Blogging Along

Although I have not as yet had any contact with the tutor, I have given some more thought to the structure of my learning journal. I will keep this blog as my note / workspace for all my courses and photographic interests and do the 'official' OCA course journal on paper, adding cuttings, prints, found photographs etc. I have enough 'other' blogs out here in cyberspace - I've lost some of them.

Although I will be posting some of my projects on here, I want to get used to printing, handling, filing and presenting real prints. A paper based journal and file will force me to do this. A printed image is the test of the quality.

For online content and activities, I will refer to this blog in my journal.

[ I have joined the OCR Flickr group but not posted any images as yet.]

Using a graduated neutral density filter

Using a graduated neutral density filter

Course Pack

My OCA course pack arrived today and I have spent some time skimming through it.

[Before I forget where I've seen it - Reference format: Michael Freeman, Complete Guide to photography, HarperCollin, UK, 1995]

There are 67 projects and 5 assignments involving many, many photographs. I daren' t count them. :-)

When I consider that I have already committed myself to two other courses during the lifetime of this course, it looks like I have got my work cut out. Not to worry. Bring it on.

I have also received the course book: The Photograph: A Visual and Cultural History ( Oxford History of Art) by Graham Clark. This means that I am now the proud,  but surprised, owner of two copies of this book. My existing copy will remain on the shelf, whilst I write in the course copy. Where's my marker pen? I enjoy writing and making notes in reference books. It gives me a sense of ownership and engagement.

It was no surprise to learn that I am required to keep and submit a learning journal but I am looking at the instructions on how to set up a Google account and register with Blogger with a quiet reluctance. Although it isn't compulsory, I am being encouraged to blog. This is all well and good but the blog, which will be assessed, is to consist of weekly reflections. This is too limiting for me. I am more than happy to summarize my activities on a weekly basis and include them in a journal, as well as on here, but I do not want this blog to be limited. It's a personal photographic home -  a powerhouse for years to come. I am also more than happy for my tutor to drop in here but it is likely to contain stuff outside the scope of the OCA course and there will be times when I am talking to myself on a daily basis. I could set up another blog but how many blogs does a person need or want? I could also submit a paper based journal but that goes against the grain. I need to clear my head a little and decide what I want to do. A second official blog elsewhere seems, perhaps, to be the only answer.  I haven't made contact with the tutor yet - I am sure a discussion will resolve matters.

The Complete Kodak Book of Photography

I have just finished reading this book and enjoyed every word of it (478 wonderfully illustrated pages). The book was published in 1990 and, as far as I know, it is out of print. I bought it from a second-hand book stall for £3.00.

Although the book discusses film, and there are small sections on cameras and the home darkroom, it concentrates on the making of good photographs and goes into some depth: the composition, the use of light, the elements of a good photograph etc. This is in contrast to books with the words 'Digital Photography' in their title - many of which give well over half their pages to camera controls and digital manipulations. I have separate books on Photoshop and the camera controls and really need to learn more about the art of photography itself.

I found the sections on portraits and lighting particularly valuable. I struggle with portraiture. Partly, because I have not had enough practice with lighting techniques, and partly, because I have always believed that taking photographs of people is somewhat intrusive. [I will need to work on and through this thought if I am to be successful with portraiture.]

Extracts:

... two things are fundamentally important in any picture: composition and light.

... the important elements of composition: balance and asymmetry, shape and form, pattern and texture. They are the core of creative photography, as is light, which is not only necessary to form a photographic image, but is a compositional tool in it own right. To create photographs that have calculated effects, you must know how to vary the quality and direction of light as well as its quantity. Similarly, you can use colour to create delight, impact, variety - and you can even make colour itself the subject of the picture.

… Ultimately, the ability to produce strong images unerringly, rather than by chance, depends on looking long and hard at your subject, analyzing what you see, and planning what to do.

.. For portraits, you should taken an active approach to sunlight, not just use it as you find it.

Why a Photography Learning Blog?

I want to improve my photography. This blog is to be a record of my progress. It will also provide me with a space in which I can reflect on my work. I already keep files, a notebook, a personal blog and a computer log but I want to bring all my photography learning together in one place.

A few days ago I enrolled on a course with the Open College of the Arts. I am eagerly awaiting my course pack.

Art of Photography

Adding a few links to this page will help to pass the time