Final Reflections on the Major Project and YOP Course Work (18 September 2015)

It has taken me two years and, I estimate, around 1000 hours of study to complete the “Your Own Portfolio” course. Why have I taken so long and has the extra time (600 hours recommended) and effort been worthwhile? To answer these questions I need to look at how I navigated the course, review my mistakes and failings and consider what I have learnt.

In contrast to the level 1 and level 2 courses, where projects are largely imposed, the level 3 courses offer the photography student far greater freedom to explore their own photography-related ideas and concepts and to work in genres that particularly hold their interest. My major interest lies in the field of wildlife (particularly birds) and the environment and, away from my studies, photographing wildlife has for many years provided a major part of my photographic output. Having been somewhat frustrated by the very limited opportunity to incorporate wildlife footage into my earlier course work I was keen to select a wildlife-related topic for the major project. Encouraged by my tutor (who also has an interest in wildlife) I chose to look at man’s interactions with wild birds through the process of feeding them, and this formed the basis of my major project proposal, which is summarised below:

“My intention for the Major Project is to produce a portfolio of photographic images that both illustrate some of the many different ways in which we feed wild birds in Britain and explore the reasons for our actions. Our roles, both as individuals and within groups such as charitable organisations and businesses, will be covered. Crucially, the content of the images will be used to encourage consideration of both the motivation behind our desire to feed wild birds and the benefits that this action provides for the birds and, in particular, for us.”

The images produced would cover the genres of wildlife and (particularly) documentary photography and, after discussing the plans with my tutor, it was agreed that all my other assignment work (Assignments 1-3) would be used as preparation for the major project work.

During my first year of study, various factors influenced and changed my thoughts and project plans.

Firstly, I took out a subscription to the “British Journal of Photography” (BJP), the leading UK magazine that addresses the subject of contemporary photographic art. I also visited many more exhibitions of photographic art, both by leading practitioners and by final year photographic art students, than I had previously done. Through these media outlets I have developed a much greater understanding of how photographers in the art world create, develop and complete projects. I cannot pretend that I was inspired by most of the work that I saw; indeed, the motivation behind a lot of the work seemed rather obscure, but by the time I entered my second year of study I had a much clearer view of what was expected of me, as an art student.

Secondly, I started to feel uncomfortable about limiting my major project to covering what wild birds can do for us, even though my images of people feeding birds could provide a consistent set, with a clear visual link. A high percentage of photographic art focuses on people and I feel that we are becoming so obsessed with ourselves that we have forgotten that we are supposed to share the world with other life forms. I decided that I wanted to broaden the project to cover not just what wild birds do for us (and feeding wild birds is essentially for human gratification, as I hope my images in the first section of the project will demonstrate) but also what we do, both directly and indirectly, for wild birds. In this way I would be able to introduce the environmental issues that I feel so strongly about.

Initially I chose to integrate the images by alternating the photographs of people feeding birds with the much wider-ranging set of images (wildlife, landscape and/or documentary genres) relating to “what we do for wild birds”, which covered habitat loss and creation among other things. Whilst this ordering of images (which I used to produce a story board for Assignment 4) worked for me my tutor found it confusing and, after a discussion, we decided that I would split the major project work into two sections: “what birds do for us” (feeding the birds)- and “what we do for wild birds” (environmental issues). Furthermore, it was agreed that I should produce a multimedia (images, video and sound) presentation that would complement my image portfolio, both by providing a link between the two sections and by providing an overview of the project rationale. I decided that the photo book, which I had always planned to produce, would be a more rounded and balanced view of aspects of our relationship with wild birds than the multimedia presentation, which would be somewhat more subjective.

The work was completed according to the revised plan. On the negative side, changing direction and expanding the subject area cost me a lot of time and resulted in the production of an image portfolio that cannot readily be interpreted without the aid of the multimedia presentation. On the positive side, producing the multimedia presentation allowed me to acquire new skills in the use of video and sound which, in combination with my images, will be harnessed for future work. Furthermore, adding the second section has given me the opportunity to present photographic work on a subject that I feel passionate about: I was highly motivated to do this, which must be an advantage. The photo book, which is essentially a brief overview of the relationship between people and wild birds in the UK, is a permanent record of my course work.

I am happy to have been given the freedom to combine my keen interest in wildlife and the environment with my photographic output for this course. However, because of this I have found some difficulty in sticking to the remit of the major project, and I believe that I’ve taken the somewhat tenuous link between wildlife photography and photographic art (see my critical essay) as far as I can and as far as I want to go. In the future I plan to choose projects that develop other areas of photographic interest and provide more uniform, yet distinctive portfolios of images.

Status Report 24 August 2015: Major Project Update and Preparation for Assessment

With submission for assessment due in the second half of September and holidays having taken up most of the second half of July and the first half of August I have now entered a frenetic period of activity in order to complete the course work in time.

·         Following on from my tutor’s comments and my own observations I have produced a revised photo book (see below). No further work will be carried out in this area.

·         I have made a final decision on which images/prints to submit for my major project portfolio and am getting some “trial” exhibition prints produced by two companies (see below).

