Assignment 6 - Transitions - with Tutor Feedback

Introduction

My learning log can be found here: http://warrenjonesphotographylandscape.blogspot.co.uk/

This document details:

a) my approach to assignment 6

b) my assignment images

c) my key learning’s

My photography practice website can be found here: http://www.warrenjonesphotography.com/

Assignment 6 – Transitions

Produce a series of images that responds to the idea of ‘transitions’ within the landscape. Work on this assignment throughout the course. Record the changes that a part of the landscape undergoes over an extended period of time. You may want to revisit a very specific view or you may choose to explore a particular part of the landscape more intuitively.
You may wish to photograph at very specific intervals (monthly, weekly, or even daily) or your routine may develop by other means. The quantity of work that you submit will depend on your particular strategy.When completed, the assignment should address the notion that the landscape is an evolving, dynamic system. You may wish to confirm, question or subvert this assertion.Your assignment should be accompanied with a reflective commentary (minimum 300 words) on how your project developed and how or whether it has affected your ideas around landscape.

My Approach to Assignment 6

This assignment was unusual in the fact it was initiated in terms of planning before other assignments. It initially puzzled me, worried me in terms of how I get my tripod in exactly the same position including the mounting of the camera etc for my chosen study. When I reflected on my previous Level 1 courses I realised how silly this was since it’s the content of the images and the creative thoughts behind it. My initial thoughts were to select a picturesque location and take an image from the same position during each of the four seasons selecting a day within each season that reflected the seasons expected weather and look.

I suspect I was influenced by the course images for assignment 6 where in reality this idea should be used as a stepping stone to move to another idea rather than being re-exampled. A Google of other students work for assignment 6 suggested the “Four Seasons” landscape a popular idea. I decided, as I have begun to evolve more during the Landscape module, that I should evolve initial ideas of my own. I think these then contain much more of myself in the development and the end result and also become something, depending on your success in meeting the initial visualisation, a finished product that’s more personal. My back-up set of images were the 4 seasons taken at Symonds Yat, a local tourist spot. These images were then used for Exercise 5.5 Create a Slideshow:

The Four Seasons at Symonds Yat Rock 

Purposely my landscape images were taken in portrait as I wanted to create more depth in the image.

My occupation as an IT consultant requires me to work away from home in different locations around the UK. As a result I spend a large amount of time living in hotels, a feeling of being boxed in within a small room that will never feel like home. During the time of the year where nights are much darker / working late most evenings I often found myself going back to my room in dark. Looking out the window of my room during the dark evenings made my room feel my smaller and my seclusion more exaggerated.

For this set of images I was working at Heathrow Airport and these set of images are taken from a hotel room I stayed in which was at the approximate mid-point of the runway. There are 2 runways at Heathrow and they alternate the landing and take-off from each and the direct of landing and take-off and landing. It’s surprising how quick the fascination of these events can quickly wane when witnessed so many times a day, in contrast to the annual holiday and excitement when at an airport.

The images are taken over the course of months starting from January. The window of my room was almost the frame for me to look out of and escape from using my eyes and mind. Reaching my room in later months as the evenings grew lighter my spirits felt lifted and felt I was no longer completely constrained within the walls of my room

In my initial research I found the images on this web-site called “Inside Looking Out” in significant contrast to the non-picturesque images from my hotel window:

https://www.pinterest.com/carolpie/inside-looking-out/

TUTOR FEEDBACK

Firstly thank your Tutor for the very valuable conversaion and discussion about my assignment, photography in general and the approach to my work. This was very interesting and will help me as I progress going forward. I have amended my personal statement and amended my images. I believe the prints I submitted for printing which were sent direct to my tutor were NOT saved by me in the sRGB colour space. I have had discussion with printers and they have helped me

I have amended my final image below following discussion with my tutor and have now also amended the text accompanying each image as suggested

Assignment Images

Image 1 – 12/1/2016

During Darker nights I feel more isolated and constrained

Image 2 – 16/5/2016

With lighter nights I feel less trapped

Image 3 – 12/7/2016

My mood is much lightened as the nights get lighter

Image 4 – 02/08/2016

As the dark nights approach, my gloom returns

I've amended the commentary associated with each image. I had originally intended to give an explanation about the image but my tutor is right, let the viewer find the narrative with just a small subtle hint from myself

I have also reprinted the images and applied the small subtle text as part of the image

Reflective Commentary

  

The images were taken using a camera and a gorilla pod and with the use of a chair back to get the lens as close to the window as possible in the attempt to eliminate its presence from the final image. A timer was used to reduce camera shake. I’m rarely in the same room each week but always facing the airport.

I did experiment with the lighting in the room to best allow the room size to be visible in the reflected image in the initial images.

Interestingly in my research I found it very difficult to contextualise my work, there appeared to relatively nothing – no doubt there is something but not that I could find.

I note almost a year after my images were originally taken there has been some recent articles around what are called “coffin cubicles”. The National Geographic last month (7/2017) ran an article by Susan Stacke titled “Life Inside Hong Kong’s ‘Coffin Cubicles”

http://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/07/hong-kong-living-trapped-lam-photos/

I’ve used a few of the images in my assignment to reflect the size of my room and in contrast to these people I expect my hotel room is a palace. The window in my room I talk about is somewhat of luxury for the people living in these rooms who have none.

The person in the space is eating baked beans and I wonder if the photographer is doing this to example their poverty in both the room they live in and the food they eat. The photographer Benny Lam must be at the head of the bed, likely the entrance to the room, further demonstrates the confined space.

In this image Lam gives an alternative view to the size of the rooms. I wonder in this instance how the picture may have been taken, perhaps remotely using a gorilla pod or something similar.

I’m pleased that I chose the subject of isolation within a hotel room as it is something that impacts me a lot. This in turn results in images that are meaningful to me. I hope that for someone who has experienced working away from home, short or long term when looking at these images and reading the introductory and image commentary can relate to the feelings I have tried to express. However the article I refer to above and the images of the coffin rooms has put my feelings into perspective and perhaps I should feel privileged I want I have in comparison.

Landscape Module Reflections

I've enjoyed the landscape module and it’s moved me far away from what I had originally deemed the genre to be and has opened my mind much more. As a result I do have a number of plans for some future long term landscape projects which I will pursue as part of my own photographic practice. I love the word practice as it’s certainly what I'm doing though it’s scary if you think about this as a patient at a medical practice.

I'm struggling to be able to fully realise my thoughts in images I create but I feel the gap may be slightly smaller than when I started and I am accepting of this.  I continue to strive toward having them meet one day. On the plus side it’s given me so much to think about and explore outside of this course. That thought actually brings me joy because whilst as a degree it may give something scholarly in terms of achievement my actual ambition is to want my photography and my development to continue both alongside and after when I complete it and this to be a stepping stone to achieving it.

I think for the first time initially as part of Assignment 5 but certainly at Assignment 6 I have produced an assignment that feels very personal and I think for the first time can say I have produced a set of images that feel part of me or I feel part of them. I don’t think this means I have finally found my artistic voice but I do think I’m starting to communicate and this pleases me.