ASSIGNMENT ONE: Networking and feedback
I prepared a PDF document with the intention of showing it to an industry professional and asking them for a short piece of feedback. This included: edited work from BOW, Artist statement, and introduction.
Part 1 : Share with tutor. Part 2 send to industry professional for review
Outcome: Revised Publicity PDF:
Decisions taken to revise drafts to this output shown in red text below
The process:
Part 1: After several drafts and peer reviews I sent 1st draft to my (8.4.24) Tutor
Feedback: My tutor suggested that the footnotes seem rather crowded and to consider omitting these, or perhaps include a question asking specifically asking for feedback on this element when sending out?
Part 2. Sent the same to a professional photographer
They commented:
- Understood the concept/intention of my work easily.
- Images strong and particularly like them when presented largest.
- Many reviewers never read the text so the images must stand out.
- Thinks the ‘footnotes’ are confusing in the context of the publicity pdf as the images are so different they jar with the rest, but keep them in the project/final book
- Suggested that I shorten the introduction, explaining that reviewers want their attention grabbed quickly or they just move on.
- Suggested renaming the ‘introduction’ as ‘project statement’.
- Liked my poetry and thinks it sits well with the images.
My actions:
- Shortened the introduction and renamed it as project statement.
- Omitted the footnotes from the publicity pdf but included in my final outcome book as I intended
- Enlarged slightly the images that sit with the poetry
- Have some extra images available for any portfolio review
In addition to the feedback that I relieved from the professional photographer and my Tutor I used parts of the 1st draft PDF as my submission to the Lens culture critic’s choice Global Call 2024, and paid for a written portfolio review, which was a very useful critique of elements of my PDF as well as my work.
The reviewer’s feedback below was useful especially reference parts of my Publicity PDF, see extracts (full review at: https://nkssite6.photo.blog/category/sustaining-your-practice/putting-myself-out-there/portfolio-reviews/lens-culture-critics-choice-review-april-24/)
Reviewer Portfolio Feedback 26.4.24 Extracts:
2nd paragraph: In response to your request for feedback, I am still a little confused by the overarching idea that you are going for. If what I have said above rings with you, I think it would be helpful to state it somewhat directly and concisely. For example, instead of saying “The photography transforms abstract ideas in my head, into something concrete,” and defining your work as a “conceptual project,” I would simply say “What Lies Within” uses the forest landscape of [name the forest] as a metaphor for human communities and civilization.” Or something like that.
3rd paragraph: That being said, I still want to understand how you see human communities as stark contrasts to this forest communities but are using the forests as a metaphor for the human communities. Perhaps they are not a “metaphor” but a “model?” In other words, are you suggesting that these woodland spaces are a model for what it means to be a part of a community and to live in an ecosystem where all things must coexist and support each other’s life processes? Again, I am very interested in the ideas. I just think it’s a question of being clear and concise: especially when submitting to a contest like this where jurors have so little time to spend with each submission/statement.
I also don’t know if you need to include the words with their definitions beneath the photographs. I think you can say everything in the statement and then rely on the viewer’s intellect to realize that what they are seeing are prime examples of what those words represent. Perhaps you can include those exact words in your statement and then give an example of how that plays out in the woodland environments. But my sense is that this project could exist as two separate entities: image and text.
I learnt from this review in terms of my publicity PDF, for introduction:
- Be concise/direct with my overarching idea – E.g. revisit my wording “The photography transforms abstract ideas in my head, into something concrete,” and defining my work as a “conceptual project,”
- Refer to the woodland as a model rather than a metaphor, for an effective community.
I combined this with the suggestions from the Lens Culture reviewer and my Tutor for my 3rd draft of my Publicity PDF (top of post):
I reduced and revised my Introduction/preface, Artist statement and Bio as below:
Original introduction:
Ancient woodlands are complex communities, with trees at their heart; they envelop your senses, encouraging you to slowly absorb what you see and feel, wake your subconscious, and inspire reflection. This body of work is a personal response to a dynamic landscape, both internally and externally.
