Project Outcomes and Personal Development
During my time studying and practising in Contemporary Photography, I took on and learned durable and effective skills and roles that will guide and influence my own photography and work in my current discipline at LCF; Styling and Production. I chose the Photography pathway as my first choice for the Better Lives unit as I often shoot my own content and work for my own assignments and therefore assumed this may benefit me and open my eyes to new ways of creativity for the future. My aim was to develop and learn ways in which a photographer considers certain aspects, in particular the three themes of this unit; Sustainability, Diversity and Social Responsibility. Throughout my Styling and Production course so far, of course, I have only considered these elements through the eyes of a stylist. I hoped that therefore by practising an alternative discipline, my eyes may be opened to consider more and different perspectives when creating content and working on shoots.
The main focus was Portrait Photography. I was intrigued to find out and experiment with in this as I was not entirely confident at the beginning, on the definition and meaning of what this was and could entail. As this unit was short, I attended all workshops and lectures to gain as much understanding, knowledge and practise as I could. Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances, it was cut even shorter and therefore had no choice but to continue this learning and experimentation in the comfort of our own homes. In my case, it was back to the countryside.
Being back home and among different scenery made me want to take a different approach to my project outcomes as I had previously hoped. Originally, I wanted to continue with fashion-focussed imagery and explore portrait photography and the mind of the camera with-in my discipline. However, living in the country side and being in my small village again, it made me appreciate my surroundings and want to explore how I could make the most of that while I have the freedom, (to an extent), to do so. I used this time as a creative and experimental outlet, alongside completing my other course units.
Exploring multiple artists and photographers in lectures and in my spare time, I discovered many new meanings and depths that a photograph can have, no matter how simplistic and obvious it may seem. This inspired me in my own work, to always have a narrative in mind behind what I create, and the messages I want the audience to digest. This lies closely with what I took away from exploring the themes throughout too; being a photographer holds the responsibility, like the stylist, of being in control of how something or a subject is portrayed and therefore perceived. It has helped me understand the importance of being responsible of the impact of my own creativity. Whether I’m creating for a recognisable publication, or for my own enjoyment; I too, have to consider the value, attention and therefore influence that my work has on others. Right now more than ever, the emphasis on Sustainability, Diversity and Social Responsibility needs to be highlighted and heavily thought about through everything we do as an upcoming generation of creators in our industry.