FMP Final Statement

I am pretty pleased with my final outcome despite it being drastically different from what I had initially envisioned. Initially I thought I would produce a much more complex, story driven piece but I ended up with two simple, beautiful pictures that don't have a defined story. I feel I managed to get it to a point where I leave my viewers with questions instead of answers- something which I was striving for with this project.

I feel that I have learnt a lot of things not just about photography and art but also about where my true passions lie and where I want to take my photography in future. When I first started the lens based media pathway my approach was very broad and I wasn't quite sure where my photography was headed, now I have discovered a love for fine art photography and know that I am going to pursue it further in the future.

This project really has pivoted on experimentation. I now know I really like this approach, it's a very natural and spontaneous way of coming up with ideas. This project has given me new experiences such as working with a hair/makeup artist and using the female form more in my photography. I am really excited to further explore photography using the female form in delicate, vulnerable, fragile, pure and beautiful ways.

I found it quite hard to get started and wasn't quite sure what to research initially but I think my gallery visits were very helpful and inspired me quite a bit. In future I will make sure to prioritise gallery visits as the first thing I do.

I feel like I would have liked to spend more time planning for the gallery space but instead I had to use the time I had planned for that to re-shoot my final images. I don’t know whether I would have been able to see this coming but perhaps I should give myself more time in future at the end in case this happens again. Despite being unable to in this project, I want to look into immersive and interactive gallery spaces when I have enough time as I feel it really changes the game if you are able to transport your audience into a different world.

I felt that I did well in embracing change and new ideas as there were many points where I had to switch the track of where I was headed even though that meant me sacrificing many hours of editing in order to better and simplify my final images. I was even able to change my plans at the last minute for displaying them; I removed an image and scrapped my initial framing idea in order to make sure my images were as strong as they could be.

After have countless confusing conversations with Tom I figured some things out. I now know that I don't have to explain the 'deep meaning' behind my images because I'm not that kind of guy- I don't really enjoy getting hung up on philosophy. All I want to do is create beautiful images that I love making and provoke a reaction in my audience- I think people appreciate beautiful things that make their day a little better rather than some deep art that's saying we're all truly empty inside or something! I'm really interested exploring the female form more in my images and creating new characters and fantastical worlds. It's why I love games like the Legend of Zelda so much, you can just get so involved and captivated by the interesting, enchanting, magical, expansive worlds and realities they create. It makes you appreciate the magical things in real life!
It took a while to understand this, but now I'm excited for new things that await me in photography!

If I was to give advice to anyone else doing this course I would say that continually communicating with tutors/peers throughout the project is invaluable. They bring fresh eyes and ideas to the project and often will spot things that you do not. Often this will result in having to make painful changes and backing down from coveted ideas but it is definitely worth it and will spur you to create something truly compelling, instead of just another pretty picture.