Module - Aims
To assess personal strengths and areas for development in relation to the photographic industries, to identify targets for improving skills and gaining the experience needed to succeed. To recognise the role and range of professional organisations that are available to support the practising photographer.
Module - Content
This module will enable students to develop a clearer focus to their learning and to develop essential skills in self-management and motivation. It will provide a structured and supported environment in which students will be given the opportunity to take control of their personal motivation and to gain confidence in themselves as learners and practitioners.
By examining company structures, researching organisations, company and personal ethics as well as learning how to make contacts, students will have a better understanding of the workplace, the industry and how they might locate themselves within it. Students are encouraged throughout this module to recognise the professional attitudes and presentation skills one should adopt in order to be taken seriously in this field.
Tutors - Katy Suggitt and Martin Gallagher
Tutors - Katy Suggitt and Martin Gallagher
27th September 2011
The first lecture with Katy introduced the concept of "blogging". We will use our own individual blogs to record our progress through the modules and research carried out around the subject. We will be assessed on the content of the blog. By the end of the session we had all created our own blogs using blogger.
4th October 2011
Three short term targets:
- To get to grips with mac and aperture.
- Keep up with the blog on a daily basis, using it to log research both in and out of college.
- Learn to use RAW and ditch the jpeg.
Three long term targets:
- Achieve an 'L' distinction from Royal Photographic Society
- To work on the creative side and produce less 'ordinary' images (thanks Richard)
- BA Hons.
Research into the following organisations:
Association of Photographers
British Journal of Photography
Royal Photographic Society
References
Association of Photographers
British Journal of Photography
Royal Photographic Society
Tuesday 11th October 2011
The task:
Case study
Consider the practice of a contemporary professional photographer in terms of the trajectory of their career.
What education or training did they undertake?
How is their location related to their success?
Have they won any competitions?
Who are their clients?
Have they published/exhibited work? Provide details.
Discuss the style of their photography; What kind of audience does it appeal to?
Has their work changed much over time?
Case Study - Matt Carden
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| Turkey - It is not immediately obvious what they are quarrying, I like the way the meat is viewed from the perspective of the little people. At that size it is logical that turkey meat would be harvested in this way. |
Matt Carden is a professional photographer from Southern California. He currently works with his wife Jennifer: a chef, author and food stylist. Together they founded "350 Degrees", a studio dedicated to food photography and food styling.
Their clients include:
Atmosphera Home Design
Chateau Felice Winery
Michael Chiarello
Chronicle Books
Cost Plus World Market
Cypress Grove Chevre
Elaine's Toffee
Golden Star Tea Co.
Hint Mint Inc.
HGTV
Iridesse Wines
Lisa Quinn Inc.
Marie callenders
Mecca restaurant
Nappa Style
National geographic
Ruth livingston Studios
Taylor ford design
Tulocay & Co - Made in Napa Valley
SLOW Food
Vina de la Cruz
Williams-Sonoma
Recently published:
The Toddler Cafe
$500 Room Makeovers
Edible - Marin & Wine Country
Life Magazine
Maclife
Pacific Sun
Sew Subversive
Subversive Seamster
The Miami Herald
The Seattle Times
The Washington Post
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| Sun-dried apricots - If apricots are being dried in the sun, it's an ideal opportunity to top up on your tan. |
Matt grew up in a creative environment, films were being shot in his neighbourhood, even in his house for months on end. His early influences were in the colourful world of toys and pop culture. When he was 20 he moved to San Francisco and graduated from San Francisco Art Institute. He opened the first fully digital photo studio in the Bay Area. He specialised in food photography and became recognised for his "playful" approach to subjects. His work draws from his environment of food and wine production in California.
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| Broccoli - I chose this because broccoli heads are made up of small buds which are ideal size for little people to harvest. The heads look like trees which would have to climbed carrying baskets. |
In 2008 there was a discussion online on www.inhabitots.com about his work and it's originality, those involved discussed other photographers ideas and there was a debate on whether Carden had copied ideas used by other photographers.
Cardens response was -
"I just found this and thought I should chime in to at least state my position.
I have been a Photographer for 20 years, and I started showing and selling this work back in the late 90′s. This particular series evolved as a fun and effective way for me to illustrate my ideas and “perspective” about food.
A lot of Artists around the world use these figures in their work. It’s nothing new, and I have seen similar types of shots dating back to the 70′s. I respect and support other Artists, and I enjoy that others also use the little people as subjects. I have even contacted many who work with them, and we all enjoy seeing the little folks in different settings from different perspectives. Thanks for the constructive comments, and for bringing all the artists mentioned above to peoples attention…
I see a world some day where all the little people out there can get along…."
