hettiedaveyyear4comdes

[hettiedaveyyear4comdes]

BA (Hons) Communication Design - Reflective Statement

Formative / Summative Assessment

Session 2018 / 2019

Comment on your personal development in the following categories:

Continue on a separate sheet if necessary

1. Knowledge and Understanding

From the end of third year to this assessment point in fourth year, I feel that my knowledge and understanding has developed but not in the rate that I think it should. My knowledge of particular contemporary practices has grown and I feel that I am actively seeking out new research and creatives that I can gain knowledge from. Previously I think I was more passive in my approach in that I would use research as a visual guide and not pick it apart and be critical and form and understanding. Where as now taking on a larger research topic in DH+T I feel that I have transferred the analytical mindset and applied to how I approach finding research for my projects. It means that I have actively gained knowledge into how photographers approach self negotiated projects from looking at a much wider range of sources. I think that this kicked in during Paris photo when I switched over from my essay to focusing on studio more.

 Knowledge and understanding as I see it, is in two chunks for photography com des students as we have practical knowledge that we expand and then also historical, theoretical, cultural and professional contexts too. In terms of the first I feel that my practical skills have developed but I also have missed opportunities to further my knowledge. Learning 4x5 was a learning outcome that we all had to complete but it is something that I feel comfortable with and confident doing. In third year lighting in the studio I would never have planned or even done myself almost relying on more knowledgeable peers to assist and do this for me. From the Body project I have learn and experimented with set lighting, flash syncing and photographic studio practice on my own. This also meant I was alone in directing and working with a model, from forcing myself to complete everything just by myself meant I have expanded my knowledge and confidence so much more. I think however on a practical level my colour management is really lacking in understanding – this is something I want to address with ross and learn so that my printing and post production isn’t so weak and haphazard

In terms of theoretical, cultural, historical knowledge I think I haven’t had ample space enough to start sinking my teeth into the cultural and historical side of many of the research and sources that I investigate, and that moving forward to contextualize things in this way I think would help my understanding grow and enable me to apply more consideration to my own project work.

 2. Applied Knowledge and Understanding

When it comes to applying the knowledge I have learnt from the first phase of projects, I think that I am yet to demonstrate this. As most of the self initiated work I’m generating is in the very speculative stages and that a start on producing work is going to be vital to showing the application of knowledge. I am trying much harder to interrogate sources and research a lot more so that I can cherry pick from other photographers practices to build my own unique visual language. From learning and finding out about Colin Grays film stock for his project on his parents, small bits of knowledge like this I aim to apply later on in my southeast England based project.

I know however that is not just small details and copying from others, I have learnt to apply some of the ethical thinking that has been brought to attention during crits and peer reviews. I have begun understanding the problematic implications that can lead to exploitation and misrepresentation in images and applying this knowledge before generating my own work, knowing what to avoid, but possibly pre-determining where issues might arise 

As with many of my peers will probably say but the body project has been a great opportunity to show the application of the knowledge we have all learnt. However going forward I think I need to push myself more to learn from and apply a wider range of techniques, and understanding from all the different research I come across. Instead of just using the same method that I have before. Further experimentation of learning, applying and reflecting on a broader range of practical skills, conceptual ideas I think will help me to refine and hone a way of using my photography as a visual language and communicative tool.

3. Professional Practice: Communication, Presentation, Working with Others

Professional practice is most likely where I am harshest with myself. I see it as I have no professional or commercial experience therefore my practicing skill set is dramatically delayed and diminished in comparison to everyone. However I have started to learn that other ways of working demonstrate a professionalism. Risk Assessments for photographers and those working in this field is important, as im looking to carry out my two self negotiated projects off site and in dangerous weather conditions or volatile political situations that creating these risk assessments will be highly important, However though I know what to include I would like some guidance on what else gets included.

My presentational skills in terms of print and final outcomes I feel lacks understanding. I want to improve this, in learning colour management, avoidance of muddy prints. But also learning what is possible with presentation of photography. I think my knowledge is limited and that knowing more ways to present will encourage me to practice more professional ways of showing and exhibiting work.

I think that my communication and working with others over each year of being at GSA and from specializing has grown each time. I feel that with my peers I’m able to communicate and work extremely well with them, I often try now, instead of just complimenting work, try draw more reflection out of others, ask them questions leading to critical analysis and subsequent development. I think this is a useful skill, being inquisitive, to carry forward into a professional format, as I aim to work in team lead environments, learning not to be a passenger in tutorials will translate later on as being an active participator.

For discussion at your feedback tutorial

Identify 3 areas of your design process that that you feel you need to improve on,

and briefly say why:

General technical practice. I think to get to image generation up to scratch. I feel at times I am all the gear and no idea in how to exploit it to its full potential! Parts of my image making process is there but I feel there are gaps missing and this is when the context and ideas I am trying to communicate through my work fails as it can get past these failures. So things such as – post production on files, negative scanning, colour balancing, print quality.

A deeper interrogation of sources. I think I need to start to really pick apart each of my links and pieces of research. Digest it, reproduce it and reflect on it so that I can gain all the understanding and knowledge possible. This is stuff from individual photographers to my own ideas generated from gathered research. 

