Professional context / Knowledge.
LO1 demonstrate comprehensive knowledge of the professional context(s) relevant to your practice and have an understanding of the professional dimensions that underpin a successful photographic practice.
During the process of creating both the prints for the exhibition and the book I have worked with several artists to improve my skills and understanding of the underlining requirements to bring a professional result that is suitable for public display and a product in the form of a book that is suitable to sell.
Learning how to print in platinum and palladium involved working with Stuart Clook a professional photographer based in the South Island who specialises in alternative printing methods from both analogue and digital negatives. This training gave me the basics to continue to practice and produce the prints ready for framing and the exhibition in November.
Platinum and palladium is not the cheapest process to use and as a fellow student suggested I could have used salt water processing, taking the sea water from Ngawi, but for me platinum and palladium linked strongly with the history of the area and the fact that one of the women could trace her family back to one of the first boats landing in New Zealand in 1840 (platinum printing was first developed in 1830).
The development of the book not only involved working with fellow artists but also third parties in the final production. The collaborative element came in the form of text, illustration, and the final design during the finalisation prior to production.
The first piece of text followed research into a local author who had written the book ‘’On the Edge – Wairarapa’s Coastal Communities’ (Jim Graydon, 2013). This book formed the basis of my interest in Ngawi and trying to find a unique angle, either within the community, it’s history or the location. Jim made the whole process really easy and enjoyable. As a professional write and also a fellow photographer he was able to see the narrative I was trying to achieve – even in the early stages of the design. The design has grown and changed throughout the module, but the text Jim provided for the foreword for the book still remain relevant.
The second piece of text was a collaboration piece with a fellow Level 3 student. Jack completed an additional module at the start of his degree in creative writing before returning to photography and after watching and listening to several of his final project submissions for previous modules I realised that his creative writing could support the narrative to my project. This piece was more of a collaborate exercise following an initial brief on my project Jack came back with a draft which I reviewed and made changes/suggestions this back and forth really worked well to fine tune the final written piece which took the form of a poem.
The third piece of collaboration took the form of an illustration. This was originally used within my draft book which formed part of my submission for BoW. The illustration was supplied by a student working towards her degree in illustration through the OCA and joined the Rest of the World forum meetings. Flavia, although only on Level 1, has an amazing talent and the crayfish images fitted really well in the original draft, but as the design matured it became impossible to see how it would fit without making it look like an afterthought. As I did not want to lose the work, I decided to use the design and form a lithophane and this will be placed into the lid of a box that will contain five platinum and palladium prints.
After several false starts with printers around Wellington I finally managed to research and find a printer that understood the narrative I was trying to achieve and still retain the format I had designed. The book is based on the digital images I have created to show, the landscape, the community and the male/female contrast.
Creativity.
LO2 coherently present a body of work, making creative presentation decisions that complement your subject and/or your artistic strategies.
At the start of this degree I had no intensions of producing a book, it would always be prints but during BoW and meeting the women of Ngawi in their homes I realised that presenting them with a print as a thank you for taking part in this project may not be the most ideal option. I looked at a range of ideas from other photographers from printed scarfs to small resin blocks containing artifacts of the area that I had found but, in the end, I decided on a book that held a series of images both of themselves (or a representation) and the location.
There was no real feedback following the submission and assessment of BoW and so gaining professional feedback on my work through portfolio reviews helped me re-evaluate the project and the overall narrative I was trying to achieve. During the initial months of SYP I have drafted six different designs based around the digital images I have made. At each stage I have sort feedback and reviews to finally select the final design to go to print.
As part of the book production process, it was essential that I found designer to work with that could help guide me through the final stages of the design, looking at possible covers, paper and font selection. Their expertise was important, but the final decision would be mine. The whole process has been a steep learning curve and at some stages very stressful but I have learnt so many lessons if I decide to complete another book in the future.
Prior to starting the degree course, I had been involved in several joint and club exhibitions and even in a New Zealand wide exhibition through the PSNZ, but this time my platinum and palladium prints would form a solo display. As I had never curated a display and I was not sure how many prints would fit within the space or the order I decided to create a maquette. This was such an invaluable tool to allow me to see the images in place, to finalise the selection and order that I will definitely use this technique again in the future as it saved me time and money from not producing too many prints.
LO3 operate in complex commercial contexts requiring the application of specific interpersonal, professional and business skills within an ethical framework.
Working with fellow students and professional photographers as part of the collaboration aspects of this project allowed me to utilise a range of my usual working skills such as organising and negotiating deadlines for project work to be completed. I needed to ensure that I used clear lines of communication, both written and verbal to ensure that the final product was what I wanted to include within the project. The time difference between New Zealand and the UK often meant early mornings or late-night discussions and I often followed up the meeting with agreed actions and points that were discussed.
These skills were also paramount for when I was working with the publishers to ensure that they understood my project and the end result I wanted to achieve. Including a draft version prior to the full production run was important to ensure what I saw on screen matched the final product. The final version needed to be professional as the cost was high, but increasing the production run I was able to negotiate a cost reduction and as part of the package obtain some free design expertise.
Being able to organise my time and images to ensure I could easily locate the images and data I needed really helped when I submitted work for competitions and the student submission to SOURCE for 2022.
Presentations and Outcomes.
LO4 independently disseminate your body of work by establishing relationships and networks with audiences, clients and markets.
I have entered a number of on-line competitions throughout this module with little success and feel that the competition side is really not for me. This may be due to the ones I have selected and my work is not the right fit or my work is not seem as creative enough, being a social documentary project. It has been a steep learning curve and being more targeted in my approach I think is required.
Even though I have not been successful in the more popular on-line submissions my work was selected and exhibited locally in the Wairarapa Arts Festival and online in SOURCE and the OCA student association ‘edge-zine issue 12 – identity’ back in November.
On a more positive note, I did present my work to the Lux et Libera group and the work was very well received. I have also agreed to discuss platinum and palladium printing and my project with my local camera club in October which will be just before my exhibition – a great opportunity for self-promotion.
Working with the local gallery for my exhibition has ensured that my work will be disseminated around the Wairarapa and I have ensured that I have engaged social media to promote both the gallery as it’s main focus is local artists in all their different forms.
LO5 confidently engage a public audience with your practice and analyse, review and evaluate information relevant to your practice, identifying opportunities for professional development.
The public exhibition will give me the opportunity for the first time to interact with an audience around my physical work. Covid and the world pandemic has meant that we have been looking at images and art online and for me art should be a physical experience. The advantage of the gallery I am exhibiting at is it’s small and intimate and I think this lends itself well to this project, it shouldn’t be lost amongst other pieces, the focus should be on this community and the women I have photographed.
The initial talks to Lux et Libera and the camera club will offer a sounding board to the project, a way of engaging with an audience and obtaining feedback prior the opening of the exhibition. I have and will continue to utilise social media platforms to promote and gain feedback on both the platinum and palladium images and the digital work including the book.
Michele Usher 