Week 1 (02/03/2022)
This week I was using photoshop to merge and create collages with some of my existing photographs. I am really happy with the outcomes and feel like this could really help me come up with ideas for photoshoots in the future. As well as helping me with ideas it also was really helpful to become better and more confident with using photoshop.
Week 2 (07/03/2022)
So far this week I have been doing some planning for some more collages that I will make using photoshop. The original task was to make plans for a lino piece, however I thought that the best use of my time would be to turn these plans into photography, as I feel like this will relate more to my pathway.
Week 3 (14/04/2022)
This week I started my experimentation by doing a close-up photoshoot of 'bought' flowers. I did the photoshoot of the flowers in my kitchen using my iPhone 11. I also started my artist research into Margriet Smulders and considered how this would inspire my practical work.
Week 4 (21/04/2022)
During half term, I did a timeline photoshoot of the change of blossom over several days using a digital camera. I then also used a film camera to do a smaller close-up photoshoot of the bought flowers.
Week 5 (04/05/2022)
I finished my artist research by looking into Robert Mapplethorpe and Edward Weston. I also started using photoshop to edit my previous photoshoots very slightly.
Week 6 (25/05/2022)
I have done my two final photoshoots, one using cut-flowers that I bought, and one using blossom that I found on a walk. I am now ready to edit both of these and decide on my final outcomes. I have also done some very important research into the carbon footprint of cut-flowers to add sustainability to my work.
Week 7 (12/05/2022)
This week I have done my final editing of my underwater shoots and am in the process of deciding which I will choose as my final outcomes. I have been going back through my website and making sure that I have descriptions for all my work. I have also been looking through the criteria for what I need in order to pass and making sure that I have examples of all of this in my work.
Final Evaluation
CONTEXT/AIM/INTENT
I chose this theme as I felt that it interested me the most and I could be creative with my outcomes in relation to my theme. My responses to the theme are very personal and have had a lot of thought and planning behind them. My theme considers ethics very much, the purpose behind my work is looking into the carbon footprint of cut flowers and I feel as though I have considered my audience all the way through my research and outcomes of my project. The project was lead by making work to inform my chosen audience and engage them whilst making a clear and important point. I feel as though my work communicates the purpose and intent behind it all the way through. I am very pleased with how I have managed to show this also in my outcomes. Through researching more into my theme I have learnt a lot that I didn't previously know, some quite shocking facts. This has informed my work a lot and gave me even more incentive to get my point across through my works so that I can educate others as well.
RESEARCH
I think that the artist research greatly informed my work and final outcomes, especially Margriet Smulders. I feel although her work had the most impact on my second underwater shoot (blossom shoot). Her work gave me much inspiration to try to capture colour as much as possible in my work. My primary research was very effective at informing my ideas for the rest of my project. I used my observational shoots to give me an idea of lighting and colours to be used, as well as angles for my photographs.
I did multiple experimental shoots which informed me of what materials to use such as lenses and props for future shoots. I think that next time I could do some experimental shoots with water before doing my final shoot in water, as I think that this would give more direct and purposeful experimentation.
To generate my initial ideas I looked at my previous photographs and looked at what I enjoyed photographing most, what I was able to photograph well. For me this was botanical, especially flowers. I think that this method worked very well for me as I could take further inspiration from how I had engaged and took these photographs.
FINAL SOLUTIONS
I think that the most successful parts of my final outcomes are the colours that I have been able to capture, some of them in particular having the colour as the most eye catching feature. If I were to do it again I would try to make the colours flow in all the pictures. There is at least one photograph where I feel as though the colours flow beautifully through the water and I would like to see how this would make the other pictures look if they did the same.
For some of the pictures I wanted to have the flowers/blossom fully submerged under the water and so trying to do this whilst holding the camera posed some difficulties. In the first underwater photo shoot I had some help with the flowers by having my mum hold them under the water, however, I managed this by myself in the second shoot.
I think that my use of visual language is very clear, my work shows lots of colour and shape as well as lines. Considering how I would use this visual language throughout my shoots had a big impact on my outcomes, I feel as though they look like they have much more purpose and intent because they show these elements. I think that my ongoing reflective practice definitely could be improved in future. How I have analysed and critiqued my work is not the issue, I just need to remember to keep reflecting throughout the project after I have made a piece of work so that I don't have to go back later when it's not so fresh in my mind.
Throughout this project I have been considering sustainability and how the use of my materials could affect the environment. That is why for the majority of the project I chose to use a digital camera so as to not be excessively printing pictures and not have to be using many chemicals like you have to do to develop film from film cameras. I did use a film camera for a limited number of shoots just so that I had sufficiently experimented all my pathways and options.
ORGANISATION
I have met all deadlines and completed all the tasks as much as I am capable. I have learnt that next time it would be useful to plan how many shoots I need to do as well as when to fit them into the schedule of the weeks of the project just so that they are done in plenty of time.
PRESENTATION
I think that the presentation of my artwork is very effective as on my website I have made sure not to crowd any pages too much so that my work doesn't 'get lost' in the busyness.
I have identified my audience effectively as I took much thought into who my work would be shown to. I chose a specific audience and thought about how I could engage them with my work.
DEVELOPMENT AS A CREATIVE PRACTITIONER
My goals as a creative practitioner are to continue creating work that will inspire others and to inform of such important issues as with the one that I have shown in this project. This project has helped me improve my research skills and how to fully delve into a project much deeper than I thought could be possible. This will help me in the future know how to engage more with my audience.
To keep moving towards this goal I will just simply keep making work that I feel passionate about and that I think has a real and important meaning behind it.