Assignment 5: Feedback

I have received feedback for my final Assignment for DPP1. The feedback was generally very good, my tutor recognized the amount of work and that i have presented a coherent body of work, which I am pleased about. The comments were technical in nature, specifically that a couple of my images still had some sloping lines. This is something I did spend a long time on, but obviously it just takes practice, and I need to look and re-look again and again to check them. I have edited the photos in question and will have them re-printed ahead of assessment. In addition, he suggested that some of the colours were a little too vibrant. This is probably a fair call, though I have decided not to go back and repeat the edit, as it was a long process and I am happy with the colours, particularly in the prints I have had made, but it is something I need to watch for in the future. I plan to purchase a printer later this year for use in my next course, so I shall have to fine-tune my colour management skills when that happens.

Why am I aiming for ‘consistent’ colours in my set? I guess I was looking for a set which held together and didn’t have large differences in colour/tonal range. It certainly dictated the days and times of day when I went to take the photos. I then processed them all in a similar manner, aiming for fairly bright strong colours in my final set, probably for aesthetic value. I manipulated the colours slightly in Lightroom using the selective colour sliders, mainly to bring out the blue skies, as I could have done with a polarising filter (perhaps I should have done this instead?)

 
In addition, he was surprised that I decided to present my images in the grid of 9. It's funny, this is the one aspect of the project that I decided on at the start and failed to question along the way. And fail is the right word here, because the one big thing I learnt with this assignment was that it is so important to continually question why I am doing things and what I am doing and is there a better way I can do it. But the grid of images is the only aspect  (probably not the only, but the main one I can see!) that I did not question during the course of my project, until my tutor pointed it out, at which point I agree totally that these houses are all different, and despite the project by typological in nature, it is not purely typography, and would be better presented in a my typical style, ideally blown up huge on a wall (30 by 40cm say). Each house is individual and should be presented as so. So that is how I would present this project if it ever got that far :) In my defense, I have never had an exhibition, so I have not encountered the issue of how to present my images before!

In summary, my tutor had some excellent advice which I include below when planning for projects:

Start off by writing your aims and objectives.  What do you want to be able to demonstrate by the end of the project? What do you want to have achieved? What processes do you want to learn or develop? What ideas or concepts do you intend to examine in your work?

Examine theories, articles and exhibitions that are relevant for your area of study.  Give yourself a reading list.

Assignment 4: Feedback

I received my feedback this week for Assignment 4, which was, predictably, not as good as some I've had. I'm OK with this but take all the comments on board as points to improve from.

My main issue was, as my tutor pointed out, access to the subject. I probably should have realised that this was a problem and stopped trying to get the photo, but once I had it, I thought it was better than it was, and this was my problem! And once I had worked on it and edited it and put all the nice neat text on it, I thought it was good, when in reality it was only average. A learning point. It's never too late (except after submission!!) to admit that I am wrong about an image and just start over! But I didn't (although but submitting a second example of my work I was in a way hedging my bets!) and next time need to just consider that I need to only present my best work even if it means 'wasted' time.

Anyway, enough on that, the main issues were (apart from accessibility):

• Take more photos, different angles/focal lengths/apertures/lighting. Spend more time just looking at the scene and thinking about how best it can be photographed.
• Use a tripod
• Don't use lenses at maximum or minimum focal lengths and apertures - they are not as sharp (I have read this before but should probably do some specific reading on my lenses perhaps?)
• Don't crop too heavily (more than 25% of image is too much)

In addition,there is a green colour cast on the flower. I'm disappointed in myself for not noticing this... I am not particularly good at looking at colour casts on the screen, and as I look at the print next to me (which I should have printed prior to submitting the assignment, not afterwards), I can also see the cast. So I need to do more printing also, and be critical of the prints. Now that I'm based in Adelaide with an excellent professional printer a short cycle from my office, I should have no excuses for not doing more regular printing.

My 'design' is fine, though my tutor has some excellent advice for future design assignments which makes for interesting reading.

I also should perhaps engage in more specific technical research, and subject-specific contextual research. This I have done more for my final assignment, but need to remember it for all projects.

My 'alternative' image does not suffer from the same problems, so I will be submitting this one for assessment instead, though I have made some small tweaks to the colour/vibrance of it in order to liven it up a bit. I also toned down the colour of the text as my tutor mentioned that very vibrant text colours could be difficult for printing.

Adjusted image, Assignment 4

So, another the process continues. I hope to have more time moving forward for photography (now that the little one is bigger - almost 1!) and to be able to actually get out on my own occasionally to do some photography will be possible perhaps too. I take my tutors comments on board and will attempt to slow down more, still do more research, and take more care in composition in particular.

Assignment 3: Feedback

I have received my feedback for Assignment 3, monochrome. It is mostly fairly positive, though with room for improvement, as usual!

"This is a good attempt at a documentary project. Additional research and analysis of a range of suitable techniques and approaches, and more practice, will undoubtedly provide you with greater confidence when working in this genre."

So once again my tutor reminds me that more research is required (it seems there cannot be too much research - something I plan to engage even more in when I move onto Level 2 courses).

"In terms of developing a documentary narrative through a collection of images, it is often highly beneficial to visit the location and capture activities on more than one occasion."

I reflect in hindsight that I was a little rushed when capturing this project (hard with a small baby around and limited time out), and definitely should have captured images on a second or third occasion. I did return once but just didn't really find the same scenes in action and was unable to make another visit. This is something that I hope to change in the future - to be able to set aside times for photography and commit to it.

"It appears from the contact sheets on your blog, you would have benefited from a wider range of shot types, exploring the subject from;  wide angle (how large is the overall space, how many workers?), and close-ups (fingers tending plants) etc.."

I also should have used different equipment (lenses) to capture this wider range in scale and interest. I should know this from my previous studies even within this course. I think I need to take more time with composition and care with my images. Another learning point.

Regarding my intent:

"A collection of images which maintains such anonymity may be viewed as a document of suspicious activity. If you feel this may be the case, how can you counteract this?"

This is an interesting point. I had not thought about this in advance, it just happened on the day - that I thought about anonymity for this project. I didn't follow through completely with it (lack of conviction?) What might it mean for the project - am I protecting the people? Or wanting to send a message? I am aware that the people I photographed, whilst they gave their permission, may not want to be known as being 'on the dole', though I think it's great that programs such as this (re-skilling) exist.

So once again I am pleased with the detailed explanations and considerations my tutor has provided me. I can see that there are some areas I need to work on to further improve my photography skills.