Assignment 3 - Completed

It is just over 2 weeks since this assignment was sent to my tutor and I realise it has not been included in the journal.

In a break with my normal presentation this assignment was presented on a USB stick with no prints. The nature of the assignment is one of working on an assignment following receiving a commission and in this instance the buyer/editor would not need prints as they will make prints of their own for proofing etc to suit the needs of their production press.

The USB stick contained tiff files of the completed pages at A3 as well as all the individual images at 300 dpi. In addition a write up of the final work to place it in the context of the assignment.

For assessment the pages will be printed to aid the assessors viewing of the entire package.

For the journal here are :-

The six pages of the assignment produced as 3 x A3 double page spreads.

The write up.

Review your last assignment - Assignment 3

I finally sent Assignment 3 to my tutor and it is a relief. This exercise is to review the assignment once the tutor comments have come back, but I will do it now from my own perspective and once again after I receive them.

I am nervous whether this assignment is going to work well at all. Normally I would be quietly confident that I have done enough to "get by" and them make some changes before assessment, but in this case I am not so sure. When I normally work on assignments, whether they be OCA or for others I can formulate a strategy and work around that, researching what is needed to know and make some images or write an essay. In this case I am writing about myself and making photographs close to home and this is not in my comfort zone. My concern is its seen too much as "poor me" and as a result not working objectively, but in an autobiographical sort of way that is likely to happen. Only my family and friends know what happens in my life and to tell others about it is unsettling. The content aside I am not sure the images are right. I shot then two or three times, in different ways to try and communicate different feelings and ended up using some of the first batch anyway. I think there is a tendency to try and overthink the task and the first attempt is often the best as it originates from a gut feeling rather than being over planned. In the end they are not too good technically but I don't think that matters in every scenario these days. Where would post modernism be without some dodgy work being shown.

To be continued.

45th Eastern Open - 2014 - Award Winner !!!!

This time last year I was making a note to go to the 44th Eastern Open at The King's Lynn Arts Centre  and write up the visit in my journal, which I did here.

During the two visits last year I had made up my mind to enter the 2014 competition and when the Call for Entries was published I had some work to do and choices to be made. A maximum of three entries are allowed per person so this focuses the mind with the knowledge that the three independent selectors will have no background information, so no contextual references for their selection. It reminded me of the exercises a while ago in this module where the first impression was going to have a considerable part to play, while also remembering the type of work seen in 2013 and how that had an eclectic mix.

The competition is open to the residents of seven eastern counties from Lincolnshire to Essex, attracts 200+ artists who submit 400+ works, of which 80 are chosen to be hung in the three main galleries at the Arts Centre for 6 weeks during October and November. There is a Best in Show award of £2000 and 5 other awards, some specifically for painting and drawing.

The selectors names were not known to me but their CV's were obtained as a guide to who am I showing my work to.

John Frankland, teaches sculpture at the Royal College of The Arts, makes large scale public art projects and is represented by a number of international galleries. 

Judith King is a director of Arts&Heritage, an agency that is committed to developing unusual opportunities for artists. She has experience in commissioning contemporary work within an historic context and has worked for English Heritage.

Marielle Sbaihi is My Art Invest's art director working from a gallery in London that allows people to buy a share in contemporary artworks.

Knowing more about the selectors was useful but not helpful, other than they all were working in a contemporary art environment and would therefore (hopefully) not be too receptive to photography that was clichéd, poorly presented and technically flawed.

My strategy therefore was to

1. Go as big as I could, simply because I can and the works I had in mind were from MF film and my 36MP DSLR and there would be no quality issues.
2. Spend the right money on matting and framing to compliment the large prints.
3. Send 3 pieces (£12 each entry fee) that covered a number of styles and genre to maximise chances that something would catch their eye.
4. Use simple titles, some descriptive and at least one that was ambiguous, once again to spread the betting that one would work.

Some of the strategy does sound as though a broad brush is being used but I did need to cover as many options within three items with the aim of getting at least one selected.

