We would be honoured if you would join us for a festive-themed evening of mince pies and mulled wine or apple juice. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and the auction will begin at 6 p.m.

I have attached a poster with all the information, but if you’d prefer you can follow our progress on social media and through our Facebook event:
https://www.facebook.com/events/765272723910506/

I look forward to your reply and hope to hear from you soon!

Many thanks,
(Your Name)

BA (Hons) Photography
Plymouth College of Art
Tavistock Place
Plymouth PL4 4AT

As part of the writing team, one of my jobs was to create the bio for the Free Range exhibition in London, this would then go on to be published on our website in order to inform individuals' about who we are, as well as including some background history and information about our home town; Plymouth, and also discussing themes relating to the work that we have been creating.

Who we are-

Coalescence is a class of fifteen third year students and emerging artists whom have all studied on the BA photography degree together at the Plymouth College of Art. We are all passionate individuals who have a very unique style when it comes to photography and the way that we choose to display our work, often relating to personal themes within our projects with a strong message to follow.

Plymouth- up and coming city-

Plymouth has emerged like the phoenix from its war time devastation and destruction, into the inviting and modernistic ‘Ocean City’. It continues to involve and embrace its historical past, one example being the Pilgrim Fathers on their sail to America alongside Sir Francis Drake and the Spanish Armada. Plymouth is a well known naval base. Along side this, the city offers an Oceanic life style and activities.

Distinguishing Fine Art photography from Commercial photography-
 
When working as a Commercial photographer the individual is usually working for an individual and/or a company. As part of this they are required to meet a set criterion with careful guidelines and usually a restricted time scale in which to create the work. Whereas, Fine Art photography is something that is very subjective to the audience of which their thoughts and opinions may differ from the photographic art piece.
 
Aspects of work displayed-
 
The work that has been and is still being produced by individuals from the cohort of BA photography varies within its topic, style and form; closely looking at subjects such as, Political views, Human interaction and prejudism encompassing the use of social media and how we conform to ‘societies’ ideals, the use of Digital Manipulation to change the aesthetics of the images, as well as looking at Human versus nature. All of the work that is created as part of the Free Range Show in London will be constructed using many different forms, some being installations, prints and/or use of projection along with sound.

Minutes from 28th February 2020
Agenda-

• £600 from pa = 1350
• £750 from students = 2100
• Roles (Project manager = democratic vote?) (Invitation oversight = two people) (Curation team = Jan + two others)
• 10+ images. Ideas?
• Technician to book van.
• Agreed date for travelling to free-range.
• I (Jamie) will email Rosie to ask about floor space and if it is necessary to visit space before FR to measure.
• Who will travel if necessary?

Minutes-

• Vote for PM
• Megan Woodford & Ray Goodwin invitation
• 30 (or so) invitations PER WEEK
• Megan E and Astrid W for curation
• Democratic vote for 10+ images
• 23rd to 30th of June
• Future meetings 12-1 Fridays

Agenda for next week -

• Go over votes for images
• Logo and name
• Invigilation

Minutes from 2nd March 2020
Agenda-

• Promotional images chosen (Aaron, Emma, Hannah, Harriet, Jamie, Jan, Kat, Megan E, Ray, Shola)
• Floor plan retrieved, probs no need to go to London.
• When will future meetings be? (Friday 12-1)
• Logo and name
• Invigilation
• Have paid (James Halton, Emma Bell, Astrid Ware, Harriet Moore, Ray Goodwin, Katherine Hoad, Hannah Cranshaw, Jan Fajga, Shola Naylor, Megan Elliott)
• Haven’t paid (Megan Woodford, Rose Mary, Lily Newman)
• Not sure (Jasmine Walker-Lawton)

Minutes-

• Monday 12-1 & Friday 12-1 meetings
• Friday the 13th £50 due

Minutes from 6th March 2020
Alcohol-

• Rosie confirmed that it is only for the private view and only to give away - we cannot sell and if we wanted to do this any other time we would have to get a license.
• Aaron will be in charge of sourcing sponsorships - are there any particular companies or types of alcohol people want?

