Personal Branding • Wedding Work and Business Plan

Me and my friend Kelly have set up our own online photography venture called KL Wedding Photography. We have photographed one wedding together so far, as well as a studio session with a bridal wear company. However, this summer we will be working apart. I go teaching in America whilst Kelly will be photographing weddings alone. I hope this venture can become a reasonable income in the future, as working with one of my closest friends seems like an amazing job!

Update: Personal Development Plan

I have so far managed to get a public exhibition at my local library, as well as build my website at www.laurajaneparkinson.com.

I have also shot a magazine article that should be published in the next month or two.

Personal Development • Asian Bridal Shoot

I shot for Poshaak, which is an asian bridal wear shop in my home town of Blackburn with my friend Kelly. It was such a good experience, working with people from different cultures and learning about their style and way they photograph their clothing. It was also an amazing experience to be able to see asian bridal dresses, as I have always been intrigued!

I then had my work published in Sleek Asian Bridal magazine, which was a massive success and I was then able to tick off "getting my work published" on my PDP. I managed to get a copy of the magazine, which I am going to add to my collection of published work, which I can hopefully build on in the future.

Assignment • Creative CV

Laura Parkinson

07508 191 662

Previous Job History

Cornerhouse Manchester – Digital Reporter

I took part in a 8 month internship for the alternative art gallery Cornerhouse, whereby I learnt how to record interviews using both audio and video, photographed events and people who attended art exhibitions, conducted interviews with artists and actors and learnt how to social network successfully for companies and my own social base.

Camp Modin – Photography Specialist

I have secured a placement to teach children aged 8-16 photography at a summer camp in America. I will be teaching them all aspects of photography, from digital to darkroom, as well as basic editing skills in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom.

SportsFive Advertisements – Photographer

I was commissioned to produce live action photographs of players from Premier League football with the digital advertisements that the company produced for their online portfolio. This was an incredibly demanding job, as I had to capture live action football, as well as make sure all the advertisements were accounted for.

Selected Commissions

Fentonography, Retrograde Clothing, Poshaak Bridal Wear, University of Exeter, ETO Jeans, Cornerhouse Manchester, Castlefield Gallery Manchester, Cheadle Hulme School, Sam Shaw Appeal, Audrey Clark and “It’s OK” campaign, 16 Braunton Jewellery, Me vs Hero, Darwen Live.

Qualifications

GCSEs – Darwen Aldridge Community Academy

3 A’s, 5 B’s, 2 C’s including Maths and English

A Levels – Saint Mary’s College, Blackburn

Photography A, Law B, Modern History C

Bachelors – University of Salford

BA (Hons) Photography

References on request.

Personal Branding • Business Cards and Facebook Page

I have created a Facebook page called "Through Laura's Lens" which is a place where I post all my photography work for my friends and family to see, as well as connect with models and make up artists to build my portfolio and get potential business. After listening to the lecture given by Rosie about personal branding, I decided to push my Facebook page and gained a couple of hundred likes in a month or two. It was an amazing leap and got me noticed within the photographic industry on Facebook. There are a number of photographers whom I follow and admire on Facebook, and was a real compliment when they commented on my work and my progress since I began University.

Review • Maurice Heesen Critical Evaluation

For my last project, I was required to create a festival and look at an artist that inspired us. For our festival idea, we have chosen “Realms of the Unknown”, which explores alternative portraiture photography, focussing on magical and “weird” side of capturing people. Maurice Heesen likes to tell stories through his photography, developing a narrative that we can follow, no matter how dark or disturbing it may be.

Although you could class Maurice Heesen as a known practioner, in my own personal work I have never seen nor heard of him. From his biography on his website, it doesn’t seem like he has exhibited in any exhibitions, which is why I chose him as I thought using this work as a solo exhibition would be impactful and get his name out there more as an arts based photographer rather than commercial. I, personally, prefer this work that focussed on the surreal and bizarre, rather than his commercial work. He has worked with numerous clients, such as Nike, Vodafone and McDonalds.

