Well, the results are in from the July assessment event and I have passed. The overall mark was 51%, however, I found this unit a struggle it was a long way out of my comfort zone and I think that was evident in the quality of my work.

The overall comments from the assessors are:

“You have good ideas for your projects. The implementation of your ideas, however, is often lost in translation. Your visual interpretations are either too literal or too vague for your audience. A lot of the visual work seems to rely too heavily on the supporting material rather than communicate meaning clearly as a stand-alone entity. Consider your work as an exhibit and try to envision and anticipate the viewer and their perceptions of the subject matter as you often use your very personal perspective which excludes the audience on the basis of knowledge and understanding. Your reworking of assignments invariably results in a better outcome. Your research is interesting but not explicitly evident in your work; try to embed your visual and theoretical research into your practice.”

I’m not upset by these comments, yes my mark is down on my initial 2 units, but these comments are fair and I will take them on board as I always have with any feedback I have received. It is encouraging that they can see improvement within my reworked assignment, I just need to be better and implementing my idea first time rather and after tutor feedback – I guess a rework should be more a fine-tuning than a complete back to the drawing board

Finally, I’ll add a big thank you to my tutor Robert Enoch who without his fantastic feedback I would have thrown in the towel after assignment 2.

514508 Peter Walker PH4CAN Marksheet

Context and Narrative has been a challenge for me, I have found that narrative photography is not a natural fit for me. Although, I do understand that is not something I should run away from. It was a stretch too create images from scratch when I normally react to the world around me with my photography, however, I can see how (or should be?) these concepts can be applied to my personal vision as a photographer.

The course notes ask us to reflect on some question I’ll do that now.

Out of all the topics covered in this course, which felt most comfortable to you? Why?

How are they defining comfortable? I would say the Photograph as a document, I have tried to be a photojournalist in my approach to photography over the time i have lived in Asia, therefore, this felt the best fit with me, although ironically this perhaps the weakest assignment as I’m a little out of practice. Creativity and photojournalism require practice and need to exercise regularly – just like great footballer still have to go the training every day we do as photographers.

Did you discover anything completely new to you? What was it?

The world of Ronald Bathes and semiotic and meanings. I had some idea on artic theory as I had previously taken Introduction to Film Culture, it has lead to a new appreciation of art and photography and something I should study more – I think.

Which area enabled you to come closest to finding your personal voice?

Strangely for such an introvert assignment 3, I seemed to open my soul to the outside world and reflected on the isolation I was feeling at that time.

Which area seemed furthest away from who you want to be as a photographer? Why?

Making it up (assignment 5), as I have said before what drew me back into photography was my move to Asia and the photojournalist style of images I took. Creating a symbolic single image to reflect feeling or a situation more me is something best left to others.

What were the main things you learned? Were there any epiphany moments?

Context is vital, you need something to hook your viewer to your ideas, this perhaps most relevant in assignments 3 & 5 when my either my symbols were too esoteric or just plain vague. The audience needs some guidance to what your work is about. If you leave everything up there interpretation your concepts will be lost.

Will you return to any of the assignments from this course at a later date? Did you feel as if you were on the cusp of anything?

I like assignment 2, I think I would like to expand on that in some way or even return to trying to show units on time to physical objects my initial idea.

Overall, a challenging unit which had me close to throwing in the towel at many points, and it wasn’t for the honest sometimes brutal criticism from my tutor I way have thrown in that towel. However, I persevered and worked through my inhibitions and prejudices to be able to submit a collection of work I’m happy with more assessment.

On a technical side the image is little different from the initial draft sent to my, tutor is well lit and focus.

Quality of the outcome

By adding the ID style picture and limiting the figures I am more pleased with the outcome, there is more or a feeling of self-portraiture and identity. I feel that there is also some imbiguity to the figures to allow the viewer to draw their own conclusions to the symbolism

Demonstration of creativity

Narrative photography has been a struggle for me, not a natural fit you may say, however, I think this re-worked image has built upon my most successful image from this course

Context

This units title “Context and Narrative” tell us what we should be looking for in our photography. We need to search our feeling and our surround at expressing ourselves. I find this very difficult as am a solitary person and very private – building this image is very much outside of my comfort zone. However, by adding my own image to the final picture I am more comfortable with it and I feel that I have been able to show a little bit of how I see myself.

In preparation for assignment 3 I recreated a scene from my childhood in HO figures, I was a kind of self portrait as it was made of model figures from my childhood.

After my initial draft of assignment 5 and tutor feedback, I realised trying to capture the influences on my life in one image was a much too large task, but the image was starting to represent a self-portrait of me. I have therefore changed the focus to the various identities we all have had over time.

Using a passport style picture, one I had taken for visa renewal here in Thailand, to represent me as I am now, I am surrounded my figures that represent the various identities I have or have had over the last 48 years.

• Banker
• Child
• Partner
• Diver
• Friend
• Photographer

The figures are placed so that they are looking at the picture burried in the sand. I have positioned the photographer so that he over looks the scene. For the child I have kept him between parents, as if they are bring him, but to a viewer it they might see it representing being a parent.