·         Following on from the changes to my portfolio images I have made some minor changes to the multimedia presentation, which is now complete and ready for submission.

Photo Book

My tutor kindly offered to comment on the first draft of my photo book. His very helpful suggestions, which related both to the design of the book and to the image content, combined with my own reflections on having received the book from the printers (“Blurb”), encouraged me to make revisions to the style and content of the book. One or two of the images were not “up to scratch” and this allowed me to make a final choice regarding which images/prints to include in my final portfolio.

Having made modifications to the text and images, a revised photo book was printed by “Blurb”: the front cover is reproduced below.

Front cover of my revised photo book (against a black background)

All the portfolio images are incorporated into the book in (7x5) landscape format and a few additional images use this format too. The result is a rather orthodox and clinical feel to the book’s design. However, I wanted to show consistency in the different sections of the submission (images/prints, multimedia, photo book). One “letterbox” and one square format image are included in the book: neither of these is included in the portfolio. I’m happy now that the photo book represents a fair overview of my project work which, in conjunction with the multimedia presentation, will provide necessary insight into why and how I carried out the project. The photo book will be submitted for assessment without further modification and I will purchase further copies for personal use and possibly to accompany a future exhibition.

Portfolio Images and Prints

I finished practical work in July. All the portfolio images for section 1 had been chosen by then, as had most of the images for section 2. I had hoped to complete the portfolio with a strong image of a bird in natural habitat, (such as a reed bed) on a nature reserve. Unfortunately, for various reasons, a suitable image could not be produced or reproduced. This necessitated a slight re-ordering of the final few images and the inclusion of a photograph of wild swans being fed at Welney Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust reserve. These changes are reflected in the second photo book. One advantage of using the Welney image is that it provides a link between the two sections of the portfolio and reinforces the direct connection between people and birds that was evident in the first section.

I spent a lot of time researching how to go about producing a print portfolio. This involved producing A4 prints of a variety of my images on standard matt and glossy and “fine art” A4 papers, using my own printer. My tutor had a look at some of these prints. It became clear that, for the subject matter involved, using specialised fine art paper would not offer a significant advantage over “standard” archival print paper. Indeed, some of the best results on my (Epson) printer were achieved using “Permajet” inkjet gloss (271gsm) (this is my favoured combination for competition prints). After further research I chose to have the portfolio images printed on C-type gloss archival paper, costing about £10.00 per print. At the time of writing I am getting a small selection of prints produced by two separate companies. Assuming that the results are satisfactory I will choose one company to print the remaining images in early September.

Multimedia Presentation

I have made slight changes to the multimedia presentation, in order to incorporate the final portfolio image set. The videos and accompanying sound remain unaltered. My only remaining challenge here will be to ensure that the 238Mb presentation copies satisfactorily to disc, so that the assessors can watch it! A screen grab of the opening slide from the presentation is shown below.

Multimedia Presentation: Opening Slide

Future Work

I have updated my logbook/blog with details of exhibition reviews, status reports etc. and plan no further work here. In addition to putting my print portfolio together I will write two more blog posts / logbook entries, one describing how the major project has developed and changed since its inception and the second discussing what I have learnt during the two years that I have been working on the course. Finally comes all the indexing and organising that occurs with every assessment submission……

A Photo Book.......at Last!

At long last I've produced a Photo Book, which is intended to compliment the images and prints for my major project portfolio, using explanatory text to place the images in context. Without the multimedia presentation and this photo book, I have to accept that the assessors might struggle to find a link between the images in the first section (people feeding birds) and the second section, where a mixture of wildlife and documentary genres are used to discuss environmental issues. The photo book will, of course, also be a lasting record of the year that I spent working on the project and who knows? I may even sell a few copies in due course.

A page from my first photo book

I found the production of the book relatively easy. The time-consuming step was preparing the text and images in a Word document, ready for transfer. Using the Blurb interface it took me a morning to download and work out how to use the "Bookwright" software, upload my text and images and then send the resultant file off for printing. I made a few mistakes along the way, most obviously not filling all the space on the front cover with my chosen image, but I was reasonably satisfied with the outcome.

The book arrived after about 10 days. Some of the images had printed rather dark and I noticed one or two defects in the images that had been missed when I looked at the corresponding prints. One image, which was additional to the portfolio images (all of which were included in the book) hadn't printed at all well and was clearly unsuitable for publication. However, overall I was satisfied with the outcome.

My tutor had kindly agreed to look at the book and came up with several suggestions for improvements, mostly to do with the design of the book. He also recommended changing the front cover image. After 35 years of writing science reports my writing style lacks a certain flair and my lack of subjectivity and anecdote in the text was also noted. The visual impact of the text was described as "rather childlike".

My tutor's comments were very helpful. I have spent the last couple of days revising the photo book, replacing some images, removing others and adding a couple of new ones. I have cut down significantly on the amount of text, but I'm afraid that my objective, scientific style of writing will not change overnight - however, I hope that my passion for wildlife and the environment shines through in the text. I will upload the text and images shortly, make many of the recommended changes to the design of the book and send the resultant file off for the printing of my second (and last, for this project) photo book.