My selection (see below) was focused but serendipity played its part, and while I like full control sometimes I believe that going with the flow can have advantages. I had been working on Assignment 3 for some while and had a large number of images that were good, a few did not fit into the set that I needed. One in particular had been causing concern and I decided this would be better used in a single image environment. It was to be titled "Day 96 - 2014". I am not sure exactly what day it was taken but in my world one day is much the same as any other and 96 seemed about right. "The Lathe" was a print I had made after an experiment with 120 film processing and while I wasn't so sure about its credentials I did like it for more "photographic" reasons than were perhaps justified. "Front Elevation" was a work I did last year with the 24mm Tilt/Shift lens on the D800 and was already framed and ready to show. Its stark graphic qualities and the lack of vertical perspective making it unusual although perhaps a nod towards clichéd and the use of manipulation.

I intended that all the work should be matted and framed with exactly the same board and moulding so that should I wish to show them together at some time there is a synergy within the presentation style. This didn't quite work out as planned. The framer had all the details of the previous work but when I went to collect the two I was astonished to see an off white matt board and the wrong moulding. The moulding was black and the correct width but had no depth and therefore my vision of the three being the same was gone. There was no time to even complain yet alone have it changed. On further inspection however all was not bad, especially Day 96 which seemed better suited to an off white matt board.

For this exhibition there were clear rules about fixings (none allowed) and how to present the work so that the selectors could see without bubble wrap etc in the way. I decided that as mine were behind glass all that was needed was bubble wrap to the frame edges and corner protectors, leaving the front and back clear. There was another rule about the organiser being able to remove the work from the frame for catalogue photography. This I ignored because the framer completely seals the back with tape and it is impossible to take apart. I included a note that should they need an image I would provide them. I am not sure what happened in the end because they never asked for an image but they did make their own for the catalogue. Award winners get their work in the catalogue and you are not advised of that until the exhibition has opened so I can see why they didn't ask for one. 

All the work in the exhibition can be for sale if the artist wishes. Pricing work is a difficult process and having read in last years visitors comments people saying they though the works were too expensive I decided on what I considered a reasonable price, bearing in mind the organisers take 35% commission. Framing was costing £75 per piece so I went for £300 each as a sale price for monochrome and £320 for colour. This will be a net revenue of £195 leaving about £100 for me after costs, which seems far too cheap but this is a regional arts show, not Mayfair.

Once delivered to the arts centre there is a 2 week wait for the results and I am amazed at how during that time I could not settle. OCA assessment is a tense time but with only three pieces, unknown selectors, mixed media etc, it was a huge relief when the result came and I had got two selected of the 84 in the show. A few days later I had to collect the unselected work and while there was asked if I would be attending the opening. They seemed smiley when I said yes and that gave me a glimmer of hope for something more.

Last Saturday was the opening and at 2:30 the awards were presented in a little reception typical of any gallery PV or opening night. "Day 96 - 2014" won the £100 Kings Lynn Signs sponsored award. This is an award by the selectors as a runner up to the main award and as it wasn't a painting or drawing the next best available award a photograph could have won.

The exhibition runs until 29th November.

 

Day 96 - 2014 (Selected - Award winner)

 

Front Elevation (Selected)

 

The Lathe (Not Selected)

 

 

Conclusion

 

In this instance everything about the exercise is positive. At the start I was doubtful that I would get any work selected. Over 400 entries, mixed media and being a newcomer were aspects that were against me. My strategy started by looking at last years show and seeing what worked for them, although this year there were different selectors I entered on the basis that if it was work that I had enjoyed making, was good quality technically the there was more than a half chance. It does take time to prepare and my assignment 3 has got way behind in the process but I believe that entering work into juried exhibitions is another way of gaining exposure and having your work assessed in a different environment. It is costly but there is no gain if no pain and I just might sell a piece which would be amazing.

 

I will visit the show at least twice during the next few weeks and look closer at the other work. The winner was a very special piece by Viki Simpson from her The burning times set.

 

 

Looking pleased at the opening (photograph by Richard Fletcher)

Assignment 3 - First Draft - Part One

The first drafts of this assignment are really the page layout exercise on page 68 and as I have already looked at mock ups I am incorporating these into this posting.

The opening page below has monochrome images and I am not happy that they convey the correct feeling of a caring environment. There is a starkness to my processing that has a coldness and that is not my intention. I am showing it here so that there is a record of it existing and maybe during further discussion it will reveal itself and what that may connote.