I think looking at the picture now there are enough clues that the image is about the person in the passport picture and the figures give clues to what they represent, so that the viewer and construct there own narrative as they view the image.

Dear Robert

Thank you for the feedback and your time on Friday for the Hangout chat.;

As we discussed generating idea for narrative photography is a weak point for me, so therefore when I get, what I consider, a good idea I tend to disappear down that rabbit hole; produce a technically capable image that when makes perfect sense to me to a 3^rd party is left wondering and not in the way narrative photography intends.

I have to admit in my previous picture with HO figures I missed the obvious sign and signifiers that using toys gives a connection to childhood, which was vital in why that image was so strong. Therefore, the same set up for life influences does not immediately work.

You are quite correct, there is nothing in this image to suggest, what or who the image is about, even with my use of depth of field to isolated the diver the viewer has no idea why he is significant and the old man with a suitcase really does just muddle things.

The image was intended to show what has influenced or supported me to where I am now, which really is a kind of self-portrait showing what I am the sum total off. And to get there, there needs to be a reference point to show that it is a self-portrait and that it is about identity.

With that in mind Robert, I intend to rework the image with fewer figures, and something that represents identity, a passport photo. With the picture buried in the sand, various figures can surround it as it all different parts of life have come together.

Again, the title needs work, “A life in HO gauge” in mindsight is far far too vague it doesn’t point the viewer, that the life in question is my life. Perhaps I have miss understood Barthes here or just gone too far when trying to avoid leading the viewer.

Also thank you for the encouraging, comments about the general look for my blog and re-worked assignments after our last tutorial back in December I spent time cleaning up the posts and getting everything “ship shape” for assessment. I will do the same for the Ass. 5 posts once I have the re-work complete.

Going forward I am encouraged by your comment that you think I will be successful in the documentary, Self & Others and even landscape units. I have found the narrative aspect of this unit a hard slog and with the added pressure of work commitments over the high season here in Thailand, there have been moments where I have wanted to throw in the towel, which is unlike me I’m not a quitter.

Again thank you for all the support.

From a visual point of view, I feel that the composition is well organised and exposed. The shots were created in a lightbox with a full frame DSLR and a 100mm macro lens, which I felt was the correct tool for the job as one of the most critical points of this image is the depth of field. It needed to be just right, neither no shallow nor too deep.

The images took an afternoon to shoot and a further morning to edit and process in Lightroom – they are not manipulated images Lightroom was used for minor exposure/colour corrections.

Quality of the outcome

Technically I like the image and emotionally it resonates with me, especially the couple in the background, that really reminds me of my parents and reminds me that how I should act with my fiancee it lead to my parents 52 years of marriage.

Will the image resonates with other viewers, I hope so the key to this is to them recognising the diver as the main protagonist. The imagery is simple within the image; sand is the backdrop to reflect the tricky past we walk in life it often easy to walk on but quickly can slow is down and trip us up unexpectedly.

Overall the image works on a personal level for me – it allowed me to address who I am and why I am who I am.

Demonstration of creativity

As I said in the introduction to the image, this a continuation of the most successful piece of work I have produced on this course. I have struggled with the concepts as I am not a natural artist and my distance from other students and art galleries has been very debilitating. I have tried to pull together what I have learned in this one image, and I must have learned something because it was much easier than assignment 2 – photographing the unseen.

Context

This units title “Context and Narrative” tell us what we should be looking for in our photography. We need to search our feeling and our surround at expressing ourselves. I find this very difficult as am a solitary person and very private – building this image is very much outside of my comfort zone as it lets people to my subconscious. I do feel that the image does fit with some of the work we have studied throughout this course. Normally when you see images taken with Ho figures they are done for comic effect I hope that this image is not seen that way but as a legitimate way for a introvert to express their feeling and thoughts.

Capturing a Life in HO Gauge

Introduction

Perhaps my most successful piece of work on this course so far has been a simple image where I reconstructed a scene from my childhood. A beach scene in early 70’s Blackpool where I am swinging in between parents. It was a happy memory and was an emotional ride creating it I used HO gauge figures, which significant to me in my childhood, to recreate this significant moment.

It is this I return to for the final assignment of the course, to create an image that illustrates the significant influences in my life. Our existence is something we ponder as artists; what drives us; what supports us; what has influenced us; will we become; where will we go. I wanted to create an image that reflects what has brought me to the point I am now.

Using HO figures is important to me, because my model railway played a vital role in my formative years, being an only child, it allowed for my initial creative output, gave me a vital connection with my Grandad and made sure I was never lonely, and it is something that I dream that I one day can build again perhaps with my own son.

In previous posts, I have talked about what the individual elements stand for to me personally and its impossible for a casual viewer to understand all the nuances of my thought process but I hope that they can understand that the diver figure with his quizzical look is the main protagonist of the image. To me, he is punctum of the image because he is me.

When I view the image, in conjunction with the title, I see 3 potential meanings:

• Think about the people and event in the past that have brought you to this point
• Reflecting on the what you have around you in your like now
• Pondering what the future will bring

While I mull over the alternative images in my previous post, it is a good time (if there is every such a thing) to dip in the Barthian world and consider how to caption or title this final image.

