Contextualising My Work

One of my PDP points of interest was to really try to contextualise my work and practice at the moment, in order to be more confident in talking about my work to others as well as creating more passion and drive.

This is something that I am constantly trying to develop and this assignment gave me the opportunity to do so. Through certain work shops during this module I have been given time to try and think about what it is my work is about and what I am trying to achieve. I am now able to narrow down my area of photography to anyone who is wanting to know!

Through a presentation for my final major project where I had to present what my final idea is going to be, I had to practice my speech about the set of photographs I am currently working on and how I intend to develop this and explore this in the future.

I am very happy with how much I have been able to bring to light my own individual approach and how I can now speak about my practice. I can now sum up my work by saying the following... Due to having worked in the metalwork industry for over 5 years on and off, I learnt to really appreciate the work of talented engineers and craftsmen within this industry. Metalwork Engineering is a declining industry and a lot of the work that our country needs doing is being sent abroad or being shipped over being made by machines. I am interested in the praise of these talented men, giving recognition to their hard work and skills which have been passed down through many generations. I am currently in the process of visiting a number of different metalwork forges and blacksmiths to talk to and eventually photograph these workers. I have chosen to branch out from photographing initially in the one forge where I have worked for the last 5 years, I want to meet other engineers and speak to them about where they think the industry is going and where they can see their small businesses in the future. Below is an example of how I see the final images looking, this being a starting point. Through use of different equipment I will experiment until I find my own unique way of photographing these men.

Although it is hard to show my new found ability to speak more confidently about my own work, I now feel very confident attending a portfolio review or an event where I can speak to other practitioners within the industry.

I am very satisfied that I can now tick this item off my PDP list, I will however continue to keep developing my individual style in the future and will be able to thank this assignment for starting me on my way.

 I have continued to keep contextualising my work throughout this assignment and reading books such as Camera Lucida and Susan Sontag "On Photography" I have been able to put further contextual references to my own work, making me think about the reasoning behind certain choices.