 

 

Some colour photographs instead of the black and white proved difficult when seen together. The colour content within a series did not have a synergy, they were just a set of individual photographs being shown together. To introduce a feeling of warmth I am thinking of sepia toned images. I am conscious that this is a bit clichéd, but here for a magazine page I think the readership will not be judgemental, instead seeing it as an appropriate "feel" for a story of an old person. The page above has then be redrafted into a single image opening page, allowing more space to contextualise the story. The title has changed and becomes precise with a bracketed subtitle and to fill some of the blank space on the opposite page a quotation from Stephen Hawking on the wheelchair as icon.

 

 

 





On reflection (this posting is being constructed over a number of days) the sepia will not work. I have never liked sepia toning in contemporary photography and although this connotes a warmth in the image this editorial has no warmth, it is a matter of fact, not a work of fantasy. This totally contradicts my early thoughts and the change has come about during the writing of the main body text.

 

The process has become iterative. backwards and forwards with alternative images and texts. The Page One below is cleaner and closer to how I want it to look.

 

 

 

The page within Photoshop, showing the use of Guides for layout. Here in particular to check that the in focus part of the photograph was on the Focal Centre

 

 



 

 

To be continued.

 

 

 

Exercise - Practise writing captions

An exercise relating to picture captions.

There are some basic rules relating to a caption that don't seem to change with time. The 5 "W's" have been around as a guide for many years.

Who
What
Where
When
Why

It is not always necessary to include all of them due to the inherent nature and picture content/context. Repeating what is obvious from the photograph is considered bad practice.

Below is a selection of images with suitable captions. My experience in this field extends to some local newspaper work and although I provided factual information to my editor I was never asked to write the caption. The caption/cutline needs to be tailored to suit the story and in some cases suitable for the reader who may not wish to read the whole story, in which case it should include salient information. The cutline varies from the caption as it may run to a few sentences. Another important rule in caption writing is to never emphasise or suggest something that is not in the picture. The reader will loose confidence if they subsequently discover inaccuracies. I have given the photograph/caption combinations some context so that they can be judged within their published environment.

 

No 1  Local newspaper.

 

No 2 Monthly magazine article featuring Lincolnshire churches

 

No 3 Contents page for specialist motor sport magazine

No 4 Magazine article on classic car motor sport

No 5 Weekend supplement feature on wind farms and fishing

No 5 Specialist Paper Industry magazine article  

 

 

 

No 6 Tourism supplement with local newspaper

 

 

Conclusions:

 

Not the easiest of tasks without more direction on the type of publication the photographs will be shown with. The "W" rules when adhered to though give you the support to make the correct judgement, while being conscious of the pitfalls of being too creative and too descriptive of the obvious.

 

 

 

 



 

Exercise - Two images on the same page

This exercise continues with developing the skill of page layout and design, asking for two images on a page that are of the same subject, but different in scale or viewpoint. The picture combination is to be balanced and complimentary, resulting in a page that is cohesive. I have chosen to include areas of text as this is an important design element and when combined with the white space an integral part of the design.

Page 1 is a simple layout with photographs of a covered market in France now in use as a café. Suitable for an article on the architecture of the country it shows a large image to contextualise the building and a close up of the timber roof structure. A text panel is fitted with the rectangle of photograph edges. The Focal Centre is in the half to one third above the centre, leaving a large area of white space below the images.

Page 1

 

 

Page 2 takes us to a remote and rather unusual building on the Norfolk coast. "The Retreat" is built on the beach amongst the Marram grass and is the holiday home of an artist. The photographs once again rely on a large image to bring the context of the location and the smaller image of the seat with name board to name the building. The page could be used as a stand alone small piece on the building or as part of a larger article on the artist together with interior images and portraits etc. The text at right angles and some white space below the small caption deliver a contemporary feel that is mirrored in the architecture. The Focal Centre is again above the horizontal centreline although not so obvious as in page 1.

 



 

 Page 2

 

 

Page 3 is a rather simple layout showing a lighthouse on the island of Menorca. The building and the tower are geometric and this is reflected in the style of the layout. The text box is sized to suit the adjacent photograph and there is an overall symmetry in the layout.

