Taster Weeks, Photography Week 2

We were given four weeks in order to explore the different areas of the Arts.  My group spent the first week doing Painting, the second Photography, the third Sculpture and the final Intermedia.  The fifth week we were asked to return to the discipline of our choice and it was then that we submitted a self-evaluation.

These photographs represent the Photography week. We were given a very brief overview of the intended outcome of the project before given free rein to go out and photograph.  Basically we had to come up with six images linked by theme.  Initally I found this very daunting. Being a lazy photographer I never bothered before to get to grips with the camera. My photographs always tended to be of occasions to be remembered, images for preserving for artwork or images which may produce artwork. This was a big ask for me and initially I thought it a good idea to broach the project as I would for a painting remit.

I came up with the idea of focussing on the poem 'Block City' by R L Stevenson, matching lines with photographs. I soon realised that this would not do. Even if I managed to find images which fit the lines the images were rubbish.  They made for poor photographs. Day one was a bit of a disaster. Day two was the turning point which was a good thing as the weather was so cold it made for uncomfortable hands and feet. On this day I thought it better to go out and photograph whatever caught my eye and find a pattern in those photos to give them a theme. In this there was more success and the theme turned out to be one of rhythm. Horizontals, verticals and diagonals. Repeats of shapes and colours.

We had been told the significance of giving each of our photos titles as it made for easier cataloguing and recovering. I gave the photos below simple titles, the numbered ones denote the six presented on the Friday afternoon in front of the group.  The main criticism seemed to be the fact that they were not all portrait or all landscape.  This was deemed important in terms of how they would hang in a gallery.  This was not a consideration voiced at the brief so in all honesty the feedback at the end of the week was rather overkill in terms of the remit set.  But no matter, I really enjoyed this week especially discovering the nature of the studio in the great outdoors and the freedom of walking around taking photos. I saw things differently and it gave me even more appreciation of Edinburgh.