Jane Prior – Photo Presentation
Jane offered an intimate look at her portfolio from her early days at school to her latest project of photographing her mother. Jane’s early images show a progressive want to experiment with textures and shape, sometimes using her own body shape to show off the textures she has selected.
Jane discussed the journey she undertook from Plymouth to London and back to Plymouth. Although London was exciting I feel she wanted to get back to Plymouth, her roots. back in Plymouth Jane used her skills going in to wedding photography and building a family.
Latterly, Jane has undertaken her biggest challenge so far, her masters degree which commenced in September 2016.
Throughout her discussion it was obvious her passion for photography started at an early age and is still there. This has been demonstrated by Jane sharing her personal portfolio and in the way she is enthused about what she has done.
Andy Finney Photo Presentation
Andy, what an incredible journey! From South Africa to Plymouth and world wide excitement…
However, without sounding overly smug, I have travelled the world and been to many of the places Andy has mentioned. Notwithstanding this, to do what he has done and visited the countries whilst photographing must be special and he has a great deal of experience to pass on.
Early days in the African bush taking images gave him a great energy which survives now. He showed a dogged determination in his ‘Heart” photography project. Where others suggested it would not work Andy demonstrated the willingness to forego pleasantries to meet his end goal. Here also, as with Jane, Andy’s passion for photography was most evident. Although they took a very different route the sheer want to succeed in the commercial photography world is most evident.
Tim Gundry Photo Presentation
This presentation was a little different than the previous presentations. It was no less enthusiastic but a much more calmer look into his own journey. Tim’s images also portrayed this. His journey on rivers and waterways and then latterly using drones to look at landscape and maybe revisit some of the stretches of water and railways he visited years before.
Again, Tim’s presentation was no less energetic than Jane’s and Andy’s. There seems a common thread of desire and passion to create, produce and complete a photographic journey in all the presentations thus far.
Gem Pope Photo Presentation
Gem did her degree in Edinburgh Scotland, which is where she met Zoe Maxwell and became good friends. Despite the rigours of Scottish weather and hospitality, once her degree was over she moved to London as photographic assistant. Gem was very honest how difficult this period in her photographic journey was. Being an assistant was not easy, She moved around London to different venues for different shoots lugging equipment around herself. At times, it appeared, she was not recognised for her efforts. Yet she persevered and moved on to another studio where she enjoyed much more. However, she called time on the ‘London Experience’ and moved to the west Country to lecture at PCAD.
This was probably the most honest of presentations as the audience could certainly feel her struggle with equipment and understand how difficult it would be for a young photographer starting off in London as an assistant. She did this with a huge amount of grit, guts and determination. well done Gem.
Zoe Maxwell Presentation
Originally from Edinburgh where she did her photography degree Zoe moved to London where she has flourished as a freelance photographer. Successful for over 10 years she was selected at the second application to completed her Masters at the Royal College of Art. Zoe enjoys building her own sets and processing them herself. From music, still life, fashion and art Zoe has presented herself an an extremely energetic and self grown very successful photographer.
With obvious buckets full of enthusiasm Zoe has demonstrated the will to succeed by sheer determination, well founded skill and just a bit of luck! Once again, as listed above, passion, determination, professionalism and a little luck has enabled her to be where she is today.
Tony Cobley Photo Presentation
Tony is a professional Freelance photographer based in Plymouth. He has been qualified for about 6 years but has been extremely busy creating his business in Plymouth.
From college to where he is now. Tony discussed his photography project whilst in college. Images of old signs, buildings shapes, contrast and piers. He seemed to have travelled a great deal, albeit locally i.e. West Country, he showed a great deal of enthusiasm and determination whilst carrying out his project.
Andy now runs his own business in Plymouth where he has stated that he can’t specialise mainly due to the demographic of where he lives. Therefore he must diversify. He has his photographic hands in PR events to hHealthcare to Tourism. Tony said he feels he must be able to do this to ‘survive’ as a photographer in Plymouth areas.
Jai Tyler – Networking
Networking has, for a long time, been paramount to a successful business, organisation and or and individual. It is also important to understand how and where to network.
Personally, I have had previous careers, as a career diver and a teacher where networking has been important to my successes. I do understand the nature of networking and how to network.
Although the physical aspect of networking is not new to me, however, the commercial photography industry is. Notwithstanding this, I have already been networking using social media (Linked In, Facebook, Instagram & Website, Twitter and Flickr). To measure how successful these have been is too early to say. Nonetheless, I have had a great deal of interest and contact with many more people in the industry and elsewhere..
Neuro-Linguistic Programming, a name that encompasses the three most influential components involved in producing human experience: neurology, language and programming. The neurological system regulates how our bodies function, language determines how we interface and communicate with other people and our programming determines the kinds of models of the world we create. Neuro-Linguistic Programming describes the fundamental dynamics between mind (neuro) and language (linguistic) and how their interplay affects our body and behaviour (programming). What does this mean to me?
Programming myself into a set of habitual sequences to ensure I use the correct language, medium and technologies to network my trade. Similar to muscle memory, and in simplistic terms, I must adopt a work/lifestyle pattern to maximise my potential.
Steve Bancroft
Steve is a editorial photographer who specialises in extreme sports, mainly BMX. He had risen from junior photographer to editor of one of the UK’s popular Ride BMX magazine. Latterly, with a group of friends designing and producing their own magazine Albion.
