Summer Exhibitions

Over the summer I visited various exhibitions about photography. One of my favourite exhibitions was in the International Slavery Museum in Liverpool - 42 Women of Sierra Leone. This was a collection of portraits taken by british photojournalist Lee Karen Stow. She chose to take 42 images because that is the life expectancy for women in Sierra Leone. Her images capture the spirits and beauty of the women who come from all walks of life. One of my favourite photographs in the exhibition was of a female photographer working at a photo-shoot. With each image was some information about each person, the area they live in or the countries attitudes towards women. The information next to the image of the photographer explained that women are held at a much lesser standard than men, so much so that a female photographer is often likely not to get paid for her services.

Rock of Joy Photoshoot

Last month a group of students from my photography class helped to set up and participate in a photo-shoot  in which we raised money for The Rock Of Joy Trust. The charity helps to support a school in Uganda in its hopes to becoming completely self sufficient. We charged staff and friends for a fifteen minute photo-shoot, of which all proceeds went straight to the charity. I really enjoyed the day. It was good experience to photograph people other than those in my photography class. I also liked having the practise of using the studio equipment, directing people and being in a more professional environment. I learnt more about shooting in RAW, setting up lighting so that minimum post processing is needed and I learnt more about the different effects that you can get from faster lenses.

Take it to the streets exhibition

In March, we visited Derby for the Take it to the streets exhibition. The exhibition included a range of street photographers, including photographers represented by Magnum photography.

The exhibition was split between inside and out which I think gave a unique element to the exhibition because you could experience the photographs in a different environment. I think the outside element was also good because it would draw a lot of people into the exhibition who may be walking past, who might not normally visit art galleries. It helped that when we visited the exhibition it was a sunny day; in the pouring rain it may not have been as enjoyable. Because of the lack of space on the boards outside the layouts of the images was not as creative as the layouts of the images inside, but it all worked well together.

I liked the inside part of the exhibition more than outside. There was a wider range of styles of photography and I liked the different ways that the photographs were presented. As well as photographs, there were also videos which were part of the exhibition. The videos were interesting but as a whole I prefer still images and find them more interesting. 

There were three photographers whose work I particularly liked, Bruno Quinquet, Raoul Gatepin and Giacomo Brunelli. 

Giacomo Brunelli: 

I liked these photographs because unlike many of the photographers Brunelli focused on animals rather than people. His portraits of the animals are very unusual, they are quite dark and mysterious and even though they are animals he still manages to capture intense emotion. I like the square crop to the images and I think that them having been shot in black and white makes them even more intense. 

Raoul Gatepin:

I like the simplicity of these images, the emptiness of the places he has photographed. I like the composition of each of his photographs, I like the way he uses leading lines and bullseye composition. I also like the colour tones within the images and I think that because they seem almost desaturated slightly, it adds the the atmosphere of the images. 

Bruno Quinquet:

I like how this photographer uses natural elements as the focus within his images, but still captures the street life surrounding them. I like the shallow depth of field that he uses and the way in which he uses natural forms to frame his shots. I think that the colours work really well within this set of images and helps add to the natural feeling that comes across when looking at the photographs. 

Overall I really enjoyed the exhibition. There was a multitude of different types of work and styles which you might not have come across when simply doing your own research. 

The next step

I decided that the best way for me to achieve my goals is to, after college, go into business for myself. University is not something that appeals to me much, and it is not necessary to have a degree to have a successful career as a wedding photographer. I think that it would probably be beneficial if I assisted a current wedding photographer but assisting jobs are not always easy to come by, and I think that it is not necessarily vital for my career. Instead of assisting I think that over the next year I will try and get some work experience with wedding photographers. Even if it is just shadowing them for a day at a wedding to see what a wedding is like from a photographers point of view. Through my course at college I will learn the basics that I need but I know that I will need to do a lot of research and work outside college in order for my skills and business knowledge to be good enough to be successful.

Deciding on a career

Out of the four areas of photography that I looked at in more detail, the area that interests me most is Wedding photography. Weddings are something that I have always been interested in, so I think that it is something I could be good at. It also means that I do not have to focus on just one area of photography i.e. landscapes or architectural or portrait; wedding photography incorporates all areas of photography and I think that this would be more interesting than just focusing on one area, and it means that my skills in all areas would be constantly developed and improved.

Portfolio Advice

Staffordshire University included within their leaflets, a guide to portfolio interviews. I think that this is quite useful because even though I do not wish to go to University, I will be required to attend portfolio interviews for jobs.

The leaflet explains that the portfolio is a way of showing your aptitude and commitment to the chosen subject, and should show why you should be chosen with the highly competitive environment. The work included needs to be selective and you will need to be able to explain why you have chosen each piece of work. The images do not have to necessarily be ones that you like, but ones that are able to communicate something in an effective or interesting way.

As all university courses and jobs are different, there is not a set style of portfolio. You should make enquiries to the course leader or employer to see what you are going to be interviewed at, to make sure that what you include in your portfolio is relevant.

An ideal size for a portfolio is either A3 or A2, with between fifteen and twenty sleeves. The first sleeve should provide your name and a contents list of what work is included, when it was produced and why. For university interviews you will also be required to provide an example of written work e.g. an essay relating to photography/art. Portfolios should also be supported by sample sketchbooks (2 max.).

UCAS Fair Visit, Nov 2010

We visited a UCAS fair in Manchester to see and talk to universities from throughout the country. The fair housed a wide range of universities and focused on creative courses. There was lots of information available in a range of sources – prospectus’s, leaflets, examples of students work, tutors and current students. The tutors and students were very helpful and, where they could answered any questions we had. I think that it would be a valuable experience for someone who is starting to look at choices for university or possible further education, however, as I have already been through the UCAS process and to many UCAS fairs, I did not find the day very beneficial. Some of the universities did include advice about building portfolios within their information leaflets, which I think will be helpful when building my own portfolio.