Revising the photo book and looking at potential replacement images allowed me to make a final decision regarding which images and prints to include in my final "assessment" portfolio. I had hoped to get the opportunity to photograph Cornwall's very aggressive herring gulls on a recent holiday in St Ives, but on the only day that I would have had any free time (it was a family holiday!) I was ill. Now I am out of time for practical photography and I will use the remaining weeks (when not on holiday) to prepare for assessment submission in September. 

Story Board for Assignment 5

I have produced story boards for the two sets of images (12 each) that I submitted for Assignment 5. The first story board, for section 1 ("what wild birds do for us: feeding the birds") of the Major Project, is shown below.

Following my tutor's suggestion I will remove Image 7 (too similar to Image 6) from the final portfolio. I will not actively seek replacements for any of the other images, which I am reasonably happy with, but will replace one or more if, by chance, I am able to photograph something "better" or more relevant. It should be noted that the ages of the participants in this story board increase steadily in going from Image 1 to Image 10, which is why the images have been placed in this order.

The images for the second story board, for section 2 ("what we do for wild birds") of the Major Project, is shown below.

The images in this section are more varied and highlight the direct and indirect effects of man's actions on our wild birds. There is an environmental message behind these images and it will be necessary to view the multimedia presentation and/or read the accompanying photo book to appreciate fully the story and message that the the images in this section convey. I am committed to replacing Images 22 and 24, which lack the quality necessary for the portfolio (see my last update) and will remove Image 18, following my tutor's advice. It is possible that I will replace one or two of the other, later images before finalising the portfolio by the middle of July 2015.

Assignment 5: Tutor Feedback on Major Project Work and Future Plans

My tutor’s response to my submission for Assignment 5 was largely positive and I feel that I am finally on the right track, with not too much work left to do before submission for assessment in September 2015.

Image / print portfolio.

By splitting the portfolio images into two sections, relating to “what wild birds do for us” and “what we do for wild birds” I have produced a portfolio that “now has a more editorial feel to it. You are observing, categorising and capturing the responses of individuals or the content and atmosphere of various scenes with a view to explaining how it fits in the grand scheme of our relationship with birds”.

He commented on the new images that I had produced since my submission for Assignment 4, noting that (new) image 6 was very similar in content to (old) image 7 (robins and starlings feeding from the hand, respectively): do I need both? This is a fair point: I will remove image 7 from the portfolio, whilst retaining it in both the book and multimedia presentations for the assessment submission (see below).

He noted that image 18 (bird food, feeders etc. in a shop) had “not got anything of the editorial about it”. I half expected this response: the image is very different from the others in the portfolio, although the point of including it is that it provides a clear link between the building of new housing estates and the use of bird food, nesting boxes etc. in the gardens of our (new) houses. Nevertheless I will remove this image from the portfolio (making two sets of 11 images/prints), whilst retaining it in the book and multimedia presentations.

There were quality problems with images 22 (peregrine falcon on cathedral spire: bird too small in the frame) and 24 (bittern: lacks sharpness as an A4 print and unsuitable for A3). I had only chosen these subjects a few weeks earlier and had hoped to have produced better images in time for submission of the assignment work: I was aware of their shortcomings. Both will be replaced, along (potentially) with one or two of the other, later images, with “better” photographs showing similar content, for the portfolio, multimedia and book presentations.

Multimedia

My tutor commented that “this is a strong part of your final submission” and that although “the presentation isn’t slick and quick” it “has got insight and substance”. Also, “it does show the depth of your feeling regarding the environment and the subject which you have treated with respect and a good level of subject knowledge and technical expertise shows through”. He noted that “one or two of the images need a little sharpening”. This may be because I reduced the sizes of the images somewhat in order to reduce the overall size of the multimedia presentation (which was still a hefty 312Mb). In future I will use full size JPEG images for the multimedia.

Book

My tutor noted that “the addition of a book will form a strong circle of presentation for you with this set of work”, but warned that its aesthetic presentation (use of facing pages, white space, text etc.) should add to the images in an accountable way. Also, “…we can look at a page for as long as we wish to so stronger images are better”. The images in the multimedia “may form more of a narrative when used in bursts, as opposed to dwelling [on them] so the formats are not the same”.

Learning Log

My tutor commented that “the learning log [my blog] is well kept and supportive of the development of the project”. However, I should continue to maintain it noting the additions / recommended inclusions that he had mentioned, relating to the major project.

Future Plans

Portfolio Images

My work on the first section of the portfolio (images 1-12, or 1-11 as they will become) is essentially complete, as is my work on the first half of the second section (images 13-19, or 12-17 as they will become after I remove current images 7 and 18 from the Assignment 5 portfolio). I am still looking for stronger images to complete the portfolio – in particular, I must replace images 22 and 24 and the main focus of my work in the next few weeks will be to finalise the image portfolio by getting out and about on the streets. If I have the good fortune to produce “better” examples to replace earlier images so much the better, but I will not be actively seeking these. I am keen to retain a “peregrine” image in the portfolio set and have decided to wait until urban peregrines have fledged (late June –early July) before looking for a replacement for image 22. The final image portfolio may differ slightly in content from what I currently have: allowances for potential changes have been predicted in the text for my book.