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| Mushrooms - These mushrooms are very statuesque reminiscent of Spanish architecture, so to me it is fitting that they are portrayed as part of a monastery. |
His own website contains this statement about himself and his work:
"Food evokes instinctual responses with it's colours and textures. food is the basis for life, part of our earliest memories, and an integral part of our daily activities. I use food as the physical environment in my work to tap into that primal connection we have with food. as much as we look at food, we rarely stop and look at it close up...appreciate its beauty...or just play with it...:)
Toys by their nature encourage a different point of view. They mimic familiar forms and abstract our relationship with our environment. toys connect us to a more innocent way of thinking when it was natural to look at things with an open mind.
The images I capture tel stories that are sometimes humourous, sometimes serious, and sometimes just about my memories.
Let your imagination wander, explore memories, and cultivate a deeper connection to the world around us.
But most of all try to keep a sense of humour about it...:)"
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| red wine - Instead of looking at the production of wine, he has looked at a new way of using it. I love the idea of diving in wine. I also like the blurred figures in the glass already swimming waiting for their companion to join them. |
His work invites the viewer to look at food and its production with different eyes. Americans produce and consume vast quantities of food, Carden's images put a different perspective on popular foodstuffs. There is a growing movement in America to rediscover 'slow food' and get back to basics away from processed, pre-packaged food. His work is used to support this campaign. He is a regular contributor to Edible - Marin & Wine Country which is a quarterly magazine promoting food and wine in the region. He encourages the fun side by hiding one of his figures in the magazine, inviting readers to find it and win a prize.
Prints of Carden's work are widely available for sale in America.
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| Asian pears - well someone has to keep things clean and tidy in the studio. I chose this because we have being looking at packshots recently and the products have to shown at their best with no marks. |
He was nominated for a 'Spider Award' in the professional still life category this year for his image 'Coffee Mines'.
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| Coffee Mines |
I chose Matt Carden because I like his work, it is very good technically and there is a great deal of imagination and humour in his pictures. He looks at food from a different perspective and his images provoke viewers to do the same.
When I first started looking at still life photography I was underwhelmed by the work I saw, I could admire the technical ability but it did not inspire me. Carden's work (and others in this genre) have inspired me to look at a more creative way of macro photography.
Reference
http://www.fawnandforest.com/designers/191/products
http://www.inhabitots.com/matthew-cardens-small-world-serves-up-food-for-thought/
http://www.maclife.com/article/feature/10_reasons_your_small_business_should_run_macs
http://www.maclife.com/article/feature/little_people
http://www.thespiderawards.com
http://www.350degrees.com/
http://www.ediblecommunities.com/marinandwinecountry/
http://www.matthewcarden.com/
Tuesday 18th October 2011
Katy asked that we do a second case study, choosing a photographer from the AOP website.
After a great deal of browsing on the AOP website I happened upon Steve Hoskins. I was drawn to his photographs because they were clear, bright and sharp portraits of animals. The portraits are unconventional views and against a white background. By contrast his landscapes are dramatic and full of detail.
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| Hedgehog - I chose this for the clear, sharp, unusual view of a hedgehog which captures the movement of the animal. |
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| Storm - A dramatic image showing a completely different set of skills by the photographer. |
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| I love the humour in this image |
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| In 2010 Steve Hoskins was commissioned to provide images on stamps to commemorate 50 years of the Battersea Dogs Home |
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| I like the clean lines of the light trails and the abstact square crop. |
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| He did a whole series of heavily processed images of old cars parked in the street. |
A couple of videos of Steves from YouTube. Don't watch the first one if you are scared of snakes!!
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| One of Steves works for Times online. |
Steve Studied at Central St Martins School of Art and Design.
He went on to work in a design agency specialising in animation, stills photography and special effects. During this time he set up his own photographic studio focussing on animals, landscape and cars.
Steve has been selected for awards:
Royal Photographic Society,
John Kobal awards,
Association Of Photographers - Runner up in the Commissioned Design Series 2010 for his series of dog portraits for Battersea Dogs Home.
He has worked on photographic projects worldwide including a series of high profile global European and UK advertising campaigns for clients including:
Andrex
Pedigree
Masterfoods
Whiskas
Purina
Hills
Lexus
Landrover
Abbey
Lloyds
Times On Line
Steve has also completed many commissioned film projects.
In contrast to my previous case study Steve Hoskins does not put much about himself in the public domain. I could not find records of interviews or conversations on forums by him.
References
http://www.stevehoskins.co.uk/new-folio.html
http://www.angelawoods.com/
http://www.battersea.org.uk/about_us/press_office/press_releases/battersea_dogs_.html
My next case study will be of Andy Latham who is a local professional photographer whose work I first saw and liked in the Outdoor Photography magazine.
He is a landscape photographer who also has an interest in wildlife preservation.
http://www.andylatham.co.uk/
I have been able to have an email conversation with him so this case study will primarily be in his own words.
