Formative feedbackStudent name Craig Sinclair Student number 515221

Course/Unit Photography 1: I&P Assignment number 1

Type of tutorial Video

Overall Comments

Thank you for completing and submitting assignment 1

This is a solid start with potential for development.

Your feedback is set out under a number of headings below. To help you get the most from feedback, please have a look at the following link:http://weareoca.com/fine_art/how-to-use-your-tutor-reports/

This feedback form in is note form. It is in support of, and in addition to, the video feedback that you received on 8 November 2016.

Assessment potential

Assignment 4 Assessment potential

I understand your aim is to go for the Photography/Creative Arts* Degree and that you plan to submit your work for assessment at the end of this course. From the work you have shown in this assignment, providing you commit yourself to the course, I believe you have the potential to pass at assessment. In order to meet all the assessment criteria, there are certain areas you will need to focus on, which I will outline in my feedback.

Feedback on assignment Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity

You are commended for your working methodology - working as part of a pack of photographers has helped you photograph people. Your documentary approach has allowed you to wield your camera like a tool of self-defense. We spoke about Joanna Lowry’s essay in Mark Durden’s book Face On: Photography as Social Exchange (currently on Amazon for £1.98!!). In this essay Lowry discussed the complexities of photographing people, the negotiation between self and other, the power struggles at play. This is a book that opened my eyes. I recommend reading it in tandem with Roland Barthes discussions on ‘being photographed and being aware of it’ page 10 -15 in Camera Lucida

The final image is a relaxed frontal portrait. It has merit but it doesn’t work within your series (it is a different approach). I can see the link to Sander. We spoke about lineage – the practices situated within Sander’s approach (Dianne Arbus, Rineke Dijkstra…). We spoke about social masks – slippages of performances (keep these in mind when reading Lowry and Barthes) and uneasiness.

I recommend looking at the poses and facial expressions featured in acclaimed practitioners work such as Diane Arbus’s. This portrait, features no smile – there is an uneasiness that becomes the portrait.

Your strongest image is:

The gaze of the man looking at his arm offers something (a punctum perhaps (see Barthes) – his expression is ambivalent (pain, boredom, anxiety…) this offers something to read; something for your audience to engage with. If you were to return to reshoot this series before assessment, I recommend looking for more of these details.

This image is visually different from the rest (with the exception of the final portrait, as mentioned above). I recommend removing it from the series.

We discussed your reasons for shooting black and white. You have a sound rationale.

We spoke about creating square crops (this may not be feasible, you may loose too much essential info). We discussed how square crops give equal weight to everything within the frame.

CourseworkDemonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity You have been working through the curriculum and evidencing your engagement on your blog. You are commended for developing your assignments whilst working on the coursework.

ResearchContext, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis

Your sources are solid and relevant. You may find the work of Bruce Davidson, Joseph Szabo, Nicholas Nixon, Bill Owens of interest.

Learning LogContext, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis

Some good analysis and research evidenced on your blog. Keep going with this.

Good blog - simple menu structure, clearly laid out and easy to navigate. Well done.

Do add thumbnails and outline editing choices, to your assignments. I would like to see your whole process in addition to the final outcome. This will be beneficial to the assessors too.

I also recommend that you evidence your engagement with the student forums.

Suggested reading/viewing Context

Joanne Lowry essay in Mark Durden’s book Face On… maps out current solutions and strategies to problems in the discourse between photographer and subject.

Roland Barthes Camera Lucida page 10 -15 - he discusses the battle for representation.

Also, please read an essay titled: What’s in a Face by Julian Stallbrass. It will help you think through what it means to smile (or not) for the camera.http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/abs/10.1162/octo.2007.122.1.71?journalCode=octo#.V5YhfM2gobQ

Susan Bright Art Photography Now – this is a bookshelf must have and a good way to gain an understanding of the varying approaches to photography. It’s a good resource when first researching a project/assignment

Stephen Bull Photography – another bookshelf must. This will give you a first introduction to critical theory for photographers

Please start looking at photography magazines that feature engaged photography such as:Photomonitor (online only)Lens Culture (online only)ASXSourcePhotoworks

Pointers for the next assignment / assessment

Do have a look at the book titled Street and studio published by Tate and the exhibition as featured on their website. Vice Versa theme Take what has worked from the exercises and extend 5 images – hold together as a series Experiment, reflect, analyse, edit, research, experiment more, reflect, analyse… this is an iterative process. You should go through this a number of times until you get to the images you are happy to submit for feedback. The go through it again after feedback. Do evidence this ‘journey’ on your blog.

Tutor name Moira LovellDate 28 November 2017Next assignment due

01 February 2018