Portfolio Prints

In addition to providing the portfolio as A4 prints on Permajet “glossy” paper, using Epson inks, I sent some A4 examples of images 4 and 20, printed on a variety of Hahnemuhle test papers, to my tutor, asking for comments. Commenting on the print quality, he noted that “the images are printed to a very good quality [on the Permajet paper]. Using standard (Permajet) paper with Epson inks is in no way unacceptable for the finished portfolio should you wish to use it….the images produced on it are “half way house” – they don’t make the bad things worse but, perhaps, they don’t make the good things better”. Commenting on the test images he noted that in general images were better resolved on the Permajet paper, probably because my Epson printer is not set up to get the best out of the Hahnemuhle paper. The bottom line was that the choice of papers is a very personal choice and “…the decision has to be yours at this level”. Given this feedback, I will look at getting one or two images commercially printed at A3 size, using a small selection of “standard” and Hahnemuhle papers, before I make a final choice. I will also check whether Permajet print commercially at A3 size using their own papers (which I like) or whether they supply paper to other commercial printers. This has now become a key element of my work, which I will concentrate on. I will write up progress in my logbook / blog.

Multimedia Presentation

I am reasonably happy with the multimedia presentation as it stands. I will need to replace certain images as the portfolio changes (see above) and I will look to make the overall presentation more crisp and “snappy”, perhaps by replacing, leaving out and/or shortening some of the video clips. I will continue to look to produce instructive video clips for potential use in this presentation. I will put the final presentation together a few weeks before submission.

Book

Whilst noting my tutor’s comments I feel that I am close to getting the desired format and presentation style together for the book. As soon as the image portfolio has been finalised I will get a small “prototype” book produced commercially: my tutor has kindly volunteered to comment on this book. Following acting on his and other peoples’ comments I will produce a final version, for submission for assessment.

Story Board

I will shortly produce a simple story board of Assignment 5 images 1 – 24 for incorporation in my logbook and blog.

Final Comments

The way ahead is now clear. The most urgent need is to finalise the image portfolio, because until I have done this I cannot produce a portfolio book, complete my multimedia presentation or get my portfolio printed to A3 size. I have allowed myself 4 weeks from today (10 June) to do this, following which I will get a prototype photo book produced. Concurrently I will continue to get some A3 test prints produced on various papers and make a decision on which papers to use by the middle of July. Holidays (one week in July, two weeks in August, one week in September) will intervene later, so I will need to get as much work as I can (and all the practical work) completed by the middle of July. Progress updates will be provided in my logbook / blog.

Major Project Update for Assignment 5, May 2015

Current Status

Following tutor feedback for my 4^th assignment and a further discussion with my tutor in February 2015 I have completely restructured the format and presentation of my Major Project work. Instead of attempting to answer the question “Why do we feed wild birds?” the project (and the image portfolio) has been split into two sections to answer the questions: “What do wild birds do for us……..and what do we do for wild birds?” The first section (“what wild birds do for us”) still concentrates on the direct action of feeding wild birds in public places, whilst the second section (“what we do for wild birds”) concentrates on man’s impact, both deliberate and accidental, on wild birds. Each section consists of 12 images/prints. Whereas there is a dominant photographic theme to the first section (the process of directly feeding wild birds, using a “social documentary” style) the second section does not contain an obvious photographic theme, incorporating both landscape and social documentary type images. This set of images tells a story with an environmental theme, but in order to clarify the theme and provide a link with the first set of images it was necessary to use other media to provide narrative and context.

I had always planned to produce some videos as back up material for my assessment submission. At my tutor’s suggestion I have now produced a multimedia presentation (using “Windows Moviemaker”) that links the 24 images with video clips, commentary and a little bird song in order to help the viewer to understand in greater depth the themes, visual links and narrative behind my portfolio work. This presentation will be an integral part of my submission.

Additionally, I fully intend to produce a photo book to accompany my submission. This work will, with the addition of further images and a significant amount of text, further clarify the narrative running through my work. To this end I have produced a document which, in addition to being a template for the photo book, contains further brief details relating to each of the portfolio images.

Portfolio Images

Many of the 12 images in the first section “what wild birds do for us” were obtained during the autumn and winter of 2014-15 and have previously been submitted to accompany my 4^th assignment (see elsewhere in the blog). There are a few new additions and one or two from the original set have been omitted. Work on this set is, for better or worse, essentially complete although I may replace images if the opportunity to include a “better” photograph presents itself.

Some of the 12 images for the second section, “what we do for wild birds”, have been used in my 4^th assignment but many are new and I am still working on these, looking for better and/or more relevant images to replace some of those in the later sections of the portfolio. This search will continue into the summer and, in addition to acting on tutor feedback, I may also change the emphasis on certain sections of the later narrative.