Some of the point offered were:
The collective name for the main means of mass communication
▸ The plural of medium
▸ A channel via which information is transmitted by a sender to a receiver
▸ Sender = the producer of the content/information
▸ Receiver = an audience of content/information consumers
What are the different media channels: Media, Internet, Television, Radio, Magazines & Newspapers
This was an interesting lecture delivered by a professional who is now trying to diversify into higher education. Bets of luck Steve.
Andy Whale
A professional advertising photographer who displayed his outstanding work both on screen and more importantly as physical images on different mediums.
This was a very interesting lecture with an extremely important messages: Research each shoot, Explore & Create an imaginative demeanour, Know your lighting – Colour – Composition, Explore & Experiment. Its not the camera but the person behind it!!
Andy also showed what he had done during his professional life based in London and around the world. This was an extremely interesting presentation where no punches were pulled. Honest and humorous, this bay far was the most informative visitor to date.
Kirsty Smith
A practicing fashion photographer and working at PCAD. Kirsty was most spectacular with a first had account of her early days as a sports photographer – skateboarding around the world. Who, finally ended up in fashion and still operates with the top fashion photographers. From back stage to front of house photography Kirsty was seemingly honest of how difficult and arduous this type of photography is. She did clear one thing up regarding the use of skinny models! Kirsty said that really skinny models will always be used as dresses hang better on them…
A very interesting lecture from someone who has obviously worked her socks off… to get where she is today. Again, as with all of the above photographers, she has a gritty determination that must remain in place just to get her to the places she needs to be to shoot fashion. It was however, fragile and it sounded that if she misses one item on her never ending ‘to do’ list, she may loose her place in the fashion photographers world…
Lorna Yabsley
A local professional photographer who has been a child actress. She firmly believed in getting things right in camera and intimated that she did not want nor have time for post processing. Nor, did she have time for lighting a shoot & she said she used natural lighting for her shoots.
What was interesting was the emphasis on client relationships and how important this was. This being quite an obvious statement to make, she was quite vain in her description of how she went about things. Nonetheless, Lorna did explain that being a good manager of ones business was paramount to success. Vanity therefore, I feel, is a by product of success.
I did feel however, pushing sunshine up ones own backside was a little OTT. Regretfully, this lecture ended with too many ‘I did this & I did that’.
Conclusion
The common denominator with all the lecturers/visiting lecturers has been the professionalism, flood of enthusiasm, sheer determination, grit and a little luck to succeed in whatever project they have undertaken. Although, I firmly believe we all make our own luck, luck is sometimes the glue that sticks everything together. Nonetheless,only the best will do. There has been a clear professional progression with their images and status within the photography enclave. There have been many lessons learnt here, I feel the most valuable lesson is to set yourself a goal, plan and plan and have a certain flexibility within the plan.
Things do get in the way, moves to different parts of the country, relationships, marriage, children, illness, loss of loved ones, earning enough to pay your way! BUT, all the above have stuck to their plans, they may have altered slightly or even hugely but by being flexible and having a focus has kept the photography going…
Me!
Below is an overview of my first year. I have discussed what and how I have learnt in greater detail in each section held within my blog…
I started this BACP course without a clear way ahead for myself not knowing if I just wanted to complete the course, knocking off the rough edges of my photographic knowledge or something really much bigger. Such as building a small career. Regardless of this I felt I knew, at least the very basics, of digital photography. Additionally, my experience in senior management, leadership, project management, teaching within the SEN sector and lastly teaching BTEC Photography, I felt my skills would stand me in good stead to measure up to the rigours of the first part of the course. To be fair and honest I do feel I have done this.
There are however, some exceptions; Work in a studio, where iv’e learnt a great deal already, has proven enlightening and I hadn’t realised how enjoyable this would be. The skills I have learnt together with the intellectual knowledge I have gained regarding photography/digital photography, advertising and editorial have already been invaluable to me. Interdisciplinary skills programme has been the gel to some things too. The use of lighting, studio lighting during the film noir and pop art fashion weeks has opened my eyes enabling skills learnt here to be transferable to other parts of the course.
Each and every member of staff have readily offered advice and passed on knowledge to help and assist me in improving my skill set as a photographer.
Seemingly, there has been a great deal of work handed out. However, there have only been a finite number of projects and assignments, initially for formative assessments to be completed, especially during this first semester. Although this has seemed endless at times, it has proven to be manageable so long as I maintain a strategy of planning and prioritising of work. As I am used to planning for an academic year including a pedagogical framework of activities, there has been little of surprise thus far. I have nonetheless been rushed at times buy this has been my own fault as I have either not read the brief properly or misread the brie! RTFQ!!
My formative assessments for advertising and editorial, parts one, seem to have gone well. I do feel I understand the level of work required, however achieving this has had its problems. The main difficulty has been communication with some outside agencies who have initially accepted my proposals then withdrawn from a project or have been engrossed in their own businesses to worry about what I wanted to achieve. The latter of these I really do understand. Having said this, with some flexibility, I have managed to meet my initial goals.
Highlight of the course so far has been working in the studios. Lighting, lighting, lighting – I know lighting is the key to a great image but to fully understand studio lighting I had to go completely back to basics and try to ‘look and see’, ‘hear and listen’ to everything that is said.
Andy Young Photography 