Images-

• Louise has had a look at the images voting in by our class

Branding-

• New names?
• New logo - who will design this?

Payments-

• First £50 from those who haven’t paid
• Second £50 from all, deadline 13th March

Free Range Catalogue - photobook or zine?

Minutes-

• Logo to be done by 20th march

Minutes from 9th March 2020

• Louise’s suggested images. Are they to be used or not?
• New name: Coalescence
• New logo to be designed by 20th March
• £50 pp due by Friday 13th March
• First £50 due from Rose Mary and Megan Woodford
• Portraits on Monday 16th March. Book out cove/other studio & equipment
• Product studio only available Monday 16th March 1500-1600
• Cove only available Tuesday 17th March 1300-1400 (ALL STUDENTS MUST BE PRESENT)

Minutes-

• Register (Harriet Moore, Ray Goodwin, Shola Naylor, Lily Newman, Jan Fajga, Jamie Halton, Jasmine W and Megan W and Megan E)
• Louise’s suggested images ARE to be used.
• Logo to be voted on by Wednesday 11th March
• Logo to be complete by Monday 16th March
• First £50 still due from Megan W
• Floor plan
• Questions for group chat (Does work need….. Electricity, wall space, ceiling space)
• Megan elliott to create a 3d model of the space
• Experimentation with prints/installations to begin immediately. If you are attempting something you haven’t done before you must start testing it now.
• Speak to comm photo about whether the van will be shared or not. Van to be sorted by Steve G if so. Will they be bringing boards? Will we be bringing boards?
• Next few weeks will be 1 to 1s with Jo

Unfortunately due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we were unable to complete our risk assessment for Free Range, as students were planning on travelling up to London in order to view the space and consider important aspects such as Risks, and before this could happen the University closed and the whole country went on lockdown.

The writing process-

• Prewrite – Brainstorm and organise your ideas
• Draft – Use your ideas to write a rough draft
• Revise – Makes changes to improve your writing
• Edit – Proofread and correct your mistakes
• Publish – Write and present your final copy

7 tips to help you write your dissertation-

• Write before you feel ready – Otherwise you might never feel ready!
• Set specific times for your writing – Don’t leave it to chance!
• Don’t worry about the way that you write
• You’re not on your own – Get feedback from tutors and colleagues!
• Snack write – Allow an hour a day, 5 days a week. Don’t ‘binge’ write!
• Word sprint – Set a timer and get writing, trying to write as many words as you can before the time runs out.
• Turn off from the outside world

Equipment used: 1x Manfrotto tripod - stills, 1x Elinchrom Ranger RX kit, 1x Nikon D850 DSLR, 1x Nikon 50mm f1.8 Lens, Lighting Stand Kit, Soft box folding  66x66cm.

Location: The Barbican - Near to Captain Jaspers


This was the first shoot that I carried out as part of this project. I arranged to meet my model (Sophie) at the Barbican during the evening as I knew it would be quiet around this part, this would give me plenty of room to set up my equipment and shoot my project. During this shoot I experienced some issues with the Elinchrom Ranger RX lighting kit, the lighting would not stay on; this is the reason why the images had an usual orange look to them. I also experienced trouble with focussing the camera, this was as a result of the lighting being so poor, this caused the camera to take longer to focus, which then because of movement, resulted in blurry images. This was the point at which I made the decision that for my future shoots I would carry them out during the day time, this would then also mean that I could use natural light, as well as some flash lighting alongside.

In the third year of my degree I embarked on another portrait series, this one was named ‘The Female Biker’ – An exploration into what it means to be a female motorcycle rider. This project featured four individuals and was made of images as well as text; looking at their journey and the judgement that they have faced. The main aims for this project was to inform individuals in a bid to change the stigma around female motorcycle riders.

I then continued this project into my second semester of the year, working closely with some of my previous models. However, this project was short lived as unfortunately we came under attack from the COVID-19 pandemic. After careful consideration the university was forced to close, my models began dropping out one by one, and for a while I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do or how I was going to make any new work.

