Professional Frameworks - The City
Self evaluation report.
Elizabeth Chandler (BA (HONS) Photography – level 4)
Upon completion of this assignment I would like to summarise with a self evaluation report.
I aim to evaluate this project in terms of the work I have produced, it’s relevance to the brief, how successful my photographs are, the development of new skills and what I have learnt.
In addition I will discuss my productivity throughout; including time keeping and organisation, as well as talking about things I would improve given the chance to repeat this assignment.
To begin, i wish to discuss my proposal and it’s relevance to my final outcome.
Upon reflection of my proposed idea all of my goals have been met.
All research has been carried out and the effect is visible in the final images.
Photographers such as Nan Goldin, Corrine Day, Richard Billingham and Natasha Caruana have clearly inspired the photographs produced.
Through extensive research of social issues such as binge drinking and alcohol related crime i have developed a stronger understanding of what informs this body of work.
Angela McRobbie, and Liz Wells are two Authors who have wrote about youth culture, feminism and female roles. Reading such has also informed this project.
My knowledge of the snapshot aesthetic was enhanced through the reading of Charlotte cottons book - “The photograph as contemporary art”. In particular, the section titled “intimate life”.
My blog and visual diary have been pivotal in the development of this assignment as many forms of research were conducted, the blogs in particular were an essential tool in recording and storing all the information, with the ability to later go back, edit and review as frequently as necessary.
In terms of my productivity throughout this assignment, this could be improved, although my attendance and time keeping wasn’t an issue my personal objectives could have been better arranged as to provide more structure and in turn more time on the assignment.
My concept is highly relevant for this brief and well informed in terms of it’s social context, however more research could have been conducted to ensure concrete understanding of the issues surrounding the images.
For example the questions of an ethical nature, although these can be answered quite simply in terms of public spaces and photographers rights there is still that sense of exploitation as i was photographing people when they were un-expecting, or unaware they were being recorded. As well as capturing potentially private moments, occurring publicly.
The final images are a selection of 24, from 114 photographs.
Taken over the course of 4 individual nights.
I selected 24 as a final number, for the reason that there are 24 hours in a day, and to reinforce the idea that the city never sleeps.
The images are arranged by date and there are 4 sets of 6 photographs which are arranged chronologically according to the time at which they were taken.
Some of the images have physical items which accompany them (these can be found in my sketchbook) such items were found whilst out photographing, often in the exact location or near to the place photographed.
There is a feeling of variety in the images, yet the sense of repetition is present, that feeling that the same thing occurs night after night, on a regular basis.
In regards to the aesthetics of the images, they are successful in terms of the snapshot category and my proposed appearances. I.e the intentional grain achieved by the use of a high ISO setting. This gives the images a gritty feeling of grunge and spontaneity. In addition the orangey glow of the tungsten lights, present on the images shot outside enhances the feeling of night time and helps viewers place themselves in the scene.
I chose such aesthetics for this project as to avoid losing the essence of a true scene. Formal construction of the photographs could potentially have diminished the sense of impulse.
Ideally, this investigation of public presentation would be carried out over a number of months, years even. Unfortunately for this assignment that wasn’t possible. Despite this the ideas surrounding the ways in which people chose to represent themselves and how this deteriorates when they are intoxicated is evident.
My aim was to produce a body of work which visually explored spouts of violence, criminal damage and public presentation and the ways in which such is socially unacceptable. All of which are visible themes in the final selection.
There is a stark contrast between the comical values of the urban playground, and the gritty scenes of vulnerability.
The combination of the unseen secret moments captured clandestinity and the more apparent common events produce a true reflection of scenes that occur almost every weekend in almost every city.
Given the opportunity, and time, i would like to further extend this project. The body of work has potential to be huge time lines, tale tellers of drunken antics.
It would be interesting to document the entire night, from getting ready to arriving home. This could have definitely been possible had i focused my attention on my friends, and in reflection could have perhaps been more successful as the sense of relationships and friendship would have been more prominent, much alike Nan Goldin’s images which display the unconventional side to family life and friendship.
