Tag: Tutor Feedback

Assignment Five

georginie

Here is a link to my fifth assignment:

Assignment Five

I had my last tutorial today for my Body of Work course. We looked through my images together. My tutor felt I had done a good job in bringing my work together. I changed the text following the last tutorial, I have changed the font and made it larger in comparison to the images. My tutor said the text now looks right and without it’s own agenda and it’s not imposing judgement. My tutor recommended changing the colour of the text from black to around 80% grey. My tutor talked about a blue cast to my images, reminiciant of old postcards that fade in the sun, and maybe there is an acronyms here. I will need to make clear whether this was conscious decision and explain my reasoning. 

We talked about my intentions for presenting my work, I thought maybe as a large print, or in a book or a newsletter, similar to a church newsletter. My tutor and I agree that the newsletter format would be more appropriate for my work. It would be a good base for disseminating my work. My tutor said it was a brilliant idea. She suggested I tried some out and print them. To show these on my websites, I should create a video to show the pages. 

My tutor read my introduction and said it was terrific. There are a few words to change here and there. I spoke about my title. My tutor said the title was fine, but I need to give the viewer some background into my introduction. I also need to start my introduction with talking out the pilgrimage. 

I need to Write a reflection of my work. This will be an important aspect. Here I will discuss my work and my research. My research has helped me develop my work, I will show how my research has influenced me in my reflection. I will also explain how I have met the assessment outlines. My tutor said my work is simple yet complex, which is a hard thing to do.  

Here is my feedback form that I have filled in, with additional comments from my tutor:

Tutor FeedbackDownload

Responding to the Feedback

Following my final feedback with my tutor, I am happy with how my work has turned out. I am going to print out my images in a newsletter format and I will change a few words in my introduction. 

Assignment Four

georginie

Here is a link to my assignment:

Assignment Four

I had a video tutorial with my tutor today. I briefly wen through what progress I had made and the reasoning behind them. We looked at my images together. I explained why I decided on the images that I had chosen. We then looked at the text I had chosen, I explained why I decided to use bible quotes. I feel that it brings together the religious theme and gender inequality. We looked at the brief for this assignment, and my tutor said that I have creatively followed the brief and have gone beyond that. 

In one image, there is a brand name on a padlock, my tutor suggested getting rid of it as it is distracting. She liked my location four images, she felt it would be a good starting point. She also recommend trying different positions, possibly keeping them similar. 

My tutor felt the text did create an impact, as they are quite stark in their blatant promotion of inequality. My tutor felt the font could be clearer, and as it is an important element maybe re-think it’s positioning and size. Possibly look at a text that is similar to that in the bible. We looked through some of the quotes and my tutor liked particularly, Acts 2:17, and suggested that this may be good as a title, the quote goes: “your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams”. I do really like this quote as it does show the inequality. I will keep this in mind when looking for a title. My tutor also said, try not to think about a title too much, just let it come to me. She recommended that I look at Sophie Calle and how she has displayed text for inspiration.  

We then looked at my mapping images. I explained briefly what I was trying to achieve with it, and how I felt it added to the series. My tutor liked them. She suggested that I should be a bit more gentler when cutting around peoples faces. As the journey is a pilgrimage, my tutor suggested getting a larger map and section the images form the series into that, in order to get full context of the locations. I have done something similar in another module, and did like the result. I will definitely experiment with this. 

My tutor suggested that I redo the collages to fix the printing. It was always my intention to redo the images for the final assignment. I just need to find out what is wrong with my printer and why it is printing like this. My tutor suggested trying to calibrate the screen, and try a different paper. I will be trying these in order to get some good quality prints. This would hopefully refine my prints. 

Another thing my tutor suggested was to try creating a digital negative and making a cyanotype. I will definitely look into this and what it involves. I will try and find some result of how the images turn out, in order to see if I feel it would work for my series. My tutor suggested this as she feels that the images have a temporary feel. I’m hoping to fix this with better printing, but I will definitely look into cyanotype. 

