My response to my own work was that I wasn’t totally happy with my work but was really excited about the ideas I was working with and was keen to explore them further so I handed them in to get feedback and to try and work out how to take it forward when I got stuck.
I was not happy with the visual outcome, but I knew that before I handed the work in, and was working with the idea of feedback for updates. Some images were shot in the studio, some outside in natural light. I think the set showed that my photographic technique was improving and I had practiced with lighting in the studio.
Text aside, I was very pleased with some of the images that I took; however, these weren’t images that fit into the broad feel I was going for and so I did not use them in the initial submission.
I think the images and different uses of text showed creativity and certainly the ideas and themes were a development of my personal voice.
I was happy with the contextual work I’d done. Compared with the earlier assignments, I stepped up the research with this assignment, I was more thorough about completing preliminary exercises, and I had taken previous tutor feedback on board.
My tutor said the images were reminiscent of stock and ‘inspirational’ quotes – an idea that I was obviously playing with – but to think about how the idea and resulting images can be refined and streamlined. He said he ‘felt a bit confused and overwhelmed by what you were trying to say’.
The images were supposed to be reminiscent of stock images. I think perhaps one way to go might be to make them into ‘inspirational quote’ type posters and put them up in the local church as a set that spells out the verse I was working with; I’d be interested to see the reaction. I could also set up a fake church online and post them to elicit a response, but there are obviously ethical questions involved in doing that.
I was not surprised that my tutor mentioned feeling a bit confused and overwhelmed by what I was trying to say; I was experiencing the same feelings myself and couldn’t really see clearly which direction to take the ideas in.
My tutor said I needed to explore how the idea can be rolled out to accommodate more images that expand on the basic premise.
I don’t think the images I’ve taken work, but I do like the ideas. I have been taking images of churches and cathedrals all the way through the course with A4 in mind so I might use those with the biblical quotes. That allows me to separate out some of these themes and explore them in their own right, rather than trying to force them together as that’s clearly not working for me. Perhaps they will come together in a more coherent manner at a later date? That gives me a set of images that I can use with biblical quotes, the images work in context as they were specifically shot for this assignment, and they cover the themes.
I have now done this in my assessment submission: for A1 I made a book based on classes I had been attending; for A5 I used mono-printing techniques I had learned in art class to produce some of the work, and I plan to use a various book forms for presenting A5. There is also the possibility of making a book for A4.