The photography transforms abstract ideas in the photographer’s subconscious into something concrete, via a visual representation of another subject, positing an ancient woodland as a visual metaphor for community.
Though humans provoked the concept of the work, they are not evident in the images. The Photographer’s local community often disharmonious and driven by difference, contrasts with harmonious characteristics of these woodland societies. Inherent qualities like cooperation, support, diversity, resilience, inclusion, networking, mutual exchange, and adaptation, could be beneficially adopted in many human communities.
As an observer of her neighbourhood, well known and accepted for numerous years, the photographer finds in common with others that incomers here are never adopted as local, no matter how long passes or their contribution to the community. This story is common to settings across the world. (177 words)
Project Statement
‘What Lies Beneath’ expresses my reflections on community using the landscape of an ancient woodland to create a visual model where things coexist and support each other. Here I transform my subconscious thoughts into something concrete.
Though humans provoked the concept of the work, they are not evident in the images. Unlike woodland communities, the local community is often disharmonious and driven by difference. The woodland’s harmonious, inclusive characteristics would benefit human communities where sadly ‘incomers’ like me, are never accepted as local, no matter how long passes, or what they contribute to society – a story common to settings across the world.
In this work combining the world in my head with the one in front of me, has helped to heal some of the wounds that inspired the story’s beginning. (132 words)
Original Artist Statement
I use landscape and documentary photography as mediums for expressing my observations and reflections on communities. ‘What Lies Beneath,’ a conceptual landscape photographic project, builds on my previous documentary work ‘Layers of Truth,’ where in my insider-outsider position, I highlighted the issues and various truths arising from ‘incomers’ relocating and trying to integrate into a small traditional community.
My photographic style is shaped by research on ‘affect’ (expressing what is in a photographer’s mind) versus ‘effect’(realism); I photograph in a metaphorical manner. Artistically I am influenced by photographers who create images as metaphors for something beyond the subject photographed, such as Minor White and Alfred Stieglitz; and by writers like John Szarkowski who explore the differences between photographs as mirrors for expression, beside images as windows that share reality.
I find combining the world within my head, with the one in front of me, cathartic. This internal and external passage through the landscape, has helped me to accept and heal some of the wounds that inspired it’s beginning. (168 words)
New Artist Statement
I use landscape and documentary photography as mediums for expressing my observations and reflections on communities.
My photographic style is shaped by research on ‘affect’ (expressing what is in a photographer’s mind) versus ‘effect’(realism); I photograph in a metaphorical manner.
Artistically I am influenced by photographers who create images as metaphors for something beyond the subject photographed, such as Minor White and Alfred Stieglitz; and by writers like John Szarkowski who explore the differences between photographs as mirrors for expression, beside images as windows that share reality.
I find combining the world within my head, with the one in front of me, cathartic. This internal and external passage through the landscape, has helped me to accept and heal some of the wounds that inspired it’s beginning. (126 words)
Original Artist Bio
Niki South was born and grew up in Surrey in England. From 1995 she began holidaying in Pembrokeshire in Wales with her husband and two children; this culminated in buying a second home there in 2009 and transitioning to a ‘dual centre’ life, between the two places.
She is currently completing her BA (Hons) Photography degree with the Open University. Her previous documentary work ‘Layers of Truth’ was informed by her life as a ‘second homer,’ observing local issues from afar, when unable to travel to her favourite home by the Covid 19 safety enforcements. In 2019 she relocated there permanently. (101 words)
New Bio
Niki South is a visual artist born in England, now living in Pembrokeshire Wales. Visiting Pembrokeshire she found a hiraeth (deep longing for the place) and spent many years living a ‘dual centre’ life, between the two places, until relocating there permanently. She is currently completing her BA (Hons) Photography degree with the Open University.
Her previous documentary work ‘Layers of Truth’ was informed by her ‘insider/outsider’ position where she highlighted issues arising during Covid 19 from ‘incomers’ trying to integrate into a small traditional community. (86 words)
LO2 coherently present a body of work, making creative presentation decisions that complement your subject and/or your artistic strategies.
NIKI SOUTH 