Self Evaluation
Report by Laura Parkinson
Exploring
Photographic Practice
I’m not going to lie, but when I was given the photographer
Wim Wenders as a point of research for this unit, my stomach sank a little. I
really didn’t like his technique or his photographs, but could appreciate them
for what they were. It was only then, when I did some in-depth research into
the thoughts process behind his work and how they were created, that I began to
look at his work differently and become more influenced by it.
The first presentation went well, considering me and my
partner Cherry Harrison were both very shy! Being able to talk about another
photographers work with someone I had only met recently was something I had
never done before, and I feel like both of us achieved an awful lot by just
speaking in front of 20 people. Therefore, the second presentation was a lot
easier, I was able to express my opinion and my peers agreed the idea was very
strong and could be executed well.
I originally planned to take a set of images based on the
work of Wim Wenders, comparing and contrasting dated exteriors and interiors
with modern ones. I took a series of photographs one day and could not find the
passion I had when I conjured up the idea. Thus, I decided to run two projects
side by side, to see which one attracted my attention more. It became clear to
me after two weeks to running both projects that my second project;
concentrating on interiors rather than exteriors, was more motivating for me,
and really got my photographical senses flowing!
My second idea was something that I enjoyed, but with
regards to emulating Wim Wenders work, I am not so sure I have achieved this to
the highest standard. I think that I emulated his work in regards to his
presentation, composition and colour, but I think if I was to do this project
again, I would need to research a lot deeper into his work and emulate his work
with similar meaning as well as visual. I think that placing old and modern
photographs together was a good idea initially, but after looking at my final
images, I am not too sure. If I was to do this set of photographs again, I
think I would take photographs in an old style exclusively. The photographs of
my Grandma’s house were strong enough by themselves, and in some of the
photograph pairings, the modern photographs ruined them, in my opinion. The
photograph I included in my finals of the painting above the dressing table was
my favourite outcome from this unit, as it was executed well, in contrast to my
above statement.
Overall, this project was one that I struggled with. Trying
to make my work relate to a photographer was difficult, as I thought that my
work had to relate in a way other people could see instantly, and think “oh
yeah, she was influenced by Wim Wenders”. Changing ideas mid-project was
something I had never done before, usually, things work first time round for
me, so having to change my ideas was somewhat distressing. In the future, and
if I was given the opportunity to do this project again, I would have a clear
idea from the beginning, towards to end of the time given to complete the work,
I began to feel stressed that my work would not meet the standards given when
relating to the work of Wim Wenders.