{"id":35,"date":"2017-10-06T21:00:51","date_gmt":"2017-10-06T20:00:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debraflynnphotographyblog.wordpress.com\/?page_id=35"},"modified":"2018-08-26T22:19:21","modified_gmt":"2018-08-26T21:19:21","slug":"assignment-1","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/debraflynnphotography.co.uk\/EYV-blog\/assignment-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Assignment 1 – ‘Square Mile’ (amended)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The aim of this assignment is to complete the brief as set out below:<\/p>\n

The brief:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Make a series of six to twelve photographs in response to the concept of \u2018The Square\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>Mile<\/strong>\u2019. Use this as an opportunity to take a fresh and experimental look at your\u00a0<\/em>surroundings. You may wish to re-trace places you know very well, examining how they\u00a0might have changed; or, particularly if you\u2019re in a new environment, you may wish to use\u00a0photography to explore your new surroundings and meet some of the people around\u00a0you.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t necessarily think about making a number of individual pictures, but rather a set\u00a0of photographs that complement one another and collectively communicate your\u00a0<\/em>idea.\u00a0<\/em>It should communicate something\u00a0<\/em>about you: your interests, motivations, and your ambitions for your photography.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

There\u2019s no \u2018right\u2019 or \u2018wrong\u2019 way to\u00a0respond to this brief, as long as you try to push yourself out of your comfort zone in\u00a0terms of subject matter. Try out new approaches rather than sticking to what you think\u00a0you\u2019re most successful at.<\/em><\/p>\n

Bloomfield et al (2017),\u00a0Photography 1, Expressing your vision,<\/em>\u00a0OCA<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Initial thoughts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

My first impressions about this brief were that although the concept of Y Filltir Sgwar is very interesting, I no longer live near to where I was brought up, so couldn’t explore childhood memories or how it has changed. Equally, the housing estate in which I now live doesn’t really inspire me!\u00a0 Therefore, I decided to research other photographers to see how I could expand the idea and my thinking.<\/p>\n

Research:<\/strong><\/p>\n

In researching this concept, it was evident that there are many ways to look at this brief.\u00a0 Whilst some photographers like Jodi Taylor<\/a>\u00a0concentrated on the landscape of her surroundings,\u00a0 Venetia Dearden<\/a> and Karen Korr\u00a0<\/a>\u00a0explored people in their environments and the impact on their identity.\u00a0 I particularly like Venietia’s warm filmic quality which portrayed a very nostalgic look, which is in direct contrast to Karen’s black and white very ‘clinical’ photos.<\/p>\n

\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0<\/em><\/span>more research:<\/span><\/em> Assignment 1 \u2013 Square Mile: Research<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Tom Westbury’s<\/a> New Topographic style is interesting. The genre is thought of as ‘banal aesthetic’ which I liked but none of them had any people in and I feel that this brief is calling for a connection between the photographer and surroundings.<\/p>\n

The other concept that I wanted to consider is one that I have heard National Geographic photographers talk about a lot. That is that their first shot in a series is always a ‘Sense of Place’.\u00a0 I would like to incorporate this in my set.<\/p>\n

\u00a0more research:<\/em><\/span>\u00a0Square Mile \u2013 more research<\/a><\/p>\n

Concept:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Having reflected on the research and considered my surroundings and opportunities for capturing images to fulfill this brief, I decided to concentrate on the beach front promenade that is about a mile from my home.<\/p>\n

It is a place I have taken my children as they grew up and now they go with their children so definitely is connected to happy memories.\u00a0 It is a place of recreation for locals, and is probably the focal point of the town.\u00a0 I am interested in how people of all ages use the space and want to see if I would look at if differently in trying to answer this particular brief.<\/p>\n

Figure 1<\/em>: below shows how the idea of the Square Mile was expanded and arrived at:<\/p>\n

\"mindmap1\"

Figure 1: Concept Mind Map<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

Technical:<\/strong><\/p>\n

The camera used for this shoot was a Nikon D810 with a Tamron 24-70 mm f2.8 lens. The photos were shot hand held in RAW using f\/8, ISO 200 and a variety of focal lengths. Basic editing was done in Adobe Lightroom.<\/p>\n

I chose to use these settings because I wanted both the focal point and the background to be in focus and thereby show their relationship to each other.\u00a0 By using the same settings for all of the photos I hoped they would feel more like a set.<\/p>\n

I chose to take these on a Sunday afternoon when you would usually find lots of people enjoying this stretch of promenade.\u00a0 Although the weather was unusually warm and bright for an October afternoon, the summer attractions are now closed. I was accompanied by members of my family, as I wanted to capture their interaction with the space.<\/p>\n

Figure 2: is the contact sheets of photos taken.<\/p>\n

\"Outputs-1\"\"Outputs-2\"<\/p>\n

Final Choice:<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the final choice of photos, I have tried to balance describing the place with the ways in which people use it. The first photo was chosen to give a sense of place, whilst each subsequent photo seeks to add something new to a viewers knowledge about the area.<\/p>\n

\"Square

1<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

2<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

3<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

4<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

5<\/p><\/div>\n

\"_DJF7360-Edit\"

6<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

7<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

8<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

9<\/p><\/div>\n

\"Square

10<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reflection:<\/strong><\/p>\n

On the face of it, this was a fairly straight forward brief.\u00a0 However, on researching the subject, it was clear that there were many different ways this could be expanded and developed.\u00a0 In the end I chose to keep it quite simple and fairly small concept.\u00a0 It would be interesting to explore further the idea that environment has an impact on identity, but I think this would require more in depth research and a perhaps different style of photography.<\/p>\n

Having used only one aperture in an attempt to create a cohesive set of photos, I think I have missed an opportunity to focus on specific details and feel the set might have been more interesting if there had been a greater variety of close ups and landscapes.\u00a0 I normally prefer a wider aperture and blurred backgrounds, so this was a little out of my comfort zone.<\/p>\n

These photos were taken specifically for this brief and it did alter the focus of my photos.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

by Debra Flynn, October 2017<\/em><\/p>\n

———————————————————-<\/p>\n

31\/10\/2017 – This assignment has been updated following feedback from my tutor:<\/p>\n

The following changes were made:<\/p>\n