REFLECTIONS AGAINST ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

Demonstration of technical and visual skills:

• I observed for some time before beginning to photograph.
• During my time of observing as when shooting, because of the Welsh Pandemic Lockdown, I was in an area of very restricted movement and only able to explore on foot.  This limited my photographic area unless I was out running, at which times I shot exploratory images or occasionally as with the police car in the beach car park, had to shoot for the project with my I phone.
• Once I’d completed my research, I had themes to focus on, and within a location I wanted to catch them as quiet as possible – though that was generally not hard.
• When framing I kept in mind that there is a difference between what an eye sees and a camera records. However, I didn’t have to exclude from the frame items that would have changed the meaning; places were quiet and empty, but I did have to ensure that what I put in the frame would tell an obvious story, and to exclude any peripheral detail.
• As a visual strategy I chose to present the images within a PowerPoint so that I had control over the way the images and text are viewed, so that I retain some control over the message, which is my voice. This I think was the best way to present the work on my blog as I must, however I am sure that if I were to show the images and text withing a gallery setting I could achieve the effect that I want.
• I made a lot of changes to my first draft, mainly in response to my peer’s comments, though I knew that it contained too much material myself. I reduced the text, in some places separated text from the visuals, to let the visuals speak for myself, so that the images become my voice. I abandoned my initial idea of presenting facts with a white background, and opinions on grey background as that hadn’t worked and believe with my simpler presentation this separation will be self-evident. I did however present the press comments as in a newspaper column.
• The photographs are extremely mundane, but it is the presentation that makes them interesting.
• I have respected the visual elements and not added or subtracted from them.

Quality of outcome:

• Once I had my concept it was challenging to think how to present it. I decided to take a tongue in cheek perspective, as I could then photograph what I saw, and shared the other layers of truth with the context and text I presented along-side the images.
• The brief forced me to plan and execute the project methodically, this helped me to realise the project in a focused, timely, and coherent manner.
• The brief of 15 images, when my plan suggested 4 to 5 themes, pushed me to find variations on subjects to achieve my plan.  
• I proved that the project had a wider scope than my previous work, both in the way that I expanded my search for context with research and recorded relevant information over a long duration.
• Presenting my “truth” with just some trace of all the research that I’d done proved challenging. Initially I packed too much in, and then spent time paring the textual information down, discerning what was essential and what was distracting.
• I hope that the current form and choice of images and text conceptualises my ideas effectively, and provides a complex narrative that viewers will be able to engage with it and even question.

Demonstration of creativity:

• This was from the outset a personal project, chosen because the uncomfortableness of a situation, that gave me a purpose to look for the truth in of aspects of it.
• I realised that as both an insider and outsider I was in a unique position to report on the issues and capitalised on this unusual position.  
• I knew that there were layers as well as shades of different types of truths contained in the opinions expressed by others, my feelings and the facts available. I decided to represent these layers of truth in a “tongue in cheek” style, to show my voice and to stimulate a response from the viewers.
• My personal voice is represented in the images that I share, the text that I have chosen to accompany the photographs, and the way I have presented the work.  
• I have shown that images are open to those that want to take charge of them. However, I do think I’ve taken a risk and trodden a fine line as there must be some belief in the truth of photographs or they lose their value. I hope that the work does encourage questions.
• The subjects photographed are mundane, but this is often the way with documentary photography- I hope the way I present them makes them interesting.

Context:

• I believe that this time as I completed coursework and additional reading, I have traced the development of some of my thoughts and linked it to previous work and readings. This has helped me to contextualise my learning.  
• I have shown that I can synthesis and analyse information from many sources.
• I really enjoyed the contextual research that I did, it was good to do self-directed research that served a self-designed purpose. I balanced information from the social media and press with more factual information from government sources and statistical reports. To obtain this balanced contextual background I covered political, social, and economic themes and enjoyed reading more widely around the truths in photography. This gave me a real meaning to the “cultural and political space of the photograph”. I was the author of the work in an knowledgeable and ethical manner.
• As usual I reflected throughout the process, but more so as I contemplated the results of my research and moved into forming the presentation of my work.
• Sharing with OCA peer groups throughout the process gave me challenge and support and encouraged regular reflection on my emerging work.
• My summary reflections on my research for Assignment 5, demonstrates my understanding of some of the wider social and cultural contexts in documentary photography, particularly those that I took into this assignment : https://nkssite5.photo.blog/category/research/a5-research/a5-additional-research/summary-of-readings/

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