The set of photographs I have decided to base my research on for my own development and photographic imagery for this festival is “Muerto Feliz”. The tagline for this piece is “We only fear death because we don’t know what is there. It’s better to keep laughing in life until we meet death.” His piece concentrating on people laughing and smiling until the very end, grinning at the camera whilst they lie in a pool of their own blood with the world seemingly carrying on. My favourite image from the set of 5 images is the image showing the man at the table with the gun in his hand, with what I believe is his wife or partner washing up in the background. This give me the idea that Heesen wants to show that when we die, the world carries on and we will just end there. Quite a depressing thought, but very well executed through this series. Maurice Heesen is the standard of photograph I aspire to be if I ever decided to take the freelance, arts based, commercial route of photography.

I decided to choose Maurice Heesen for this festival because of the nature of his photographs. I have never seen some execute gore and blood in their work so professionally as Maurice Heesen has, hence why I am so intrigued and impressed by his work. If we was planning the logistic of the festival, his and my work would have to be exhibited in an age restricted room because of the nature of the imagery. Subjecting young children to these images would be wrong. I plan to develop a set of photographs looking at high fashion models, with the hair and make up, but with a twist of blood and gore. I plan to use dark lighting and shadows to manipulate the viewer and make the imagery seem dark and confusing.

CV and Cover Letter Research

We had a talk today with Fiona Christie from the careers advice service at Salford University about creating CV's and cover letters for jobs within the creative industry.

Fiona has said that there are certain qualities that we have after studying photography at a degree level, such as teamwork, being independent, being self motivated and having an extensive knowledge of IT and creative software. I never thought about including these qualities in my CV and cover letter, but I shall be doing in the future.

She also discussed the basics of different CV structures, such as chronological and skills based CVs. I usually order my CV in a chronological fashion, so it was interesting to look at different types of CV and how they can impact in an interview. I am applying for work experience for my Professional Practice module we have just begun so will need to write a new creative CV for this. 

Personal Development • 16 Braunton Shoot

I shot for a jewellery company the other week in Liverpool, photographing their summer collection. It was an enjoyable experience and although I was on my feet working and travelling for 12 hours, and spent numerous days afterwards editing the photographs, I learnt a lot from this experience.

Personal Development Plan

My first task on my PDP is to create a website for my own personal portfolio and to build my online presence. I will have to purchase a domain name and build a website using 4ormat (and a free template of theirs to spare the cost of paying a web designer to make me one), and then post my portfolio on there. At the moment, I am using a Facebook page to promote my presence online and get paid work that interest me. However, I don't having a Facebook page in the future is going to benefit my professional practice.

My second task is to develop my studio and darkroom skills. I have a summer placement this year on a camp in America building their online photographic portfolio and teaching the children who are staying there photography and film. I am so looking forward to this opportunity but feel like I need to brush up on my darkroom skills before I feel 100% confident to teach this to children on the camp. As for my studio skills, which relates onto a later task I want to complete; I want to maintain and improve my studio work and fashion interest, so that when I go away to America, I can come back and have maintained my knowledge within a studio environment.

My third task is to develop my event photography. If I do plan to go into teaching, I will still want to work as a freelance photographer on the side, shooting fashion and events for my own personal interest. Therefore, I want to carry on photographing events in my free time to build my portfolio for my website and to show clients who might be potentially interested in hiring me.

My fourth task is to get my work published in Vogue magazine. Although a high set out goal and it would have to be completed over a extended period of time, if you do not aim high you will never achieve what you truly want to. Relating back to task 2, I want to develop my studio work so in turn, my work within the fashion industry will become stronger.

My final task is to hold a public exhibition. I have already completed this goal prior to attending the meeting today, I have secured myself a solo exhibition at Darwen Library in my local town in October 2014 for a whole month. To extend this goal, I plan to organise this event to the best of my ability and have local coverage of it.

