Overall Comments

This was another strong assignment Nick, which demonstrated both your ability to create a range of images on a given theme and annotate reflectively about what you have achieved.

The key issues mentioned within my last feedback report were as follows:

•Always try to shoot new work for each assignment / module task.

•Try to write a little more ‘academically’ with the use of citation.

•Look at Davies / Southam / Davis / Soth

•Consider the question ‘why’ have the photographers produced this work rather than ‘how’.

•Attend as a many photographic exhibitions as you can.

I think you have responded well to many of the points made above, but would like you to try and provide evidence for all recommendations if possible.  IE: Where can I find your thoughts on the practitioners suggested ?

Feedback on assignment

This assignment wasn’t easy in respect of the limited sized area you have been expected to explore.  As mentioned, the key to the assignment was ‘variety’ and I feel you achieved this to a certain extent through the selection of images you submitted.  There was a positive balance of variety including wider shots / closer sections and more intimate detailed shots.  All the shots looked well composed and exposed to me, with some working very well indeed [IE: NJASS2-5 was very nicely crafted].  I felt you knew when to use either landscape or portrait format here and did so to support compositional considerations, which was great to see.  Your notes were quite reflective in parts but well written on the whole, but I still want you to try and relate what you are doing to the work of others. [EG: Critical Position]

It was interesting reading through your notes submitted in relation to the assignment, some of which were quite technical.  I felt that if you can happily work through such theoretical issues, you could certainly work through the more conceptual reasoning behind Landscape photography as a genre and support this with cited academic references. 

I think for the next assignment you should perhaps try to choose a theme that does not necessarily just look pleasing to the eye, but perhaps tries to tackle and deal with an issue that is embedded within a landscape.  This might be hidden and it also might be visually quite plain, but the research conducted into the area would underpin and support the imagery.  Hope this makes sense !

The work was very ‘pictorial’, which I don’t personally have a problem with, but I wonder how much you are pushing yourself to perhaps leave an existing comfort zone.  Maybe an attempt to try and apply more of a straight ‘forensic’ approach to documenting the area might have been more challenging for you?

In relation to the above … take a close look at the work of the Becher’s. Whether you like the work or not is irrelevant to a certain extent, it is just important you can understand what they were trying to achieve through creating these vast typologies.  See Below.

Bernd & Hilla Becher

Learning Logs/Critical essays

This appears to be progressing well, but doesn’t seem to have been posted on for a while.  I would perhaps also recommend trying to include some links to the more contextual element of the module here as well if possible.  You could maybe use it as a place to review current books of interest or recent exhibitions visited etc.

Suggested reading/viewing

Your next assignment concerns a linking theme, for which you are required to produce 8 images.  Some suggestions for this theme could be a specific colour / water / transient light or conservation.  If you would like to address something different, just drop me a quick email to discuss further.  Once you know which theme you have decided upon, let me know and I’ll forward some reading materials to you. Try to think clearly about ‘why’ you have chosen a particular theme.

Thanks again for submitting the assignment Nick and I’ll look forward the next one !