Overall Comments
Thank you
for your assignment.
You have
submitted 12 colour images of Penshaw monument. The images themselves are
generally well constructed and have a strong theme running through them. You
have also submitted a comprehensive blog and description of your ideas and
images.
Your images
and blog indicate that you have a good grasp of the basic ideas behind
workflow.
Assessment potential
You may want to get credit for your hard work and
achievements with the OCA by formally submitting your work for assessment at
the end of the module. More and more people are taking the idea of lifelong
learning seriously by submitting their work for assessment but it is entirely
up to you. We are just as keen to support you whether you study for pleasure or
to gain qualifications. Please consider whether you want to put your work
forward for assessment and let me know your decision when you submit Assignment
2. I can then give you feedback on how well your work meets the assessment
requirements."
Feedback on assignment Demonstration of technical and Visual
Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
Having a
good and efficient workflow pattern is an important aspect of digital
photography, enabling you to achieve your creative potential.
Once you
have established an efficient way of working then it gives you the chance to
concentrate more on your concepts and techniques.
Good to see
the research you have done on Gary Winogrand. He was a highly influential
photographer who has influenced generations of other practitioners and his way
of working is well worth consideration. One of the strengths of your submission
has been your attention to editing. However there are a few other points worth
mentioning.
Planning
It would also be worth mentioning at this stage how you are
pre-visualising your images. You have obviously considered what your subject is
going to be and at this stage it can help to do a rough sketch of your ideas
(this is often more applicable in situations such as some commercial
assignments where you are working with an art director).
Other preparation could include cleaning your sensor and lenses,
making sure that all batteries are fully charged and making a tick list so that
you know that you have all the necessary equipment. It is also at this stage
that you might consider trying to pre-empt any problems that might occur.
In addition you should use a card that has been formatted. This
erases all previous images on the card (make sure you do back-ups), recreates
the file system including new directories and improves the overall performance
of the card). Try to avoid deleting single images from your card.
Image capture
Your
exposures generally look fine but you do not mention your methods
for getting correct exposure readings. I am presuming that you are
reading the histogram data on the camera. This is important as it allows you to
catch the full range of tones available with no visible edge clipping.
I can see
that you are enjoying using Lightroom to edit and work on your images, which is
great. Lightroom is used extensively in professional practice along with
Capture One Pro and sometimes Adobe Bridge.
It’s good
to see that you take time away from your pictures before a final edit, as it
can give you the space to see your images again in a fresh light. This is not
always possible when working professionally when speed is sometimes more
important when turning a job around, but when possible is always worth it.
Although you may not have found it useful in this instance, it is worth doing
and you will find with time that it can make a difference.
You do not state whether you are
shooting in a RAW format (I am presuming that you are). This is
important to obtain the maximum amount of information and to increase your post
production possibilities in Photoshop and Lightroom.
In your blog you do not mention
how you are backing up your images.
This is
another important aspect of workflow.
Several
professionals that I know back up their images on 3 separate hard drives, one
of which is kept at a different location (I have had many students who have
lost work after not backing up information).
For further
image security it may be worth looking at RAID drives where the information is
stored over several drives. These are often used by professionals as it is
offers further security.
Your images
are well composed with an attention to detail and a keen sense of composition
and framing.
The
strength of the project is enhanced by the clarity with which you have tackled
your subject. The constant presence of the monument within the frame give the
work continuity and a conceptual strength which I would encourage you to build
on in your subsequent assignments.
Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays Context
Your blog
is detailed, comprehensive and easy to navigate.
Suggested reading/viewing Context
I have attached a sheet detailing professional workflow practice.
You may find the following of some use:
Langford, M ‘Basic Photography’ p. Focal Press 2007