Review • Steve McCurry

Steve McCurry – A Review by Laura Parkinson

Steve McCurry and his series “Home Again” explores what other people consider their home in different countries and what it means to them. As a wise man once said, “It takes a heap o' livin' in a house t' make it
home” (Edgar Guest, 1916).

The photograph I have chosen from this set was taken in Russia, and shows an elderly lady in her back garden, with a worn down house in the foreground and a taller, dark looking building in the background. The lady looks happy, stretching out to open the gate almost to greet McCurry into her abode. To me, it shows that no matter what type of conditions some people live in, they manage to live a carefree and happy lifestyle. The colours draw me in, colourful and bright possibly indicating at a cheerful atmosphere, whilst in the distance the sky looks grey and the building dark and tiresome.

I find that McCurry’s way of working is inspirational to professional and amateur photographers. “He researches a place before picking up the camera, visiting five to ten villages in a given country before focusing on the most interesting one. He also rarely works alone.” (Lightbox, 2013). The sheer dedication McCurry places into each and every one of his images, each is packed with background research and a well developed story that McCurry has analysed and learnt before capturing the shot. He could almost construct a entire novel about the experiences he has had and what he has learnt. Within his set “Home Again”, he visits a long list of countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania and India, looking at the conditions that people live in and the cultural differences that are evident within their lifestyle. McCurry said in a recent interview “if you look at the photographers whose work we admire, they’ve found a particular place or a subject, dug deep into it, and carved out something that’s become special. And that takes a lot of time and a lot of work…” (DPReview. 2012)

I find this set interesting but also challenging. The work is well formed, sharp and diverse, but because of the diverse nature of the piece, I find it hard to draw a link between the images by simply placing them side-by-side in a plain gallery wall. Naturally, this can be seen as both a good thing, and a bad thing – his photographs are diverse and seemingly unrelated on the surface, which allows us to fall deeper into the research, and exploration that McCurry has conducted. He explores the famous Edgar Guest poem “Home” in great details, and runs with the quote from the piece; “It don't make a difference how rich ye get t' be', how much yer chairs and tables cost, how great the luxury; it ain't home t' ye, though it be the palace of a king, until somehow yer soul is sort o' wrapped round everything.” (Edgar Guest, 1916). You cannot call a house a home unless you have done some living within in, and these people have.

This body of work has not been shown within a gallery space in an art gallery, his work is shown online within the other photographs he has taken as part of the venture. Each are titled with the town and country they are photographed within, each showing the space that they spend their lives. It really is quite overwhelming seeing these people live within disheveled houses, when we complain about not having the latest technology when we already have something similar.

Compared with the other work that McCurry has produced, such as the famous “Afghan Girl” he photographed in 1984, this work isn’t far from his usual practice. It shows a situation that might be hidden by the media, a typical take on photojournalism. It shocks us to the extent of reevaluating our own lives and thinking about our situation against theirs. McCurry’s work moves people, which is what is so brilliant about it. Although not usually my type of photography, I admire McCurry’s work for its ability to educate and enlighten viewers.

References:

·      Little, M. (2013). 30 Years, 20 Passports: Untold Stories of Steve McCurry's Photographic Life. Available: http://lightbox.time.com/2013/08/28/30-years-20-passports-untold-stories-of-steve-mccurrys-photographic-life/#ixzz2oQHC4Mgo. Last accessed 22nd Dec 2013.

·      Guest, E. (1916). Home. Available: http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173578. Last accessed 22nd Dec 2013.

