Conclusion

All images for Context & Narrative can be found here. 

I have thoroughly enjoyed the research element of this course, I was blown away by Briony Campbell’s Dad Project and fascinated by Nikki Lee’s ability to slip into so many characters, inserting herself into communities. These examples gave me an understanding of the photograph that I had never, until then even considered.

Photographically, the course started badly for me. A failed first attempt led to a rushed submission with a weak message and several technical errors. Increased preparation led to a much more successful second assignment in which I really thought about the many ways that balance could be interpreted way before getting my camera out.

The self-portrait - oh how I hated this assignment! I took months trying to decide, photograph and edit something that truly reflected me and no sooner had I finished, my tutor pulled it to bits, questioning every single element. I love her for it now, she made me think more than I have ever thought before about photography but oh the strops I had at the time! Thank you Dawn, you are one clever woman!

After this, I feel that the course got more serious as we moved deeper into the subject of semiotics. Reading a chosen image was another great learning curve which really helped with my final piece.

How I loved creating that final piece; props, costumes, models, signs and symbols, all put together to create a narrative on a subject which I feel holds great importance in today’s society. Again, Dawn questioned everything, encouraging me to explore my work and that of others in greater depth.

As I started this course two years ago, I could have never imagined how much I would learn on this course. Thanks to the lessons I have learned, I now look at photos differently and take photos differently, I even watch films differently, which I’m still not sure is a good thing. A few months ago, I felt emotion looking at splashes of colour in a modern art gallery, I’m still not quite sure how that happened. I love the new me, I love the way I am starting to see things and I can’t wait to move onto the next level. This course for me has been a real turning point.