I asked about submitting for assessment, whether it is digital or can we send images in. My tutor wasn’t a hundred percent sure, so I will check this. We then checked the brief for assignment five. Which states I need to write an introduction and an evaluation. We discussed the introduction. My tutor recommend not to sit down and think about it too much, just let it come to me and flow. She recommended to look back through my research, and pick things that stand out. Picking out relevant phrases may help me compose my introduction, it can express something better than actually putting it into words myself. She suggested a chapter in a book to looked at called ‘Continuous Signal’ by Zoe Leonard. She also suggested that maybe look into someone else writing my introduction, in their own words, someone like Anna Fox, who is a professor of photography and a feminist. I should also write a reflection which looks at what my inspirations were at the beginning and show how I have considered my options and how I have decided on the decisions I have made, show that these were conscious decisions. Almost like a diary, journal thing. Show my choice, show my decisions and my reasoning behind them.  

We briefly talked about presentation, mainly for Sustaining Your Practise module. I originally thought of creating a book, but am unsure as to whether it will fit my work now, so a print on a wall may work better. My tutor mentioned the images may look good in a newspaper format. I then thought that at some church you can get church newsletters, so this could follow that format. We talked about design software to try different looks, I do not have a program yet, but do intend to get Affinity Design soon.  

Here is my feedback report that I and my tutor filled in:  

Tutor Feedback Form – A4Download

Responding to the Feedback

I am going to edit a few of the images to get rid of some distracting features, like the name on the padlock. I am also going to try different fonts for my text as my tutor believes it should be clearer and also have a big impact on the work. We discussed what my title may be, and my tutor advised me to let the title come to me, so I am going to write down some ideas when they come to me and see what I get. 

I am going to re-do my collages in order to get a better finish. We discussed my ideas for presentation. My tutor believed my work may suit a newspaper format, I countered this idea with a church newsletter format, in keeping with the continuing religious theme. But I will try out different methods of presentation for my next assignment. 

Assignment Three

georginie

Here is a link to my third assignment:  

Assignment Three

I had a phone tutorial with my tutor on the 3rd of April and have made some notes following our conversation. 

We started by discussing the changes at the moment due to the Coronavirus. At the moment, it is impossible for me to do re-shoots and I have had to completely rethink what I was going to do. We briefly discussed my new ideas, which I will come back to later.  

 My tutor said my work had taken a leap forward and was very pleased with it. The use of the motifs as ‘hard barriers’ are very effective. Anything I need to change now, instead of re-shooting, I will have to use my archive of images I have taken. But this will give a chance to try new angles and images as I have hundreds of each location, so have plenty of images to work with. 

The challenge now lies in the editing decisions which are key. Whilst I have a lot of choice, this is a challenge as I will have to be ruthless in cutting down images. This may take some time and experimenting with. My tutor recommended printing the images out and seeing them physically side by side and then make the decision. I think this will be very beneficial in the long run. 

My tutor asked whether it was intentional that you could see the ‘rough’ work. That you could see the images have been put together and do not look digitalised. This actually wasn’t my intention but I do like the effect. It looks more authentic, like someone has actually taken time to cut out these images precisely and piece them together. My tutor also liked that the images are within one frame as it brings order. The one problem I found was with the glue, it just went everywhere. My tutor recommended experimenting with different papers and glues. She recommended trimming the brush I was using for the glue so it is more precise and try and use PVA, water it down if necessary. The key is finding the right consistency. 

Looking at the images all together, they are roughly in chronological order, my tutor could see development over time. The later images are really effective but there is a noticeable stylistic difference from the earlier ones. I think this is because once I got into the swing of things, I knew what I wanted. When I was on location photographing, in my head, I was thinking of the possibilities and probably was shooting with that in mind. I think I may look back over the earlier ones again and see what I can come up with now. 

