Term 3 assignment – my submission

I am not too early to write this final post but I felt there was some unfinished business on this blog and I did not feel too good about it.

With the help and constructive criticism from our tutor Zig and my fellow photography students, I was able to select the final shots for my this term’s assignment ‘Dreams/Reality’. My own project was based on feelings of loneliness I experienced as a mum.

There was consideration given to the style, type of images, message conveyed by the photos too. After hearing everyone’s comments, I realised there were a number of valid points and took them away to present those final 5 images.

With the view to trial things a little bit, I printed those photos in a different size to see whether that would make an impact on the look one would take on the image.

Here are my final images:

My experience on the set a professional​ photoshoot

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I was so very lucky a few weeks ago to be invited by my good friend Lynne Hyland – Beauty Director for the Mirror Sunday Magazine – to come along to a beauty photoshoot which was going to be photographed by experienced French photographer called Lou Denim (check her work out: http://loudenim.com.)

I made my way on a Tuesday morning to the Holborn Studios, which are by no means located in Holborn but a good 20mn away from Old Street in an area of London I did not know much. Holborn Studios is a photoplex where studios can be rented.

Putting my macro lens to the test

I am finally getting a chance to learn how to properly use my macro lens. I was able to get that lens 2 years ago when I got a rebate from HRMC (I mean seriously, how often does that happen???!!) and knew that I wanted to get a macro lens. I was considering at the time to do more food photography and thought this lens would prove a good investment. If I already knew that this Sigma 105mm macro lens was good value for money (it came recommended by many reliable reviews and sources), I was however clueless about macro photography – I don’t think I ever really got to grips with the technique to use this lens in the right way since I bought it. I was so glad when Zig brought the subject to our attention in class and I finally learnt the tricks of the trade!

A few points to know when intending to shoot with a macro lens

1/ you will need a tripod in most cases

2/ put the IS off if shooting from a tripod, change the cursor to 1 if handheld and 2 if panning.

3/ A macro lens can be used to shoot portraits (it’s only 10 days ago when I was invited on the set of a professional photo shoot that I saw a pro using a macro lens for a beauty photoshoot…that was quite a revelation!)

4/ use the cursor  to 0.312-0.45m if using still life and 0.45 to infinity for portraits

5/ it may be worth Buying a slider if you are thinking to get serious with Macro photography and for what Zig, our tutor, showed us it’s not too expensive.

So the last 2 days I tried to take a few shots of ‘practice’ at home to finally use my macro lens in the best way. More practice will obviously be needed but I am certainly feeling more confident in the subject 🙂

 

Re-design of the menu on my 2 blogs

Following our discussion in class, I have re-designed the menus on both my blogs (my photography one and my lifestyle one) to link one blog to another. This is a bit of a dangerous game considering I have not shown anyone any of the recent pictes I posted on my photography blog. I am feeling slightly stressed about it but…we shall see. I can’t backtrack it all now.

I have also reviewed all my tags on Adobe Bride to make sure my ‘photographic’ name came about

I am also making sure to edit the various elements of a photo I upload to my blogs to increase my chance Google picks up on my photos should a search match my subject

Term 3 assignment – feedback from the class and new set of images

Last Wednesday  we reviewed everyone’s blog posts and images with regards to our latest project ‘Dream/Reality’. I was a little bit anxious to have my photos reviewed. Talking about anything related to motherhood with a darker angle is still very much taboo in our society. I was all the more sensitive as I chose to talk not about anyone’s feelings but my very own. It was a big leap of faith for me to do so. I haven’t been able to show those images to anyone I know – not to my husband nor to close friends outside the class.

The feedback during the class felt rather cold and clinical. I must say I felt a bit upset and I guess it was partly due to the fact that this is such a sensitive and personal project. One where I decided to use myself as a model to relate a feeling that I know is shared by others but is still my own experience. I have put myself in a vulnerable situation

Term 3 Assignment​ – my subject and review of my first batch of photos

Criteria 2.1, 2.2, 2.4

Subject of our assignement: Dreams/Reality

My inspiration and line of conduct for this project: the loneliness of motherhood

Background: For those who don’t know it yet, I am married to my husband Chris and a mum of 3 little ones (8,6 and 2.5yo).

Each of our children was planned, desired and each birth was a gift. I will forever be grateful to have had the chance to become a mum of 3 beautiful and healthy children and they fill my heart with an immense sense of joy and pride (in spite of the hard work and the exhaustion at times.). What I will be trying to explain and describe below is not simptomatic of any reprochement I have ever felt towards my children nor I have ever regretted becoming a mum. I have had to deal with my own feelings and this is my struggle to deal with them which I want to explore with you in this post. I have tried to express my feelings through this series of B&W photos.

Term 3 project – some progress & research

Criteria: 1.1, 1.2  & 2.1

Journey: I have been over thinking my ideas for our 3rd term project and it has been more difficult than I imagine to decide which ideas to explore further.

It’s only after our tutor Zig talked to us about one of one of his projects and how he poured much of his personal life into it than I thought I could try to do that too.

Although I have another project in mind, something more dreamy and light hearted, I could not NOT explore my own feelings and try to express some of my emotions (and experience) through images. So far, music has always been my language of choice so it has been more of a challenge to do it via photos. It was rather complicated at first to identify how to portray my feelings in a visual way. I didn’t necessarily want to use my own person as a model but with the little time in my hands during the week and the weekends often busy with the family I chose to test things out myself with a self-timer and a remote. 3 female photographers influenced this project: Cindy Sherman, Francesca Woodman and Elina Brotherus. While reading about Woodman’s work, I came across this interesting piece of information about why she decided to put herself in the images? Francesca once said that it was just a matter of “convenience”: she was always available, whereas finding a model would take time. “I do think that was it,” says Betty. “Though telling yourself what to do is also much easier than telling someone else to smile, or to look this way or that.”

I would agree that this was also what motivated me to feature in those photos. However, I can appreciate now why it makes more sense for me to be in them since they reflect my own experience and my own feelings.

My subject: the loneliness of motherhood

Inspiration: As mentioned above 3 main photographers were particularly relevant to a clearer definition of my project

• Cindy Sherman who for me is the leading female self-portrait. I first came across her work (after we discussed her in class) during a Feminism exhibition that took place at the Photographer’s Gallery in London last year. I thought she looked slightly bonker but she did make taking selfies an art form.