·      DPReview. (2012). Steve McCurry talks to Wordpress.com about his work, and why he blogs. Available: http://www.dpreview.com/news/2012/12/06/steve-mccurry-interview-on-wordpress. Last accessed 6th Jan 2014

Feedback • Gregory Crewdson Review

My review was not the strongest, I was having a bad week and it was the last thing on my mind so I could not produce an amazing piece as my mind was not creative enough. With numerous life changing situations, and lots of rejection, I just jotted down what I saw in the piece and provided no background information that I had collected the week before, and no quotes from reliable sources. We discussed this with my group in great detail and did not nominate my piece as the worst, as one of the members of my group did not write a review, therefore mine was still better. However, after looking at Warren and Jade's review, I understood what was needed to go into a review, and how I would go about writing one in the future.

Review • Gregory Crewdson

Gregory Crewdson explores staged photography to the very limits, producing cinematic images that take an average of 6 hours a time. Crewdson and his team of assistants perfect every part of the photograph until it looks like it has been taken from a film still out of a blockbuster movie. Critics have regarded his work as inspirational, whereas some people dislike his work for the amount of effort it takes for a shot that looks copied from a film.

The image shown above shows a woman in front of a parked vehicle with the lights on. Are the lights on for a reason, or are they drawing us into the photograph? I cannot help but admire Crewdson's work, the photographs look like paintings, all elegantly planned to the last strand of hair on the models head. The gaze in the distance indicates something is going on, which tells me that is why she has stopped the car. Most of Crewdson's images have a sci-fi feel to them, and this is no exception.

His work features disturbing and surreal events, which makes the viewer look deeper into the photograph to find the solution to the problem. I personally find Crewdson’s images disturbing yet intriguing, and give us a glimpse into a place that I cannot see as being planet Earth.

Personal Development • Twestival

I got offered the opportunity to work with Twestival on their Manchester event, documenting the night with a colleague at University, for the promoters. It was an amazing experience, and I met many artists whose work I found inspiring. Taking to other people in the freelance trade was helpful as well, as they shared with me their ups and downs, and how they would have progressed differently if they had been given the opportunity again. It was a great experience, and I plan to do more event photography in the future!

"Yet To Be Realised" workshop

We continued the project today titled "Yet To Be Realised" which was like a Chinese whispers forming photography. 

Group A began with a photograph of a bridge in the suburbs of Manchester with a woman walking through. She seemed to be dressed in formal attire as if she was going to a party or a professional job. This then lead on to a photograph that Tobias captured some years ago of a WW2 memorial statue in front of a McDonalds which he though represented the hidden Manchester and the change from traditional Manchester to commercial Manchester. He made sure the bird was in there as a representation of darkness, how the war has been forgotten by consumerism and McDonalds being a monopoly in the food industry. The third photograph was of a McDonalds chip packet, as the photographer wanted to represent someone who was scared of going into McDonalds for one reason or another, and when they finally got in there, all they could manage was a small bag of chips. I like the literal meaning of the photograph, the photographer has taken a day in the life approach to the narrative and I think it opens up the narrative more to interpretation. The fourth photograph was of a Topshop display, and the photographer who took this was basing the narrative on her friend who works in Topshop who goes to McDonalds everyday for her lunch, and how it has become a ritual. Again, this opens up the narrator to a complex and more interesting future narrative, but making it more personal to a certain person. However, from just looking at the photograph, I would not have guessed that meaning. The next photograph was from a BBC programme looking at the changed in the Manchester high street from the 60's and they have edited together a photograph from a street in Manchester from the the 60's and one from the modern day. Sophie wanted to show how the high street changed everyday and fits into the popular things in society. Topshop is a youth orientated company that focused on the "hip" things in society and what young people are interest in. The next photograph was chosen by Joe and showed four people from the 60's walking down a street together, in a black and white format. He chose this because he liked the older look of the photograph and it reminded him of people walking down a high street. The final photograph was of the popular band from the 60's The Beatles, jumping off a roof. Gary wanted to show a fun photograph to conclude the series, and he thought that the people waking down the street looked like The Beatles. I thought this was a good concept, and was well thought out to match the era and the character in the shot. Lawrence commented on the fact that The Beatles were not wearing overcoats and Gary should have considered this within his piece. From a personal perspective, the characters could have taken the overcoats off and then had the photograph taken so I do not think it should be something that should be taken too serious, from a professional point of view.