Portfolio Prints

All the portfolio images were submitted for this assignment as A4 (Permajet/Epson Glossy) prints. I have been investigating printing a couple of randomly selected images using different print papers, obtained from Permajet and Hahnemuhle test packs. I quite like the look (and feel!) of Hahnemuhle fine art prints, in particular William Turner 310 gsm, Pearl 285gsm, Albrecht Durer 210 gsm and Photo Rag Baryta 315gsm, but I’m currently struggling to make a decision on which paper to use for my assessment submission of A3 prints. I will probably get a few A3 prints made before making a final decision about which paper to use, in addition to seeking further advice from my tutor. Getting the final assessment portfolio prints produced will have to wait until all my images have been finalised, which may mean having to wait until July (for September submission). All the images will be printed for the assessment submission using a single type of paper. All the images are currently in “landscape” format and it is unlikely that I will “disturb the symmetry” of the submission by producing any “portrait” images at a later date.

Multimedia Presentation

A multimedia presentation, featuring each of the 24 images together with eight video clips, video commentary, commentary to introduce each section and bird song at the start and finish has been produced and sent to my tutor with the Assignment 5 material. At over 10 minutes it is perhaps a little long. Cropping some of the video clips (which I have yet to do) will shorten it slightly. I have resisted the temptation to add commentary to any of the images (which are on screen for 10 seconds each) and have added a little text to some additional slides to further contextualise the presentation and highlight environmental issues that are the driving force behind the second section of the portfolio. This presentation links the two sections of the major project and highlights the concerns that I have, as an environmentalist. These deep-rooted concerns have driven the second section, but also underlie all of my major project work. Working with video and combining video with commentary and images has been a new experience for me, but one that I have embraced and will develop further in the future. However I am still naïve in this area and I have no doubt that this first ever multimedia presentation reflects my naivety.

Photo Book

I had always planned to produce a photo book to accompany my submission for assessment. This has now become a more important objective, because I believe that the draft that I have produced (as a “Word” document, submitted to my tutor with the other Assignment 5 material) provides a more in depth background and narrative to my major project than can be provided, even by the multimedia presentation. Whether it is fair to call this work a “photo book” is a moot point: there is a significant amount of accompanying text. However, whilst the book is a self-contained record of my project work, the text provides additional explanations behind my choice of images for the portfolio. Some extra images are included in this work and overall the message is less hard-hitting than in the multimedia presentation. The document incorporates proposed images for the front and back covers of the book. These are separate from the images in the portfolio. The “Word” document has been set out with two landscape pages abreast: these are intended to be left hand and right hand (or top and bottom: see below) pages of the book. Changes will need to be made to reflect changes to the final image portfolio and tutor recommendations. However, I intend to keep these changes to a minimum. Because all my portfolio images are “landscape” sized the book is intended to be produced either with the spine on the left and (10x8 or A4) “landscape” pages or as a “portrait” shaped book (far more normal!), with images placed “sideways” and designed to be read with the spine at the top and pairs of pages placed vertically above/below each other.

Story Board

No story board was produced for the assignment submission, since the story board was essentially contained within both the multimedia presentation and the draft photo book and labelled A4 prints of all the (24) portfolio images were also submitted to my tutor.

Style and Influences

During the 20 months that I have been working on this course my photographic style has changed to reflect a more journalistic approach. I have switched from taking photographs of wildlife for purely aesthetic reasons to producing multiple photographs that (hopefully!) fit together to tell a story. Influential in my work have been the photojournalists Daniel Beltra (whose work I discussed in the Assignment 3 essay) and, in particular, Brent Stirton, a South African photojournalist who has won many awards for hard-hitting stories on (for example) the illegal trade in ivory. I will discuss influences and inspiration shortly, in further blog posts. I chose to use a straightforward presentation style for all the images in the Assignment 5 portfolio and, indeed, for the images in the other projects. I feel that the subject matter is inappropriate for using monochrome, vignetting, deliberate blurring or other, more unusual or creative styles and I ran out of time for trying out ideas such as surrounding each image with a border consisting of (feeding) birds (but see the multimedia presentation). Maybe this is for the future!

Future Work

In addition to any changes resulting from feedback from my tutor I intend to continue to search for better, more relevant images to replace some of the images in the second section of my major project portfolio and likewise videos for the multimedia presentation (although in the latter case I am prepared to go with what I’ve produced to date). I still have to produce A3 prints of my portfolio images. My intention is to finish all practical work and have the portfolio and multimedia presentation ready for submission (in September 2015) by July and to get the photo book and A3 prints produced shortly afterwards. I will continue to review this blog and add articles until shortly before the submission date. It is my intention to at least read the notes for my second level 3 course (“Advanced”) during the summer and before submission of the current course work for assessment, so that I can get a feel for what is required in this final Level 3 course and how I can prepare future project work to satisfy the demands of the course (see also below). 