Myself like many other individuals had been affected by the virus in more ways than one, not only was I no longer able to attend university to finish my degree but had also been laid off from work with no means of income. It was here that I decided to make my project personal about my own experiences during this time. This is when I made this mini project ‘ The Box’ and where ‘These Four Walls’ was started. ‘The Box’ included research, statistics and facts about the COVID-19 virus.

Gillian Wearing is an artist whose work I have been inspired by for a long time, I have always been interested in the way that she works with other individuals and displays them within her images. One of her most poignant projects that I was inspired by for this project 'These Four Walls' was ‘Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say’. I like the idea of using signs within her images as a way of expressing the thoughts and feelings of the model to the viewer, usually by using just one word or a sentence, this allows the viewer to connect with the model on a personal level, especially when taking into account that each piece of text has been hand written by the individual being photographed.

Jo Spence is a photographer that I discovered during my third year of my degree, whilst carrying out the project 'These Four Walls'. As well as being a photographer Spence was also a writer, cultural worker as well as a photo therapist. Throughout her life her work took a variety of paths, from commercial photography to documentary, often referring to topics such as politics as well as socialist and feminist themes. The work that I was most inspired by was her self portrait work, specifically the project ‘Crisis Project / Picture of Health? (Property of Jo Spence?). I was drawn to the image shown above for the use of how she chose to display her text, using her own body as a canvas, giving what at first looks like a statement, saying that her body is her own, but then when looking more closely you can see she has questioned whether it is in fact her own, making you as the viewer look more closely to try to determine what she could be referring to.

Equipment- 1 x tripod, 1 x Canon DSLR 700d camera with canon 18-55mm lens, 1 x backdrop stand with black backdrop and clips, Props, Natural lighting.

In this series I decided to take the chair away as this then allowed me to use the floor space and would allow me more freedom of movement, I also decided to add in more props that I felt would bring emphasis to my images, as well as working on my facial expressions and poses to bring across emotion to my viewers. When looking back on my images I was especially drawn to my first image of this shoot, and when I showed the series during a crit session it was discussed that this was the strongest of the images.
There was one image that I wasn't very happy with and felt like it didn't match the quality that I was going for in telling the story within this series. I needed to make sure that all of my images were strong and each one was just as poignant as the next, but told the story in a different way from the last.

On Friday the 1st of May I had a tutorial with Paul Fieldsend-Danks at 12:20pm. During this tutorial we were looking at my most recent photo shoot that I had undertaken, around the topic of isolation and the effects that it can have on an individual through the use of self portraiture.

Paul began the tutorial by telling me that he thought my images were really powerful. He went on to discuss how he doesn't know me very well, but at the same time this didn't matter because when using images as a narrative the audience doesn't actually need to know the artist, instead the images should speak for themselves.

We also discussed ideas such as how open can and should the questions be that I am asking within the images - ambivalence.

Also the use of gaze within an image. If you as the model are to look directly at the camera as if you are looking straight at your audience then this almost has an affect of drawing the audience away, and can cause the audience to feel uncomfortable when looking at the image. Taking away that gaze will encourage individuals to look at the image, and are more likely to connect with the image more than they would if the model was to be looking straight at the camera.

Some technical areas that Paul gave me to think about was the idea of instead of using A4 pieces of paper, to instead just use scraps of paper and to hand write the question on each piece, similar to what Bob Dylan had done in his music video - 'subterranean homesick blues', and the same as Cindy Sherman did in her project 'Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say'.

He also discussed the importance of placing within an image, including ideas such as the placement of the model or even the text, he then went on to discuss the idea of balancing within an image and also the possible use of a square format for the images, this links in to what Louise Fargo-Ruskin discussed in my tutorial with her about the use of cropping, in order to not showing everything within the image.

Paul then concluded by talking about the use of opening my project more to the audience, this can be as simple of rephrasing the question that I am asking within my images, so instead of it saying 'I don't know what I am doing anymore!', It could instead read as 'Do any of us know what we are doing anymore?'

