Reflecting on the People and Place course

Well that's my first module with the OCA completed and all that remains is to send my work away for the November assessment. It's been a long, interesting and enlightening journey — one of many highs and lows, triumphs and failures.

The course has taken much longer to complete than I ever expected, various circumstances have contributed to me not giving the time and dedication to the course that I would have wished. Portraiture is definitely an area of photography WAY out of my comfort zone, so undertaking this course and completing it successfully has been a huge personal achievement. I wanted to gain more confidence working with people and to gain the technical skills to photograph them. Have I achieved my goal? . . . almost!

I am and always will be, a people watcher. I enjoy seeing how people interact — small gestures, expressions, movements. I hate having my back to the room! BUT I know I am not a photographer who is comfortable photographing people. I will never be a portraitist. Lack of confidence has been a recurring theme in my blog posts and although my technical ability has vastly improved since starting the course, the ability to interact comfortably with the people I would like to photograph still eludes me.

I enjoyed photographing the Festival of History (Ex 14) probably because the participants were expecting and willing to have their photographs taken. Working with Walkers Cycling for Assignment 5 was also very successful because the staff were comfortable with me and vice-versa.

I spent a huge amount of time researching and photographing at many locations in Glasgow for Assignments 3 & 4. Street photography and capturing people unaware facinated me and is a genre I would cartainly like to develop. Yet time and time again I found myself more interested in photographing the buildings, textures, shapes and abstract patterns. Says it all really!

My tutor has been very supportive and positive in his feedback which has been a real confidence boost, especially when it was hard to be motivated to carry on. Now all that remains to be seen is what grade I will be awarded.

The course has definitely improved my photographic technique and made me think about how and why I take photographs. It has encouraged me to look more critically at the work of others, be it renowned photographers or the work of other OCA students. The blogs have been inspirational and helpful for advice and support. I have enjoyed the whole experience and although I feel I have not found my photographic voice yet, I am moving closer. Having gained APEL for the other 2 modules in Level 1, my only regret is that I am not in a position to continue to Level 2 at this point in time. Hopefully it will be possible in the not too distant future. . .

“ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow. – Imogen Cunningham