 

 

Page 3

 

 

Page 4 has two photographs of a construction site. At the time they were taken we can see that the structural frame is being erected. The tall thin image on the left is shot as a silhouette and shows no detail other than to inform us that tower cranes are being used. Visually it is graphic whereas the main image below shows detail of a reinforced concrete frame and would be suitable for an article on structural engineering. The large text area is essential for a technical publication as there is often considerable detail that needs to be revealed. The overlap of images is included to tie the layout together and breaks up the large expanse of sky in the lower image while allowing the long tall image fit on the page without cropping. 

 

 



 

Page 4

 

Page 5 has two images connected in some way to food, drink, hotels, corporate hospitality or any number of similar or partial connections. There is no text and the page would be suitable for use in a corporate publication of some description relating to the above industries. The layout is driven entirely by aesthetics and has no intention of being anything other than a notion of potential for high end cuisine.

 

 

Page 5

 

 

Conclusion.

 

As discussed in the previous exercise there are no hard and fast rules for page layout but there are a number of well developed guidelines that should be adhered to. The western world reads from left to right and the page should have a L to R connotation delivered either in the images themselves or the layout of the images. The Focal Centre does need to be considered and works better with some layouts than others. If the brief is that you only have space for two images then the choice is difficult especially for the specialists subject matter, where one will be needed to contextualise the article and then one other to satisfy some detail, especially when the text relies upon the illustration.

 

The five example I have made above I rate as follows.

 

Page 1. Simple and conventional.

Page 2. Suits the content in that the layout is more complex.

Page 3. Not particularly interesting, but a specialist subject.

Page 4. Graphically interesting with contemporary photography.

Page 5. Ambiguous but likely to be used in a high end publication.

 



The Lathe

Whats all this about ?
Although I trained and work(ed) in Civil Engineering I also trained myself, through night school at the local Technical College to use a lathe and other machine tools. I spent four years making a 5" gauge live steam locomotive amongst many other projects and have a well equipped workshop, that doesn't get much use these days apart from making parts for the ageing lawnmower.
For a short while the other day The Lathe became an artefact, a found object but only when I had a need for it to be. At all other times it is just there, it gets oiled and run to keep it in good condition then covered over. Suddenly when studied through the viewfinder it was different. I saw more detail, the swarf from the last job (what was I making ?) and the worn paint from years of operattion. It not only has its own history ( I bought it as a ruin and refurbished it) but where are all the things now that were made with it. The previous users, what did they make with it ?. So for a few minutes this tool had a different life, a photographic subject, a model. Simply lit with florescent tubes and a single work light I spent a few minutes removing items from the suds tray that were not needed and took a couple of frames on 6x6 Acros at EI160. Metering was with the incident meter in the main and with a spot meter here and there to check for any out of DR areas. There were none which was obvious to see but 6x6 makes you check and check again. The next day I processed the film in Diafine, scanned, PP and printed to 24"x24".
The photographic exercise here was to see more of the capabilities of Acros in Diafine and even after years of seeing better and better IQ this took my breath away. Shadow detail, micro detail, tonality and a feeling you get when something is right but not quite sure why. But, The Lathe was doing more that being an inert object that got its picture taken for a film test. Now it did have a platform to tell its story. It has been invited into the house where more people can see it, ask about what it does, what it made, where was it made and why do I have one. But is it art ?. Duchamp entered a fountain (urinal) as an item of art into the 1917 Society of Independent Artists exhibition. The committee rejected the work as not being art, and  The Fountain is nowadays probably one of the most recognised items within the art world. In 1925 Edward Weston photographed his toilet bowl. Weston saw beauty in the shape and was careful in how he dealt with viewpoint to deliver an image that was beyond being a toilet. His daybook entry says "Photography is realism - why make excuse".
I am currently looking for three pieces of my work to enter into a large open competition that will exhibit in King's Lynn during October. I have never entered an "open" before and cannot imagine how the selectors choose from all types of flat art. Last year a photograph won the top £2000 prize so there is some hope rather than expectation that this may happen again. The Lathe may just be one of my three.

The Lathe - (mock up of Matt and Frame)