My group, group B, began with a famous photograph by Martin Parr of the elderly lady sat in the deck chair with the British flag covering her face. Kelly chose this photograph as she thought it had narrative potential and she personally liked the photograph. So do I! Warren then chose a photograph of a homeless man led on a bench shielding himself from the cold with an American flag. Everyone has mixed opinions about what this meant, some people said it meant no matter how bad times are, some people still love their country and stand by it even when their country had failed them. However, some said that they thought that it meant that they were clinging to the last hope of being saved, and it's the only thing they have left. Then Cherry took a photograph, which I received as my Chinese whisper image, of an American flag flying in the wind. I will go more into this in another blog post which will focus on my thought process and what I based my photograph on. The photograph following mine was of a pocket watch, Bee based her idea on the  idea of waiting and what that person might be waiting for. She noticed that the interior was quite dated, so she used a pocket watch to keep it in the era of the photograph being taken. The following photograph was sourced by Milly and because Michael wasn't here, we had a gap in our narrative. Michael sent Milly a photograph of a iPhone, so Milly sourced a photograph of someone walking to work in a suit with an iPhone, showing how technology has become so integrated in society we would notice when it was gone even though it is a luxury. The set then concluded with Jade's photograph which was of an artist she liked at work, sketching a portrait of a king off a deck of cards, which weirdly links back to the first image of patriotism and the royal family.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this idea, and thought it was a good way of analysing a photograph and thinking about its true meaning!

Review • Sean Smith: Iraq 10 Years On - A Photographers Story

Today, our course visited the Imperial War Museum to visit the Sean Smith exhibition looking at the Iraq war throughout its length, and the impact it has caused throughout Iraqi society, as well as back in America and Britain.

A lot of his work looked at the people who lived in Iraq and the soldiers of Erica and Britain at work, protecting, or not protecting, the members of the community that lived there. I cannot begin to imagine the conditions that both the civilians and the soldiers lived in, the entire photographic body of work evokes emotions that I have never felt before. I know one person, whom is not a close friend or relative, who has been deployed to a different country, so have not personally felt the pain and torment that comes with being an army wife or mother. However, after viewing these pieces of work, I can imagine what their family and friends must go through everyday.

This is one of the most thought provoking images that I looked at whilst viewing the exhibition. It was soon after Saddam Hussain does, the statue was pulled down from the centre of Iraq, ending the frightening rule he had over Iraq. I remember this incident, not well, as I was only about 9/10 years old. However, you can tell by the urgency in the soldiers eyes that what is happening has to happen fast, however, there is also a sense of happiness in his eyes, maybe hope that the war will soon be over?

The photographs were displayed in a one-four-one composition. One big photograph was displayed, followed by four smaller photographs in a square format. They were all part of a smaller series within the exhibition, and therefore all related to one another.

A lot of the photographs were not nice to look at but showed the real side of the Iraq war, not the filtered news we see on the television or hear on the papers. It's an accurate report of what went on in everyday life. The photographs contain blood and gore, wounds and women crying. Some people who viewed the exhibition, such as my friend who came to the exhibition with me, didn't understand why the photographer simply stood back whilst the pain and war was going on. Was he not emphatic to the situation at all, or was he simply there for the photojournalism and his job, feeling helpless to do anything for dear of getting hurt himself. I hope it is the latter. His photographs are inspiring, and have given me inspiration to take on the brief given to use from Areas of Photgraphic Practice B to the best of my ability!

This was my favourite photograph from entire exhibition, it is just compositionally perfect, the man in the foreground fighting for the spotlight photographically with the helicopter. The sunset in the distance makes the photograph look warm and promising, when in reality, there is a prisoner who is suspected of committing terrorist crimes about to be "dealt with", in whatever way that may be.