New Tutor. Change in Direction....Or Not?

New Tutor. Change in direction.. or not?

It has been a difficult few months for me I regards to working into Level 3. I have recently had an initial skype call with my new tutor, who has explained the points my previous tutor made about my work and how I could possibly still produce a decent body of work in this area. His advice was to try to think outside the lines and find another way to photograph to people behind the on stage personas. This would involve engaging with them in some way and not to just producing stage photos which aids their promotion as the work needs to be more contextual and academic.

We discussed that it is still possible for me to start again and that I need a big idea. We looked at my everyday life and if there was anything that I was passionate about to be able to put into a project. Some ideas that we came up with were:

•        People as files – digitial world, conceptual idea – stems from my work in health records NHS
•        Family/Children – work/life balance – how children stop you from working but they can create work
•        Family album – interesting family background. Something there perhaps?

His general support was to look at things that I have not looked at before. To find people that inspire me. Look at other work and try to see why the photographs were taken.

Find something that inspires me.

I took to my notebook to jot down some ideas based on the advice of my tutor and to see if I could visualise some of those ideas.

notebook instalment with ideas for new projects. August 2016

 I have since emailed my tutor with three ideas:

•         Project on people identified as numbers throughout their lives by numerous contexts
•         Photographing rap duo Wild Boys wasted as a continuation of the gig photography as a photographical documentary
•         Project emphasizing society’s dependency on modern technology, from the people to the businesses and maybe how older generations aren’t?

My tutor has replied to state that they all have “mileage” and that the first idea may be more original. He has suggested me thinking a bit more about them, getting more ideas, and doing some test shots before getting back to him and then get planning for assignment three as soon as possible.

Notebook entry – dependency on technology -  August 2016.

notebook entry – People seen as numbers – August 2016.

These are the spider diagrams I have noted in my notebook with some ideas around each of the two new ideas. I will put these ideas into practice when I get out and take some test shots in a few days. 

As for the idea of documenting the rap duo, I have contacted the guys and they are happy for me to do this but they don't have anything coming up immediately. I think that this is something that I can continue to do but I think for now, I will have to get on and concentrate on the other ideas and come back to this when there is something to work with. I will, of course, make notes in my learning log when I start anything in that area.