Emerging from lockdown takeaways:

25/06/2020 AOP Webinar Best Practice – Shooting experiences in the time of COVID-19

Nick Dunmur, in conversation with professional photographers, in a discussion about the realities of making commissioned work in the time of coronavirus and the challenges that they all encounter:

• Commercial perception of risk and risks of litigation
• Sometimes working with many subjects at once
• Sometimes with large crews
• Problems with working with gloves
• What happens if photographer gets it/symptoms
• Suggested to send literature out about expectations
• Everybody in the shoot needs to be comfortable

It was interesting to get an insight into the world of professional photographers and the current challenges.

23.6.20 Breakfast AOP talk

The impact of Covid 19 on work

Documentary photographer Simon Roberts: Questioning how he will he make work in the future and how will we carry on as visual artists?

I learnt I am not so different to these photographers in the challenges Covid 19 has brought me; the Covid situation stopped my creativity and productivity for a while, and it has made me reflect on the importance and meaning of photography going forward.

18.6.20 AOP breakfast talk

Photographer Gideon Mendel: let unexpected events like Covid release new creative journeys

Lock down takeaways

28.4.20

1854 ACCESS: IN CONVERSATION with Fiona Rogers, Hannah Watson, Shoair Mavlian: Director of Photography Galleries and organisations,

The panel  discussed the industry at large and how the photography community is coping with the pandemic: covering programming and initiatives affected by the lockdown, how organisations are responding to and managing at this challenging time, and highlighting initiatives that have come out of the isolation period.

Ideas that came out of this discussion that echoed with me:

• Now there are no geographical boundaries for talks and sharing which opens so much up
• Will we get fatigued by what’s being produced? Content and the initiatives are hard to keep up with? I know I’m struggling to keep up with all the online opportunities and free ones at that!
• Currently we are consuming by being in the middle of the crisis how will the legacy look out of the context later?
• There have been many different technologies to get to grip with – will we use them later?
• It is possible that photography has  lost some of its value in its digitalisation and is there a need for tactile experiences as we get fed up of seeing things on screens; however one doesn’t have to replace with another physical and digital can exist together.
• Possibly something good will happen for creative processes, there’s lots of room for experimentation and this is a time where people will be forgiving and processes can be refined.

23.4.20

Student led OCA documentary hangout

We spent most of the session discussing Steven Young’s preparatory work for assignment 3. This gave me another way of looking at documentary and the Covid19 situation in particular. Steven is looking at ways of representing Covid19 as lack of attention to our planet.

21.4.20

1854 PRESENTS   IN CONVERSATION WITH MARTIN PARR  21.4.21

Q: How is lockdown affecting your work? Is it important to keep photographing? Yes of course but a challenge. The Marin Parr Instagram foundation has set challenges for photographer. Parr suggests obviously photographing at home and is currently doing a bird table challenge himself. He suggest we should consider whether it make people more or less interested in documentary photography? People may want to escape into a different world?

Q: How do you think changes in travel habits will impact on your work? Parr is happy photographing in the UK and he can express his love/hate relationship through the ambiguity in his photographs.

Q: Simon asked him about the challenges of photographing locally. Yes there is virtue in the challenge of photographing locally rather than strangers.

18.4.20

THAMES VALLEY OCA VIRTUAL MEETING

We discussed the current restrictions on photography and the benefits of working directly with I phones for those who can photograph whilst outside. 4 of us shared our work with our peers for their comments:

My post meeting reflections:

“Thanks to everyone today – sharing my work gave me sometime

for extra reflection and I realised that I feel double isolated at

the moment; this is because I am not allowed to live currently in

my second home (which is emotionally my first home, especially

this time of year) and I am not so integrated now in my local

community here, hence the double isolation! I think this comes

across in my work and my attitude towards it – I shall write this

into my evaluation. Cathartic reflection!

9.4.20 OCA Documentary student hangout

We discussed how were are managing our photography during our lockdowns; it was bizarre that with one OCA member in Canada and one in Australia as well as us in the UK we are all experiencing the same situation – this was a homogenising experience in that normally our cultural/seasonal/time differences are evident, however now it is more like we are all sat in the very same building. It really made me feel that photographically, I am not alone!

15.4.20

1854 Presents: In conversation with Laura Pannack – London based portrait, social documentary work photographer.

Subject: The challenges faced by photographers during lockdown alongside themes of separation in her work. She works a lot with connections, engagement

Q: How to photograph during a lock down?

• Keep working
• Shift your project from what it was to something that fits
• Remove the pressure on the end product
• Generate a community
• Look for other inspiration such as poetry, magazines, Ted talks,
• Projects on connection and changed social contact
• Think about immediate post covid projects – reuniting, new connections,
• Trial and error
• Finding inspiration elsewhere

9.4.20

Mark Neville Artists Talk the photographer’s gallery

We asked him: Do you think your work will change after Covid19? Almost all his photos are of people however he thinks it’s slightly irresponsible of people to go out and take photos during Covid19, as photography has got to be safe and respectful.

My takeaways for the Covid19 situation:

• Tension between the moment/chance and construction can be very effective in documentary images.
• That it is possible and can be effective to mix several visual and practical styles within one body of work: staged, some sly on the wall, fashion or classical painting in style.
• A huge variety of material can be contained with a photographic project: images, texts, essays, letters, eye witness accounts and so forth.
• Think about the local role of any project – if it is about reality should it seek to change or just highlight something?
• There are many ways to exhibit work other than in a gallery.
• It reminded of something I have discovered myself, that photographic work can be therapeutic to yourself.
• Don’t worry if I change my mind where I’m going with a project once I immerse myself in it.
• There is a difference about viewing the images in reality and as a copy, details easier to see – I hope to see the actual photographs after restrictions lift.

23.3.20 0CA

The OCA sent some guidelines on “ Reinterpreting learning activities”

“Given the latest Government guidelines on social distancing, we are aware that many learning activities are suddenly more difficult to do. For example, working outside or in public spaces. We are asking students to interpret and undertake activities within these guidelines. While this may be restrictive, it is also an opportunity to be creative, and find new ways of achieving the same learning aims. The forums provide a space to share ideas and get inspiration from others, and your tutors and Programme Leaders are there to help, if you need it.”

18.3.20 Zoom meeting led by Tutor Andrea Norrington

Some of the soundbutes abd advice I took away for photgraphing during a lock down were:

Learn to deviate innovatively…much of the engagement grows out of the obstacles of your surrounding

We spent some time discussing how we might approach assignments in light of the restrictions of the Covid19 virus. There were various suggestions of work to look at on isolated spaces, Raymond Moore, Andre Kertesz (photographed from a window( , Jusef Sudek (The window of my Studio), Timothy Van Zundert (OCA Level 3 student – isolated spaces Blog post), Anna Dranitzke (OCA student – photographs within family home), Nick Waplington (Living Room), Anna Fox, Keith Arnatt,  Robert Adams and my own landscape work!

We discussed embracing  the constraints and creating other worlds.

Next post: https://nkssite5.photo.blog/category/research/a1-research/the-photographic-brief-short/