My tutor advised to look about refining at the moment. Refine the craft but also think about editing. By editing, it will lift my work to another level. I need to take out the less impactful images, but look at the colour palette fo the images as well. The images should be surreal and chaotic but contain the common elements too. For the end result, possibly re-photographing the images to give a nice finish. 

Other ideas I have to experiment with is to look into incorporating text somehow and even incorporating a contrast from the male domination in my main image with images of ‘strong women’. I think I will use images of women from my own family form my own archive as this is more personal and more meaningful to me. My tutor believes this is a good idea to experiment with. She also recommended I look to Hannah Hoch’s work, which I will do.  

For the next tutorial, we are aiming for a video chat, where we can have printed copies of the images to look at together. My tutor also recommended seeking some form of feedback possibly from the level 3 forum or someone else. It might help get perspective from a distance. 

Here is my tutor report with comments from my tutor.

Tutor Feedback – A3 Download

Responding to the Feedback

I have definitely pushed myself since the last assignment. I took on board my tutor’s feedback and produced some collages. I really enjoyed them. Due to the Coronavirus Pandemic I may not be able to re-shoot, so I am thinking of how to go forward with this. I produced several collages for each location, to give alternative views, but now I need to edit them. My collage technique is admittedly a bit rough. I did have a bit of trouble cutting the images out precisely and gluing them without getting glue everywhere. My tutor recommend different ways of doing this. So for my next assignment I will take this on board when re-doing my collages. My tutor recommended trying to find consistency. I will try and do this, hopefully by editing the images. I have them printed out, so I will try the side by side and see how I go from there. 

I rose the idea of text again, and we agreed that now may be a good time to start introducing it. I discussed how I wanted to show a contrast of strong women, in my images which portray male dominance. My tutor thought this would be a good idea, so I will be thinking and experimenting with this. 

Assignment Two

georginie

Here is a link to my second assignment:

Assignment Two

Following a feedback decision over the phone with my tutor on the 12th of November, I have made some notes on our conversation. 

I started by explaining what I had done since my last assignment, while my tutor looked at how I had cut my images down. My tutor thought this was good, as I had showed my process throughout. She said that my images showing me putting the images next to and on top of reminded her of David Hockney’s work. I briefly looked into his work in a previous unit, I will look at his work before I progress to the next assignment. 

Collage is something that I keep thinking back to as it would allow various perspectives, and show the inequality in its various forms. Layering the images, cutting up, or super-imposing could be methods to try out. My tutor recommend keeping it simple and sticking to one locations images, and try various collages and see where it leads. I will be trying this over the next few weeks and will email my results to my tutor when done. I will also upload all of this to my blog to keep a record of my progress and development. 

My tutor recommend that I look into Anna Atkins and pinhole photography. I will be looking into psychogeography as my tutor believes this is where my body of work may end up lying in. I will also look up artists who document their journeys, and walking artists. 

We looked at my pilgrimage research and my tutor recommend that I went though and pick the ones which resonates with me and explain and look into why. This may help with my experimentation with collages. 

Here is my self filled in feedback form, with additional notes from my tutor.  

Feedback ReportDownload

Responding to the Feedback

Following my feedback tutorial, I do agree with my tutor that I haven’t pushed my self. Except photographing different locations, I haven’t really experimented per say with my images or linked them. I do realise that I have to get out of my comfort zone and really push myself and try new things. This is the main thing I will take from this assignment. It is time to experiment. 

I discussed with my tutor how I could do this and one thought came up; producing a collage. I believe this may actually be beneficial to my work as I can create a new image but showcase various aspects. By creating a new image, I can use it to represent what I want to portray.  

Assignment One

georginie

Here is a link to my first assignment:

Assignment One

I had my feedback tutorial today with my tutor by phone following my submission of assignment one. We talked about my ideas and background for my project and how I am thinking to develop it at the moment. I have thought of making a collage somehow, I have also thought about including text. My tutor believes it is a good direction but maybe a bit too early to think about text. She advised that ideas might come when least expected, and actually thinking about it a lot of my idea have come like that, I usually end up scrambling around for a scrap of paper to write them down before I forget. 

