For my FMP I am going to a photo series with the theme of documentary photography, specialising in street photography. I am going to do this by photography around London and my surrounding areas. I have chosen to do this as my final major project because I really enjoy documentary photography and I will be perusing it in the next academic year genre and I would like to expand my knowledge and test the limits of what I can do as a photographer. I chosen street photography as the focal point of my subject because it is a good way to show the way people act when they do not realise they are being photographed. Throughout my two years of doing photography at college I have never explored documentary photography in depth so I am excited to try out a new genre that I have always been interested in trying out. My audience for my final shoot will be everyone who may be interested in people and the way they act and their movements. My final pieces could be used in a magazine series or in a photographic book. My idea for my final piece will be a series of 4-6 images that show off the people and places I photograph in the street surrounded by props that I have not quite decided on yet but they will show off the actions that are being shown in the images. I am going to print off by images on different sized canvases and hang them from the ceiling to give them the illusion of floating.
To start off my project I am going to have to do a vast amount of research and experimental shoots before I can photograph my final images. The research I will do will include case studies of photographers or other artists; I will do three technical case studies and three conceptual case studies; this will be to help me understand different techniques and also will inspire me when taking my final images as I will know which images of protests look good and what ones don't work as well. I will also do a case study on the history of street photography and what makes the photographs eye-catching and effective. I am then going to do a series of technical and conceptual experimental shoots to help my prepare for my final images. Over the half term I had the amazing opportunity to go and visit Iceland, where I did many photo shoots will will guide me when it comes to my final shoot. I will use these as technical shoots after I have edited them. I will also go around my local area for my conceptual shoots as well as taking images of people in a natural location setting. After I have completed these experimental shoots I will evaluate them so I can see what went well and what could be further improved. I am also going to do a research page on possible ways that I would present my work. I have a few ideas that I have written earlier in this post but I am open to change if I find a more effective way of presenting my images. To further my research I will try and explore busy places that I have never been before and also try and go to galleries or exhibitions with the theme of street photography; this will again give me some inspiration for my final images.
When shooting my experimental shoots and my final images, I will be using my Nikon 810 and switching between a 50mm Nikon lens and a 70-300mm lens. My exposure setting will depend on the weather and whether my selected protests are inside or outside. I assume that they will all be outside during the day, so that it will be bright outside but it can't be planned until I am there. I will most likely be using a fast shutter speed so I can capture the action of the protest sharply and clearly. I am going to also most likely use a low aperture setting so that the background is slightly blurred so that the focal point of my images are more prominent. The ISO will also be quite low as the images will be taken outside so there will be a lot of natural light.
There are a few difficulties that I may face when doing my final shoot. The main one being if I am actually photographing strangers and being able to get their consent. Although I believe that most people do not mind getting their photograph with, I may not be as welcomed as I would like to be. To overcome this I will always ask the person I am photographing or I could even be really sneaky and try and do it without them realising; this may also be helpful because the image will not be at all posed and I will be able to capture the most candid images I possibly can. The shoots I am doing will take up a lot of time because I would like to photograph as many people as I can in as many places as I can; this is not much of a problem because it means that I have a while to take all the images that I could possibly need. The cost is not a lot, all I would have to pay for is my travel to London when shooting there.
After taking my images I will be editing them. My plan is to not edit them a huge amount, possibly just adjusting the levels and curves to enhance the colours and the focal point of the image. I will practice my editing techniques for a few of my experimental shoots just to find out what editing techniques look the best and are the most effective.
Throughout doing my experimental shoots and all when it comes to finishing my final images I will be evaluating them in as much detail as possible to help me get the most out of my photographs and help me to learn and progress with my work. The most common way of reviewing my work will be to write evaluations on my blog because that is what I find easiest to gain feedback from. However, I will also be getting feedback from my tutor and my peers as it is good to get an outsiders perspective of your work as they may stop something that may not be so effective or is really effective that I was not able to identify.
The final step of my final major project will be presenting it. I have a few ideas but throughout the course of this project I know it will most likely change. As I've already said I will be doing a research page on the different ways that photographs can be presented; this will hopefully inspire me and give me some ideas for the way I present my work. I could also research this by going to galleries and exhibitions to see how it is done there. I do not want to use a generic idea of presenting my work as I want it to stand out. My initial idea is to use other props but I will research the most effective ways before I make my final decision.
During this project I am going to record my progress as I go also, I will do this through the evaluations of my experimental shoots as that I where I am going to make the most progress. After completing my experimental shoots I will evaluate them and if there is anything that I need to improve I will go back and try and shoot it again, this will help me develop my skills and improve my photographical knowledge. I will also have to record a bibliography throughout this unit to reference my research articles and show where I have gotten my information from. This is all leading up to my end of year exhibition where I will show all of my developed skills whilst producing an artistic and interesting final show.