Paul also gave me some artists to have a look at including:

• Sam Taylor-Wood - His earlier work
• Francesca Woodman

As well as looking at artists that use props.

Equipment- 1 x tripod, 1 x Canon DSLR 700d camera with canon 18-55mm lens, 1 x backdrop stand with black backdrop and clips, Props, Natural lighting.

Before undertaking my third shoot I had attended a class crit session and also had a 1:1 tutorial with Paul Fieldsend-Danks, during this tutorial I showed him my second series of images from the project and talked about some of the artists, including Gillian Wearing, that had inspired me to create the work that I had. The feedback that I received from this session was that he thought my images were really powerful. He also discussed the importance of images as a narrative and how the audience doesn't actually need to know the artist, instead the images should speak for themselves. He also discussed the use of open ended questions, opening it up to the audience, allowing them to be a part of the project just by the way that you have phrased the question.

He also gave me advice of the use of gaze within in an image (something that I had actually looked at during my dissertation) he told me that if you as the model are to look directly at the camera then this almost has an affect of drawing the audience away, and can cause the audience to feel uncomfortable when looking at the image. Taking away that gaze will encourage individuals to look at the image, and are more likely to connect with the image more than they would if the model was to be looking straight at the camera.

He also gave me some technical pointers including the use of scraps of paper instead of the more regimented A4 pieces of clean white paper that I had been using and to hand write the question on each piece, similar to what Bob Dylan had done in his music video - 'subterranean homesick blues', and the same as Cindy Sherman did in her project 'Signs that say what you want them to say and not signs that say what someone else wants you to say'.

When it came to shooting my third series of images I took on board all of the advice that I had been given and was really pleased with the outcome that I had achieved. I felt that by also cropping the images this added more emphasis and focus to what I was trying to show to my audience.

Online Journal-

• Malik, S. and Naeem, K., 2020. Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Women: Health, livelihoods & domestic violence, [online] p.2. Available at: [Accessed 20 May 2020].

Online articles-

• Author Unknown. One in 20 lose job over coronavirus as only eight per cent say public taking threat seriously. 2020. The Independent. Available at: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/coronavirus-latest-job-loss-hours-poll-yougov-boris-johnson-self-isolation-a9422971.html [Accessed 20th March 2020]
• Author Unknown. Coronavirus: Boris Johnson puts UK in lockdown as death tolls reaches 55. 2020. Telegraph.co.uk. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-uk-latest-update-covid-19-death-toll-cases/ [Accessed 20th March 2020]
• Author Unknown. How many confirmed cases are there in your area?. 2020.  BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-51768274. [Accessed 20th March 2020]
• Author Unknown. Britain should be taking coronavirus more seriously | Letters. 2020. the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/25/britain-should-be-taking-coronavirus-more-seriously. [Accessed 20th March 2020]
• Author unknown. About - Photographer Andrea Gjestvang. Date of publication unknown. Photographer Andrea Gjestvang. Available at: https://www.andreagjestvang.com/about. [Accessed 30th March 2020]
• Author Unknown. Jo Spence 1934–1992 | Tate. Date of publication unknown. Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/jo-spence-18272. [Accessed 5th May 2020]
• Author Unknown. Gillian Wearing CBE born 1963 | Tate. Date of publication unknown. Tate. Available at: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/gillian-wearing-cbe-2648. [Accessed 5th May 2020]
• Author Unknown. Dorothea Lange. 2020. Biography. Available at: https://www.biography.com/artist/dorothea-lange. [Accessed 5th May 2020]
• Chiara Fiorillo. Chaos as shelves 'cleared like a riot' as shoppers mass buy in coronavirus panic. 2020. mirror. Available at: https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/coronavirus-chaos-shelves-cleared-like-21692174. [Accessed 20th March 2020]
• Emily Hodgkin. Toilet paper shortage: UK supermarkets to ration product due to coronavirus stockpiling?. 2020. Express.co.uk. https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/life/1250651/Toilet-paper-shortage-UK-coronavirus. [Accessed 20th March 2020]
• Josh White. Who is on the list of key workers?. 2020. The Telegraph. Available at: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/key-essential-workers-uk/ [Accessed 20th March 2020]