We talked about mapping the route and bring this into my work in someway. I have the route written out, but haven’t mapped it per se. This is something I will do, and I will also look at artists who have use a psychogeorgraphic approach and see how they have incorporate mapping into their work. I am going to research some land artists, so I can see how they have shown their work. 

My tutor suggested creating a mind map or flow chart to document my ideas, this way I can go back to it and develop it and write down more ideas as they come to me. This is something I will do, as I think it will help me to get everything down in one place and work from there. Using it like a date dump. 

We discussed several images that we both feel worked and could be used to develop further. 

For my learning log, my tutor thinks the layout is good. She liked the slideshows I have used for my research on pilgrimages. I need to add a section with my journal on. I also need to add how much research has influenced my decisions. I will do this in future. 

My tutor said my approach was good and should provide a strong foundation to move forward on. We discussed whether the pilgrimage was landscape photography. I would at the moment, yes I would like to think of my images as landscapes. This may change as I develop my project. But this is how I see it at the moment. 

My tutor asked, ‘How do I want to express this journey in contemporary terms’. I think by looking at this historic pilgrimage which was for men, shows that the issue of inequality isn’t a new thing, it brings a historic issue together with how it still exists today. It also shows a global issue of a patriarchal society. Religion itself has influenced cultures and society worldwide, even if we aren’t religious a lot of things in our lives stem from religion. I believe that religion has actually contributed to the issue of inequality, as in many religions there is a definite distinction between men and women, and what is expected of them and how they are treated. I believe the journey is important as, men would travel this pilgrimage to strength their faith, to get closer to their God. I am travelling it as a woman, I think it is more of a spiritual journey for me, I am completing it as a woman, through my own gaze. I hope eventually it will all come together. I will probably refer back to this question as I progress because my answer may change as I develop my work. 

She advised printing the images out at size 6×4”, just to play around with them and see what comes of it. I will definitely try this as it might bring other ideas forward and provoke another idea. 

My tutor told me that I write the feedback and then sent it to her, so she can add her own comments. I have never had to write my own feedback before, only a reflection on it. So I have treated it as a reflection of our conversation. I will upload the feedback when I receive it back from my tutor. 

I am aiming for my next assignment to be in around the start of November. This gives me time to visit some sites and do some research. 

Here is my feedback report that I and my tutor filled in:

Feedback ReportDownload

Responding to the Feedback

Following my feedback for assignment one, I am going to put the text aspect on hold for now and concentrate on my images. I will revisit it but I agree with my tutor it is too early to be thinking in-depth about it. We discussed mapping my work, this is something I am thinking about, but I believe it is a bit too early to be thinking about it in depth as I believe I need to get my core images first. I spoke with my tutor about this and put forward my reasoning behind this. Similar to the text aspect I have put mapping on hold but as a compromise I am starting to research it and take notes, this means I will have a solid foundation for when I introduce it to my work. 

My tutor and I had a debate as to whether the pilgrimage counts as landscape photography. I believe it does. Landscape photography can cover a wide range of topic, other than the most obvious of landscapes. I believe my images are showing the landscape, because each image varies. They feature different terrains, from buildings, to graveyards, to the more traditional landscape views. Even with buildings, it still becomes a sub section in landscape photography, such as urban landscapes. Even Ansel Adams photographed some buildings in his landscapes (Naylor). I have looked at other artists like Kaupo Kikkas and Jess Kohl, who use similar terrain to my images, and I would argue their images are landscapes too. I do believe my images would count as landscapes, maybe not in the traditional sense but definitely in a sub-section of the landscape genre.  

Going forward I will print out some images and play around with them. I will also visit more sites and photograph them.  

Naylor, B (2010) Forgotten Ansel Adams Murals Brought Back to Light. At: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125228486&t=1611145986628 (Accessed 30th of August 2019).