Final Thoughts

By the time I submit for assessment I will have been working on this course for two years – far longer than I intended. There are several reasons why the course work has taken so long, but I think that the main one is that I chose a very difficult subject, in terms of being able to satisfy the remit for the major project. I then changed course several times, back-tracked and ended up in a rather different place from where I started. These changes in direction are, I believe, not uncommon in artistic concept-driven project work. However, before embarking on another project of this scale I would like to have a much clearer picture of what I want to achieve and how I am going to achieve it. The concept, the subject matter and the motivation have to be very clear and I should try to visualise beforehand what the end product will look like and that the project is, of course, feasible. There have been many “spin-offs” from the current project, which could have uses in the future. This may be true for my next project, but from an academic point of view I need to stick to the “straight and narrow” and I would like to complete the course, without rushing, in 15-18 months rather than two years.

For all that the course work has thrown up numerous problems I have learnt more along the way than on any of the previous OCA courses. In particular I am starting to come to terms with understanding what conceptual art is, even if I am still failing to appreciate the value of much that I see!

On Making Movies

I was a “video virgin” when I started this course. Despite my current cameras having the capability to capture video clips I never felt the need to stray from “stills”. However, when I started my major project work I committed myself to augmenting the photographic portfolio with some video action. I had intended to leave this work until near the end of the project, when all the “stills photography” work had been completed. However, following my tutor’s feedback from Assignment 4 and my own frustration with attempts to integrate the two threads of the project within a simple image portfolio, I leaped at the idea of using video to link the different aspects of the project in a multimedia presentation, incorporating video clips. Starting in late February 2015, I have embarked on a steep learning curve as I started to record video: what follows is a short overview of my progress.

I started by recording videos of birds feeding from my hand, using both my Nikon D7000 SLR camera with 17-70mm Sigma zoom lens and my Panasonic FZ200 “bridge” camera. The first and most obvious problem to overcome was that I was no longer able to compose my shots through the viewfinder, but had to use the camera screens in “live view”. As I need reading glasses anyway, looking at the screen of the Nikon proved particularly difficult, particularly in strong light. The Panasonic was better, as I could fold the screen out and adjust the angle of view. However, the quality of the Nikon videos (shot at 1920 x 1080 resolution and 24 frames per second) was superior to those of the Panasonic, so I decided to stick with the Nikon. By careful adjustment of the focal length (around 24mm seemed optimum) and focussing on the tip of my hand I was able to get what, for me, were unexpectedly good results, although in some cases there were bright highlights, particularly on my hand.

In the early weeks I had the microphones switched on and tried to do some commentary (rehearsed beforehand) in addition to taking the videos. This proved to be almost impossible to co-ordinate, and frequently resulted in the video ending with a handful of choice four letter words, followed a few seconds later by deletion of the video. In the end I decided to buy a software package and a microphone, to record the commentary separately and then add it to the video in “Windows Moviemaker”. There were new issues regarding timings, etc. to contend with here, but this was a lot easier than an intense period of multi-tasking whilst making the video on location. I now had to remember to switch the microphone off when making videos, unless of course I wanted a soundtrack of (for example) birds singing.

Satisfied with my first efforts I moved on to making some video clips of “ATM” street art in London, moving through the streets before apparently coming across his paintings of birds (relevant to the second half of my project). I now had to watch out for traffic whilst making the video, whilst keeping at least one eye on the screen. Passers-by would get in the way, but at least I had the chance to repeat the video over and over again until I got it right.

The ultimate challenge came when I set about making videos of distant birds. The birds I wanted to concentrate on were not those that come to bird feeders or were happy to be fed by hand. These were shy species that it was hard to get close to. I needed to use a long lens for this work, with the more versatile 70-300mm zoom being favoured. I quickly found that when I did get close enough for video work there were two major problems. Firstly, I had to use a very narrow aperture to prevent the birds moving in and out of focus during filming (an otherwise excellent video of an avocet feeding was ruined by not doing this). Secondly, I had to find the bird on the screen after moving to “live view” and then maintain its position on the screen as it moved about. Remembering to do all this whilst hoping that the bird would perform as I hoped resulted in many failures! There were problems with even the more successful videos – I was hand-holding the camera (using a tripod was not an option when working in the field, especially as the birds rarely stayed still), so there was some camera shake, which could be a little disconcerting whilst I was watching the video on screen, but at least gave the work an air of authenticity.

I reached the limit of my ability when trying to photograph birds in flight. I could cope with distant birds, such as marsh harriers, where I could focus on a large area of reed bed (their natural habitat), but in this case the birds were rather insignificant in relation to their environment (no bad thing for “habitat” videos, but of no use when concentrating on the birds). For the video of red kites at Gigrin Farm I just focussed on the meat on the ground and waited for the kites to come and grab it. However, for the multimedia presentation I really wanted to video a skylark singing in the sky above me, but finding the bird in “live view” and then keeping it on the screen proved to be impossible. After many frustrating attempts I abandoned this exercise.

