Assignment Four: reflections against learning outcomes

LO1 produce convincing visual products that communicate your intentions, using accomplished techniques in complex and unfamiliar environments, with minimal supervision from your tutor.

• I have increasingly learnt that I am working with a living changing subject, both metaphorically and visually. The landscape had transformed at this time to sparse vegetation except for abundant carpets of moss. So I had to swivel my perspective, which I did by focusing on the moss as a protector of other woodland species, a nurturer and homogeniser of the various elements.
• I photographed the same woodland subject, but with even more of an internal emphasis on my internal dialogue and intention as a poet would, as I photographed. This sharpened my attention as I chose my subjects and perspective.  This fits with my intention to use the ancient woodlands as a metaphor for my feelings about community.
• In terms of visually capturing my woodland subject, I have moved through various stages of experimentation from, psycho-geography, from Macro to Micro, contemplate constructionism and abstraction, and have distorted with perspective and scale. This time I chose to progress my work by continuing with a low to mid distance perspective which I am finding enhances the subject.
• Technically I have now tried a variety of approaches with a variety of lens. This time I shot with my prime lens and have become dexterous with my tripod adapting to the difficult terrain heightened in the winter by heavy rain and frosts. The low winter sun took some adapting to also.
• I also shot for the first time intending to crop to a 5:4 ratio, having seen to effectiveness of this ratio after cropping to this after my last shoot.
• Using padlets when editing images and combining with my images proved helpful.
• It has been suggested that generally images are full of visual nouns but not the adjectives and adverbs that we need to signify emotions – I don’t agree with this however I do see now that combining images and text as poetry has strengthened my concept – my feelings about harmony and disharmony in communities.

LO2 demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of your area of specialisation and be able to situate your own work within a larger context of practice in your field.

• This work continues to build alongside my contextual studies work on affect and effect and other photographers.
• I have researched landscape photographers who use the landscape to share their internal and external passage.
• This assignment I researched Poetry and photography for the first time. I learnt from various photographers and writers how poetry can aid reflection, focus thoughts and like images be a metaphor for something else.
• For this series my outcome combines my learning from both photographic and poetic contexts.

LO3 transform abstract concepts and ideas into rich narratives and integrate them in your images.

• The visuals, the photographs came first, but I realise that they need signposting to transform them from my abstract thoughts in a narrative for readers.
• So, this assignment I have experimented for the fist time with using poetry to add to the narrative of my series of images.
• I asked myself whether the accompanying poetry is intrusive or provoking. I don’t want it to tell viewers what to think but to provoke thought. I believe my poetic narrative helps to unravel the images – but hopefully not too much.
• My narrative and visuals are integrated in the photopoetry I have created. Though the poetry and photography retain some independence, but together creates something new – possibly a third personality? I think a richer overall narrative, drawing the reader beyond the frame of the photograph

LO4 critically review your own work and evaluate it against desired outcomes.

• I have reflected as usual throughout this work. Using poetry from the shooting through to the final product added clarity and depth to my work. Thinking like a poet has helped me to self-examine my intentions and concept at every stage.
• Using padlets helped me to be critical at various stages.

LO5 demonstrate management, leadership and communication skills and have deployed them during the negotiation and production of the final body of work with your tutor and third parties.

• I have managed this work and communicated both within it and about it.
• I have yet to discuss with my tutor, but I have reviewed the work against the course learning objectives and my personal intentions.