Open College of the Arts
Tutor report
Student name Amano Tracy Student number 487 138
Course/Module Progressing with Digital Phot. Assignment number 1
OVERALL COMMENTS
The first assignment on an OCA course has, as you know, diagnostic purposes. It is within this framework that my feedback should be read. We had on Skype conversation a couple of weeks ago during which we established a first contact. We also reviewed some of your work in progress for this assignment; my comments on your submission are an extension of what we discussed on
SKYPE
On a formal note, I would suggest that you choose a different file format for the submission of work. I understand that given that you post-processed the images in Photoshop, you deemed appropriate to send me your work in PSD format. However, PSD files are generally unsuitable for distribution and submission of work. PSD files are heavy and also require that the recipient run Photoshop – or Bridge – to see the files properly. Not to mention the fact that such large files (100Mb and above) need considerable CPU power; one shouldn’t assume that the recipient has the facilities to handle them.
The PSD files that you sent me are 16bits. If they were meant for a pre-press environment then a 16bit, TIFF file would be appropriate. For general purpose high-resolution (as in a file at the native resolution of your camera), low-compression, 8bit JPEG files are perfectly acceptable.
Another good habit when submitting work is to ensure that there are low-resolution versions of your images in the root folder of your disc. This allows the recipient of the disc to look at the images that you sent them quickly, on screen, without having to open large files. High-resolution images are best kept in a dedicated folder inside the root folder of the disc. Once your client knows which images they need – by reviewing your low-resolution files – they can access the high-resolution folder and open the desired files without having to open them all.
Obviously, for this strategy to be successful you need to name low and high resolution files in a coherent and sequential way – e.g. birds_SouthIndia_001.jpg (high resolution) and birds_SouthIndia_001_lowres.jpg (equivalent low resolution file)
Something like this:
It is also advisable to name files in the most concise, meaningful way possible. Your file
08-Spaldings outside Smithy-20120922-Ford Street-_MG_0230-Edit.psd
Makes is rather difficult for me to refer to it in a practical way – every time I have to refer to it I need to write the whole name… A more serious problem is that it may well be the case that your client’s file browser doesn’t display such a long string of characters on the same line, and instead
does something like this:
08-Spaldings outside Smithy…..psd
which partially omits the name of the file. Bear in mind that all the additional information that you want to include with the file can be written in the metadata.
Assessment potential (after Assignment 1)
You may want to get credit for your hard work and achievements with the OCA by formally submitting your work for assessment at the end of the module. More and more people are taking the idea of lifelong learning seriously by submitting their work for assessment but it is entirely up to you. We are just as keen to support you whether you study for pleasure or to gain qualifications. Please consider whether you want to put your work forward for assessment and let me know your decision when you submit Assignment 2. I can then give you feedback on how well your work meets the assessment requirements.”
Amano, I include the standard assessment potential statement that we send at this stage of a course. However, I have already seen enough evidence of your abilities and I would encourage you to submit your PWDP work for assessment.
Feedback on assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
A sense of place…what is a sense of place, exactly? I always say that a sense of place is rarely acquired in passing. In other words, a sense of place is a sense of lived experience of a geographical locale. Furthermore, it is a sense of shared lived experience. A sense of place is inevitable a very subjective experience. This experience is usually peppered with interaction with people who also live in the same place. This doesn’t mean that they share the same sense of place as you. What it means is that your sense of place, as well as theirs, is something ‘negotiated’, something that has been shaped by interaction.
And that’s what I’m looking for in your portfolio. I want to know what the place that you chose to photograph means to you, and how interaction with other people in the same place shapes your sense of place.
When I look at images such as 05…, 06…, 08…, 09… and 10… I can almost feel the connection between you and your subjects. On our Skype conversation you said you know the names of these people – I noticed they are on the file names. You also chose the scenes shown on the above photographs for a reason. Why did you choose those scenes, those people in particular and no others? Somehow, there must be a shared experience of your neighborhood with the people that you photographed. Together with those people you seem to have ‘negotiated’ a common sense of place.
At level 2 there is stronger emphasis on how images work together as a set, as a body of work. Cohesion is a quality that at this level needs to start to be present in any work submitted on assignments or for assessment. Take images 04… & 07…, do they really fit in your portfolio? If birds are an aspect of your neighborhood that contributes to your sense of place, then perhaps you can find a different strategy to convey that. For example, are there any bird watchers in your neighborhood with whom you share your passion for birds? Are there neighbours who go bird watching in the vicinity of your village? It could be argued that, in the eyes of someone who doesn’t know much about birds, the above photographs could have been taken anywhere. Do they really convey a sense of place? If so, how?
Another quality that at HE5 the student needs to ensure – or at least strive for – is that of a consistency of tone. This is important because it has to do with intention, which in turn is linked to a personal photographic voice. For example, image 03…, the ‘tone’ of the image clashes with more serene images such as the photograph of Catherine Butler, 09… Perhaps instead of tone we should be talking about consistency of style. The problem is that as soon as one mentions the word ‘style’ there are technical connotations that creep in. And I;m not talking about technique here. I’m talking about intention.
The image that encapsulates your sense of place is definitely 12…Wendy house… We talked about this image on Skype. I look at that image and I can see a photographer who is not a ‘fly on the wall’ but an active participant in the scene. And I don’t mean a participant as in being part of whatever they are celebrating in the Wendy house. I mean a photographer who ‘exposes’ himself to the same scrutiny to which the photographer is subjecting the people being photographed. An honest visual exchange mediated by a shared sense of place with the people in the image.
In terms of the formal technical quality of your images, I have to say that I very much like the final look of the images. I can see the differences between the original and the post processed files but the final images look natural and visually pleasing.
A consistent ‘look’ contributes to the cohesion of a portfolio. In this respect it is important to ensure that the cropping, that is, the final aspect ratio of all the images is the same. I do not share the purists’ opinion that an image should not be cropped. At the end of the day the photograph has already been ‘cropped’ beforehand in the very act of framing it in the viewfinder.
I also noticed how you used wide-angle lenses in moderation, or at least you made a conscious effort to avoid extreme distortions, which usually trigger visual fatigue in the viewer. Again, your images look very natural.
Learning Logs or Blogs/Critical essays
Context
When you submit your second assignment please send me either an extract of your learning log (a few sample pages) or your blog address. I can then give you some feedback and steer you in the right direction before your learning log/blog grows with coursework and additional learning materials.
Suggested reading/viewing
Context
The book below is one of those books that made an impact on me because of the eclectic range of visual approaches to the topic of place that it covers. It is edited by Tacita Dean, who often explores the idea of place.
Pointers for the next assignment
The key for the next assignment is in the research leading to it. Make sure you collate an extensive selection of book covers and, for each of them, analyse how the title and topic of the book relate to the design of the cover. The next assignment is an exercise in deconstruction and conceptualisation of thoughts and ideas. To an extent, the actual digital work is secondary. Having said that the second assignment is an opportunity to demonstrate your digital editing skills – aka Photoshop skills.
Progressing With Digital Photography 