What education or training did you undertake?
Nothing formal - just picked it up as I went along, read lots of magazines and books, was inspired by the likes of Joe Cornish and attended a couple of Light & Land workshops with David Ward and Joe Cornish.
How is you location related to your success?
To become good at any aspect of photography you have to be connected to your subject matter at some level. Living in the north west and being a keen walker I enjoy the landscapes of northern England and Scotland and it was the love of the hills that was the motivation for making images. Although I've done plenty of travelling in my time I now concentrate on Lancashire or Dales locations within 1 1/2 hours drive. By limiting the area that I cover I feel it provides me with a greater appreciation of the landscapes that I work in - and that emotional connection and understanding can only improve your interpretation (and satisfaction).
Have you won any competitions?
I won a few magazine competitions when I was beginning to concentrate a bit more on my photography and in 2004 won Practical Photography's Photographer of the Year competition. In 2007 and 2010 I won the Outdoor Writers and Photographers Guild Award for Excellence.
Who are your clients?
Photography is still very much a paying hobby as I have a full time job. I don't really push myself forward for commissions though I have done work for Blackburn Council and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.
Have you published/exhibited work? Provide details.
My work has appeared in numerous magazines including Outdoor Photography, Country Walking, Lancashire Life, Photography Monthly and Practical Photography. In 2010 my first book 'Landscapes of the Ribble' was published by Frances Lincoln. Last year I held a solo exhibition of a selection of images from the book at Lytham Heritage Centre and The Folly, in Settle. Six of my images were also included in the 'Bloom' exhibition at Bury Art Gallery in May last year.Has your work changed much over time?
With Andys permission I have chosen two of his images from his website for my blog.
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| Great Hill |
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| misty morning in Aughton Woods |
This was part of his series of photographs whilst working with the Lancashire Wildlife trust in their reserves. I have always liked shooting into the sun and consequently admire photographers who do it well. There is an atmosphere to this photograph and the more I look, the more detail I see in the subtle tones.
Wednesday 9th November 2011
I took photographs at a Tai Chi demonstration which was being held in the Health and Social Care class demonstrating its benefits to elderly and disabled patients. The college wanted some photos for publicity for the session. I was not given any definite instructions so I took lots of photos of the session and passed them on. I have not heard if they were what was wanted but one of them has appeared in the news section of the college website.
Tuesday 22nd November 2011
Martin introduced the concept of Reflective Practice - involves thoughtfully considering your own experiences as you make the connection between knowledge and practise, under the guidance of an experienced professional within your discipline - Donald Schon 1987
Ways of reflecting
- Written
- Video
- Images
- Voice recording
- Question & answer
What you need to think about
- Skills you have now
- Skills needed to fulfil your career
- The skills needed to keep ahead of changes and updates
- The skills needed to move towards aspirations you hold for yourself
List 10 things you have learnt on the course so far
- Create and update a blog
- A reason for joining facebook (self promotion)
- Film photography is still relevant
- The most important piece of art was a urinal
- When the urinal was lost, a photograph was effectively used to promote its significance
- Still life photography can be interesting
- Photoshop is not important
- Portrait photography does not have to be scary
- Art history is interesting when delivered by an enthusiast
- I want a film camera
Single picture project.
Think about why you have taken the picture, how it reflects you as a photographer and the techniques and styles you have learnt during the course.
15 mins to take the picture
5 mins to describe how and why you have taken the picture
My picture was taken with my mobile phone because I didn't have my camera to hand. It shows Mick looking at his camera trying to work out why his camera was not taking the picture he wanted.
I took this picture because I am interested in people I like to sit in cafes and watch the world going on round me. I have looked at candid street photographs before but have not had the confidence to try it for myself. Since joining the course and working with my peers I have had the confidence to go out and take pictures.
I have also spent time looking at my camera with similar thoughts to Mick's.
Task for next week - devise an ebay-type advert to sell myself!!
Tuesday 6th December 2011
Tutorial with Martin
He looked at my cv, ebay ad and blog. Seems to be happy with my progress, advised to use my own image in the design of the blog which I have now done.
Ebay advert.
Julia’s professional, friendly photography service:
· No job too big or too small
· All locations catered for, from table to mountain top
· Digital or film available
· Wild animals/children considered with appropriate safety measures
· PayPal preferred
· 10% deposit required prior to commencement
· Satisfaction guaranteed
Testimonials:
- http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6223/6411947793_2d34e73f20_b.jpg - Fizzypop Photography – “Luuurve it!”
- http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6094/6411906807_594ffb18c8_b.jpg - Flat Cap Photography – “Just Lovely”
Katys thought on our blogs -
A photograph was necessary because I could never have typed this on my blog.
