The first term at university has gone really well!

In my critical practise module I got a low 2.1 in the grading criteria being covered in my presentation; not bad considering I had to go first in a group of 14 people and in my visual assignment I got two high 2.1 and a low First in the 3 criteria being covered.

I got described as having a 'good work ethic' from my sketchbook; staying awake from the Wednesday at 10:30am and not sleeping until 2am on the Friday seems to do me well so I can't complain! I want to try and improve my work ethic though from having to collect all of my research then putting it together in the end on a mad all-nighter and to try and put in a sketchbook as I go along so I'm not in a manic rush to get it all done.

I am now back in Peterborough and I'm planning on starting a new project based around tragedies which have happened in Stanground, where I live, to keep myself motivated. I'm tempted to do this on colour film too so I can use the colour darkroom!  

Other updates:
My student finance has at long last been sorted and money they owe me has been paid, so hopefully it's smooth sailing now.
My theory test for driving has been booked for the 27th of this month and my instructor thinks I'm ready to be put in for my practical once my theory's been taken!
I also have accommodation next to sorted for next year and I shall be living with 4 other photography students; 1 in my year and the others currently in the second year.

I'm currently having a bit of a problem with my critical module... my task is to produce a 5 minute presentation...

I want to just have two or three slides including:

• my aims
• the picture
• the end

and I'd just keep the image up whilst I spoke about it however... I don't know if that'd go down well against the university grading criteria or if they'd complain and expect more slides...

anyone got any tips or advice?

This image by Helmut Newton is the image I've decided to analyse for my first module in Critical Practice and I will be producing a 5 minute presentation based on it. I'll describe the image, talk about the connotations it's giving the us as the viewer and potentially photographic techniques Newton has included. 

University Update

This week we've touched upon what we have to do for our first module in Critical Practise which is to produce a 5 minute PowerPoint presentation analysing an image of our choice from about 20 different pictures ranging from:

Stephen Shore

to Annie Liebovitz

In our Powerpoints we have to look at one or more of the different analytical techniques and ways of interpreting images we've learnt about over the past few weeks such as the following:

• Structuralism
• Hermeneutics
• Feminism

As for visual practise, so far we've been asked to create images which deal with 'The thing itself', 'frame', 'time', 'vantage point' and 'detail'. This week we've had to create images which represent 'formalist', 'straight', 'document' and 'equivalent'. All of this along with research has to be collated in a sketchbook which is proving harder than it should be as I can't break myself from wanting to shove everything on a folder like in college!

I shall try to keep uploading images and posts updating on my projects and modules so far as I go along!

It's been a long time since I've uploaded any new images onto here so I'm going to upload one picture dealing which I took dealing with the 'detail' as described in The Photographers Eye by John Szarkowski.

This Wednesday we've got another guest lecturer coming in to give us a speech and luckily we get the photographer Laura Pannack. Previously we've had the picture editor from GQ magazine James Mullinger and the documentary photographer Kalpesh Lathigra.  

I'm excited for this lecture as it's a photographer whose name I've heard of so it'll be good to see the person behind the images I've previously seen in college!


Some images by Laura Pannack:

So, however many months after my end of year exhibition I've discovered that I can upload videos from my iPhone up onto here so I'm now uploading my exhibition (better late than never) and in the coming weeks I'll be taking a few videos on my phone from my weeks around Nottingham and university!