"Artists need to understand how to evaluate opportunities for themselves to make informed decisions about the kind of opportunities they encounter" (Artquest)

• Positioning - Where will you fit within contemporary art practice?
• Readiness -  Pace yourself/ Don't burn yourself out.
• Cost effective - Deciding which competitions are worth spending money on.
• Timing - It might not be your time --> Galleries/curators may be looking for particular work at that time and your work doesn't fit into that category, but may do at another point in time.
• Relationship - Who you are going to be working with and spend time on building that relationship.
• Temperament
• Strategy - e.g. 5 and 10 year plans.
• Residencies - Gives you time to focus and develop your practice / Sometimes they provide financial support / Sometimes it can be provided with a studio space. Each residency differs from each other.
• Exhibitions/screenings - When any public platform shows your work, you increase your visibility, build relationships with other artists and professionals and build an audience for your work.
• Exercise caution!
• Do you research - What are others views, for example of competitions.
• Things to expect - A number of galleries, particularly those that are publicly funded will pay artists to exhibit their work, this can be an important investment into your work.
• Communicate - Make sure you get an agreement in writing when working with organisations in order to make sure that you are covered if anything should go wrong whilst you are working either with them or for them.
• Prizes and awards
• Commissions - An opportunity to create new work, will most likely involve some sort of specification.

Other aspects to consider-

• Have I applied before I know what is being asked of me?
• Is the opportunity suitable for my practice?
• Make sure an opportunity is 'Suitable' for your practice!
• Is it what I need at this stage of my career?
• Do I need to contact the organizers with any questions?

Task-
Search out a past artist residency /commission/exhibition that you find particularly interesting and be ready to share 3 slides with the group on the following next week: (The artist, The organisation and The work)

On Monday the 27th of April we were set the task to create a Visual mini project, this task required us to find a photographer who has responded to 'isolation', during the current global pandemic or previously. Try making an image/series in response to/inspired by this work . Upload the image/s (with your name) to the attached Google Jam board document so we can look at these this afternoon. It might be useful to include the image that has inspired you, as well as your image.

For this project I carried out my research online, with the theme of reflection. This is when I came across Pol Ubeda Hervas, a photographer from Barcelona. His work was inspired by changes within his life that left him unsure of who is he. In each of his series of images he decided to leave the shoes as a reminder that there was still some personality there.

I was inspired by this image in particular out of his series of images, purely for the fact that it displayed reflection within it. I began finding objects that I could see my reflection within and taking pictures. I decided to use a black and white filter within my images because I felt that it added a certain quality to the images, and helped to display the emotional theme that I was going for within my mini series. I have decided to display my own image next to the artists because this is the image that was the most similar to their own work and was the image that was the most liked when we presented our mini project to our tutors and class.

Year 3-
In three years from now, I would like to have my own home, with the possibility of starting my own family. I would have liked to have continued building my portfolio, both online and physical so that I have something to show to potential employers. I imagine starting out small and doing some photography work alongside my full time job, still allowing me to build connections, and get my name and my work out there.


Year 5-
In five years from now I would like to have an up and running business in photography that specialises in mixed events, small functions as well as running my own online store. I would like to specialise my work in nature photography, but am also interested in working with people doing photography for birthday parties, as well as working with organisations and taking photographs for them.


Why are these goals important to you?
These are important because it is the progression that I would like to be making within my professional life.


What will be different in you when you achieve these goals?
I will have fulfilled my dreams and ambitions allowing me to do what I want and earn a living from this as well.


What is your deadline for achieving these goals?
Intiially I would have said five years is the maximum, but with me getting older and having ambitions outside of my photography I would have to say within the next five to ten years I hope to achieve all of my goals.