I’ve progressed from being a “video virgin” to just being a near beginner. I still make mistakes, lots of them (like making an otherwise lively video of the goldfinches on my garden feeders only to discover that the microphone had been left on the highest setting and I had a soundtrack of “Radio Five Live” in the background. However, they say that practice makes perfect - look out for my movies on "You Tube", coming soon!

Assignment 4: Tutor Feedback on Major Project Work and "The Way Forward" (March 2015)

In his report my tutor commented that “the image quality is of a good standard throughout – as is the print quality.” This was a great relief, as I had been very concerned that I would have to re-shoot quite a few of the images due to less than ideal composition, clutter caused by the feeding birds etc.

However my other major concern, that of narrative flow (discussed elsewhere in my blog in the update for the submission of my work for Assignment 4) was a major issue. I had attempted to integrate two separate themes, one dealing with our direct interaction with wild birds through the process of feeding them and the other dealing with the indirect interaction with wild birds due to man’s change of land use and the resultant habitat and food loss for many species of birds. I knew that this mixture, which involved combining different genres of images and therefore did not provide an obvious visual flow from image to image, might not fit the remit. I desperately wanted to include my environmental concerns in the final portfolio, but as I commented in the update provided with my Assignment submission:  “as a “fall back” position I have the option of removing the “environmental” images from the portfolio, perhaps adding a few more images of interactions between people and wild birds, to produce a portfolio made up entirely of the direct interactions between people and birds.”

My tutor’s comments confirmed these fears: “there is without doubt evidence of some difficulties in making these images sit together as a set of work” and “there is not a real fit, visually and contextually, as a set of work for the landscape/environment images with the bird feeding images. I feel it would be difficult to present the work in the way that the story board is currently set out”. On a related theme he made two other points. Firstly, he reminded me of earlier feedback: “again there is the issue of the different genres. It may have an unobserved or unexpected result in seriously undermining your quality”. Secondly, he reminded me that the “environmental” images did not inform the answer to the key question in my original proposal: “why do we feed wild birds?”

To be honest, I had been expecting these comments and had been preparing to assume the “fall back” position described above. I was therefore very happy to take on board an alternative suggestion by my tutor that I had not considered or thought possible within the confines of the remit: “Your initial question – why do we feed wild birds – may be where the issue lies. Perhaps something along the lines of what wild birds do for us and what we do for wild birds? Your images would fit this type of question much better.” He then went on to suggest submitting the images as two sets. The first set (“what wild birds do for us”) would feature the images showing people feeding wild birds, whilst the second set (“what we do for/to wild birds”) would feature the “environmental” images. Furthermore, he suggested that I could adapt the video work that I had planned in order to prepare a multimedia presentation (a “third set”) that would act as a link between the two sets of images. As he pointed out, “this is perhaps a self-contained learning experience and it should inform visually and literally”. Windows Movie Maker was the recommended medium for the multimedia presentation: it was also recommended that I experiment with using both music and commentary, as well as moving and still images, in the presentation.

I was happy to take my tutor’s suggestion on board. Following a telephone conversation (my tutor’s suggestion) I decided to produce a 5 to 8 minute multimedia presentation, using video clips to both express the themes and concepts behind the project and to link the images in the two sections of the project together. This would necessitate a modification of my original proposal from (essentially) “why do we feed wild birds?” to either “what do wild birds do for us and what do we do for wild birds?” or, more specifically, “what does feeding wild birds do for us and what do we do for feeding wild birds?”. Work on the first set of images (people feeding wild birds) was essentially complete, although I would continue to look for opportunities to improve on what I had got. I would provide 10 to 12 images for this set. Some new images were still required to make the second set (again, 10 to 12 images) complete. I hoped that the video work for the multimedia presentation would provide fresh ideas and stimulus for creating and ordering the second set of images.

At the time of writing (early March) I have been experimenting with video work and with using “Windows Movie Maker”. Like a child with new toys, this work has given me a lot of pleasure, albeit with some frustration, and will be the subject of (a) blog(s) in the near future.

Update on Major Project for Assignment 4 Submission (January 2015)

Following an agreed extension, due to the difficulties that I had had in coming up with a plan for the major project that was both true to the brief and to my original proposal in January 2014 (see earlier "Assignment 4" blogs), I eventually submitted major project parts 3 and 4 to my tutor in late January 2015. The submission included 17 A4 prints that I intended to incorporate into the portfolio, together with a revised story board and a long discussion document. The bulk of the discussion document consisted of comments on the individual prints/images, how and why they had been produced and where they fitted within the framework of the plan. This blog omits all those details, concentrating instead on the introductory section, which explains my thinking and plans at the time of the submission and has not been modified for the blog. I have also included the story board at the end, although the individual images are necessarily small. The original 21 page document will be included for assessment as “hard copy”.

Current Status

After much trial and tribulation I have eventually come up with a plan, and a story board, that I hope satisfies both the requirements of the brief for the project and my personal environmental concerns, whilst still attempting to answer the question “why do we feed wild birds”? The current portfolio consists of 17 images, which will be forwarded as A4 prints with this submission. A further 3 images/prints have yet to be produced (these include opening and closing images), so I hope to have a final portfolio of 20 images/prints. My plans are flexible and I’m still coming up with ideas that I would like to incorporate into the portfolio, but at this relatively late stage of the project I will have limited opportunities to diverge from the current, basic plan. I will, however, continue to look for better photographs to represent the themes running through the portfolio.