I think my presentation could be stronger and refined so that again it helps communicate my ideas, messages and aims to an audience instead of obscuring or detracting. Being able to present well adds another tool to my kit that I can use to communicate through a visual language. 

Student Signature: __________________________________________       Date: ___3.12.18____________

[hettiedaveyyear4comdes]

Themes and Ideas for self negotiated projects

1. Selfcare and rituals that we practice within our everyday, that prevent aging or are based around slightly strange private things we do alone. Set building like the in the studio task but carried on to a more considered series, slightly comedic based of my parents and how the constantly call me with new diets or things that are part of their “routine” but aren’t. How when you retire or when you are older what do you do all day etc? but not almost older people but our strange secret healthcare/antiaging routines.

 2. Recreating a 70s dinner party with a narrative. Because it would be firstly enjoyable for me and plus there is something so off putting yet intriguing about the food photography that features in these cook books such as Mary Berrys all colour cook book. The images almost become more like an art than edible food! kind of similar to inspiration to abigails party but as a photo series. I enjoyed setting up stuff in the studio but am intrigued in how you can present narrative in a subtle way. FOUND FRAGMENTED STORY TO TELL MY HAMLYNN ALL COLOUR COOK BOOK THAT SAYS ‘TO KITTY’ IN THE FRONT WITH A NOTE, AND WAS MY NANS FRIEND WHO HAD AN AFFAIR WITH A MARRIED MAN. Create a quick narrative story from this...

4. Scotland in Cinema.. or a genre like specific places, Iconic scenes in films and  places that have been shot with in landscapes, cityscapes. But with no actors or no people in them. Or not even just film places just city scapes like empty sets with nobody in them. But why what would be the purpose. Are these places left alone, would need to include and do more research.

 5. British Pubs, what makes a pub and pub, I’m not an alcoholic but I’ve always grown up where the pub is centre of the community.  Your local, what are the semiotics and visual language of pubs, I’ve always had and still have a local where ever I’ve lived. The culture of the people who go to your local but I almost want to document what makes them so universally familiar. The smell of a pub feels familiar, this could play out as a documentary set of images on purely interiors or be a wider theme relating to people and crossing over into social politics of pubs, However I may find this detracts from the original path.

 6. My Dads childhood…or like the estranged side of my family who like know me etc but I have no clue at all who they are. What sort of a portrait would I build of grandma that I have never met be like. Or built a fake grandma like construct this family based on what my dad can tell me. Often people create projects on elderly relatives, I have none besides my Dads actual birth mother who lives ten minutes up the road from my house in Kent but I have met twice. In part due to both her and my dad’s stubbornness. I find it so interesting that this woman who is my direct blood relative I have no clue if I am like her or even what her name is.

 7.  Elderley Social Care. We live in in an aging population and how we care for the elderly members of our communities is important, I work up in Maryhill where I have become part of the community there and gained many elderly friends, we are told to talk to them as sometimes these shop interactions are all they have in day. Having worked with a charity on an off chance evening, that looks to help end loneliness for older people, by exploring and I documenting their lives to help communicate how we should look after the older lonely people around us. Id think it would be towards Documentary.

 8. Landscape, from the landscape project in the previous year and many before that I’ve approached it in a personal way where I try I project myself. Instead focusing on what our land does for us, the new forms of renewable engery and old industry and how our human footprint as a whole sits within the landscape, Scotland has some of the most stunning scenery in the uk but as we move towards finding energy sources that don’t cost us our land we have to interrupt some of its beauty. Id like to explore on a large scale how thes new devices sit in our landscapes and if it is still beautiful.

 8a. Scottish Landscape again but specifically around the route that I have always traveled into Scotland? Or again landscapes and the homes of the clans that have come from Scotland, some of its history but this would need more research. Etc I have access to Scottish Farmers but also I feel uninformed of what issues are currently surrounding its landscape etc.

 9. Portraits (really rough idea), of women using all the mad beauty devices and beauty routines that are available but to extremes, but classic portraits possibly. How we/ I get obsessed with things, I dabble into this and have spent so much getting individual eyelash extensions, dying my eyebrows, fake tan , fake nails, perms, hair bleached but also all the ridiculous items like eye masks, compression face masks, jaw exerciser. I have not done straight up classic portrait in colour before and I like the idea of exploring the world of the UBER femme that I so often find myself getting lured into! I find myself watching beauty tutorials not to learn but out of pure obsession! Glossy magazine style imagery but unsettling as it pushes to far on how we should be grooming ourselves.

 10. Revisit the landscape project but instead of purely the isle of Sheppey go to my original idea of Towns dotted along the Thames and Medway, or alternatively seaside towns, there is something that is stuck in an era about them that make them real places of nostalgia for everyone. Seaside towns but in winter is deeply depressing! Scenic location documentary that is not about fine details but dystopian towns.

 11. The border we have with Europe..dover? what are they looking at in in a post Brexit world? I would need to learn a lot for this project as i dont know much about brexit anymore. However as i have now been away from the kent, medway and essex area for coming up to 4 years now, its an environment that has become distant from my own outlook. I have an understanding but it feels now like im looking in on something. This could be an interesting point of view. the opinions in the southeast of england over politics is really polarised. But from my memory people are not afraid to speak up about it. There are really interesting demographics and stereotypes to get into