I am, in general, not a titler/captioner of an image, mainly, as I have touched upon in a previous post, that I have been conditioned this way by reading that we should let our images speak for themselves. However, this does not mean that I do not believe in captions or the power of them. As we have discussed earlier in the course caption add context to an image and in some cases can completely re-contextualise an image. I have in the psst seen poor images score highly in Camera Club competitions, just because they were cleverly captioned to fit with the theme, over visually far stronger images that were simply “untitled”. In fact would the most famous painting in the world the “Mona Lisa” be as fascinating if it was simply an untitled portrait of a woman.

Barthes gives us the idea of Anchor and Relay in titles and captions; Anchoring titles control the meaning of the image whereas Relaying titles have equal status with the image – they work together to create ambiguity and different interpretations.

In this project, I am trying to capture a point in my life and the influences that have lead to this point and with that in mind do I want to anchor the viewer to my ideas alone or do I want then to try and interpret it further and relate it to themselves? A little of both – there is ambiguity in the image so i need the viewer to stay on my track but I need them to relate it.

Ideas for a title…

• The baggage I carry
• How did I get here?
• Who influences me
• What makes me, me?

These are personal titles, the linguistic meaning should how the viewer that the image is something that comes from within the artist but is too personal would it be better to change the personal pronoun to the 3rd person?

• Capturing the present and past

is this a little too vague?

• My life in HO gauge

I like this there it anchors the viewer but perhaps restricts interpretation, again the personal pronoun (is my a pronoun? but I think you know what I mean) is the restricting factor, a more 3rd person or general article would work better.

• A life in HO gauge

I plan to shoot with full-frame DSLR and a 100mm Macro lens, with the scene in a light tent (similar to those used in product shots).

Beach scene with a diver as the central figure, with figures from the past, surrounding him, to the rear. Using shallow depth of field to give separation between the past and present.

Initial shot

ImI like this image, as it emphasises the diver figure and I like how the arm placement gives a quizzical look. However, this is appropriate as I often feel amazed at where I am. On the downside the figures in the background are too indistinct – this does not give the feeling of importance, more of a confused man with vague memories.

Image 2

This came from a idea of adding more contrast to the image an a twilight feel. It’s a fail in my eyes are the figure crowd each other; the “sky” is unrealistic however the depth of field is starting to give the feel i’m looking for.

Image 3

Here I like that positioning of the figures and the the depth of field. The past is behind the man carrying the bags. Childhood appears to dominate with other areas drifting away.

Image 4

Similar positioning but with deeper depth of field. The deeper depth of field gives a better connection of the past to the present.

Image 5

Adding the future and the constant to the image; the wedding couple look on as the photographer captures the moment. I like the idea of bring the future in as it shows progression, however, in the context of the image does it feel disconnected?

Adding the photographer the image, which is a constant in my life adds a playfulness to the image – the image is me trying to capture my life at there I am inside the image capturing my life.

Image 6

Similar to the previous image – the wedding couple are moving in the same direction as the rest of the figures and slightly out of focus using shallow depth of field.

The idea again is to how progression through like that why where were are is influenced by our past, we should never stop moving and progress forward to new and exciting times.

Image 6

Here I have removed the future to show, leaving the photographer constant, I’m unsure of the future aspect of the image as it seems not to fit within the overall feel of the image.

In this post, I jot down some ideas as to what different figures can stand for and mean to me

Sand

Although, originally, I come from Leeds in land locked West Yorkshire, it seems that the seaside has played a significant role in my life. My first memories of holidays are in Blackpool and Bournemouth; for over 20 years I have lived in a coastal town initially in the Isle of Man, then Hong Kong and now in Pattaya. And in my late 20’s a discovered scuba diving something that I was good at but was taken away from me for 10 years which made my view of my locations by the sea bittersweet.

My Parents

My parents spent their time together neither of them spen time away from each other with friends they were inseparable for the 52 years they were married.

My Grandad

I was close to both my mums’ parents, but I was the influence of my Grandad that has shaped me the most. I was with him that I built my railway and from him that I learned how to make things and fix things to perhaps I should say I learned I had the ability to do things and to take pride in things and myself. He always wore a suit and tie to leave the house and on many occasion he would wear one in the house too. He was a creature of habit and very British.

Corporate Me.

I left school at 18 not know a direction to go in – I was shy and unconfident in myself. I worked 25 years in a grey corporate environment. However, this was never the true me.

Teacher Me

More relaxed than the corporate environment as an ESL teacher I was able to relax and understand myself a little.

Diver me

Teaching Scuba is what I do for a living now everything in my past has lead to me achieving this.

Photographer me

Photography has been another constant in my overarching what I have done in the past.

Future me

A wedding on the horizon – I hope.

Man with the bags

Represents me moving from place to place and also the fact that I carry my past with me into the future

My Childhood

I am from a small family no siblings, limited extended family (1 Auntie!) therefore this leads to a very close relationship with my parents. I spend a lot of time with them.