All the photographs within the portfolio deal with our interactions (direct and indirect) with wild birds and most of the photographs attempt to address the question of why we feed them. There is a dominant photographic theme, which deals with the feeding of wild birds. The images in this section are documentary, with a strong emphasis on what might loosely be called “social documentary” or possibly even “street photography”, although streets do not (yet) feature in any of these photographs. Many of the photographs were taken in public parks. A second theme addresses the topic of feeding wild birds more obliquely, by dealing step by step with the environmental issues of habitat destruction and change of land use, both of which have had a profound effect on populations of wild birds. I struggled to find a smooth way to link the different sections of the story within the portfolio. Eventually I decided to mix the two themes, causing (in the absence of accompanying text) the viewer to have to think carefully about the significance of each image and why it is in a certain position within the portfolio. As a “fall back” position I have the option of removing the “environmental” images from the portfolio, perhaps adding a few more images of interactions between people and wild birds, to produce a portfolio made up entirely of the direct interactions between people and birds.

Modification of the Story Board

The images within the story board continue to explore the reasons why we feed wild birds. However my observations whilst carrying out field work have led me to add entertainment, or at least the pursuit of pleasure, as a further reason. I have also decided not to include any examples of feeding wild birds to produce food for ourselves (e.g. pheasant rearing) within the portfolio, because I was unable to come up with a single photograph that could represent this reason and I decided that each image in the portfolio would (with the possible exception of the opening and closing images) consist of a single photograph. Furthermore, I have omitted any images relating to the historical background of why we feed wild birds. The portfolio therefore represents the following reasons for feeding wild birds: (a) altruism, (b) commercial benefits, (c) conservation of species, (d) introducing young people to nature, (e) taming and “controlling” nature, (f) bird and wildlife photography, (g) companionship with birds and (h) human entertainment. By studying the portfolio it should be possible to deduce why some birds benefit from our behaviour and why others don’t.

Interactions between People and Birds

No fewer than 12 of the submitted images/prints feature the act of people feeding birds. Between them, these pictures illustrate all of the reasons (a) to (h) above for feeding wild birds. Of these, six (images 2,4,6,15,17 and 19) are arranged to show how age progression, from very young to very old, influences our reasons for feeding wild birds. Of the other photographs there is also a link between images 10 and 11 (which are run together), 9 and 12 and 8 and 13, the ordering being deliberately chosen to produce an element of symmetry to the portfolio.

Environmental Issues

Six pictures (images 3,5,7,14,16 and 18) will relate to the ways we have altered our environment in recent years. They are intended to run as a very small picture story that tries to illustrate how change of land use (for example, from countryside to housing estates) has benefited some birds and been detrimental to others.

Opening and Closing Images

I have yet to choose between various options for the opening image (Image 1). Some of these options will be discussed below. It may well be a composite image, possibly incorporating text such as “why feed the birds?” or a straightforward image showing a classic example of birds being fed. I have had some elaborate and/or ambitious ideas, but above all I would like an image that sets the scene. The closing image could bring the series to a positive or negative conclusion: I have yet to decide. I would like it to be a single photograph, ideally one that marries the themes which are covered by the portfolio.

Story Board Diagram

The images chosen for submission with this assignment are shown as thumbnails, in order from top left to bottom right, in an accompanying Diagram (see later).

Style

The photographs are presented with this submission as straightforward colour prints. I have considered ways in which I could “individualise” them, for example by using high key monochrome throughout. Whilst this could work for certain images others look, I believe, better in colour. Vignetting every image is a possibility, but this would not, in my opinion, add anything to the portfolio. More ambitious concepts, such as “blacking” or “whiting” out all areas of each photograph other than those that are key to the points that I am making are being considered, but would involve considerable time and effort. However, concepts of this type would establish a strong (bizarre?) individual style that I could take into other work. Surrounding each photograph with a white border featuring faded images of birds feeding or enclosing each photograph within the silhouette of a bird are other possibilities, although these features may detract from the photographs themselves and weaken the points that I am making. I have acquired a variety of different types of paper on which to print my images, but have yet to investigate the effects of using this paper. I suspect that some prints will look better on certain types of paper but others will look worse.

Overall, I am currently just trying to reach the point where I have a portfolio of photographs that satisfy the requirements of the project remit and that both I and my tutor are happy with.

Final Thoughts

I am constantly reviewing my images and I strongly suspect that quite a few changes will be made before the submission of Assignment 5. However, the story board plan is the most satisfactory that I have come up with so far and I hope that the concepts contained therein can be retained in the final portfolio.

I still intend to make some videos featuring, for example, birds feeding from the hand. These will be submitted with the assessment work, as an “optional extra”. I will also produce a photo book, with added text for each of the photographs and possibly some extra photographs, once the portfolio has been finalised.