My Final PDP

I will go through each goal and complete them before the time I've stated, or at least I will try my hardest to. I've chosen to complete things that will benefit me now and later in life, most of them are things that I can keep improving on after leaving university and when entering a career in photography. I've demonstrated some means of completion within the process of creating this blog and I shall carry on doing so until I feel I've reached my goals. I've enjoyed bettering myself mentally and academically through this process and appreciate the new knowledge I've gained in different areas, a project like this allows you to think about what you need to do and structure it and think of ways how you can complete the goals which then makes it a lot easier to actually do them. 

Reading List - Barbara Rosenthal

-American avant-garde artist, writer and performer.
-She is know for often revisiting past works, recombining old elements with new.
-She often appears in her work in some way, this may include x-rays, brain scans, clothing and sometimes physical or textual elements from her journals.
-She is also known for her intense introspection and through using herself as a guinea pig.
-She explores what it means to be human.

It was very difficult to find any evidence of Rosenthal's work online so I'm still not entirely sure what her work is like but from what I've read it sounds interesting, controversial and extremely personal. For my Negotiated Major Project I produced similar work as to what I assume Rosenthal's work is like, or at least I planned to, I explored the use of text in image and looked at brain scans and how I could use them within my work. I find work that explores the life or elements of an artist or photographer, very interesting because I'm fascineted with finding out new things about people and looking into their life. This work tells me a lot about Rosenthal, she seems to be a quirky and free spirited woman. 

Jobs!

One of my goals is to have a part time job but like I mentioned before, I wouldn't mind if this turned into a full time job. I've actually been offered an interview to a full time assistant job, working for the council in Rochdale town hall, the job will start in June, after I've finished uni and will require my patience, cooperation, typing, writing and highlighting skills as well as communication, listening and understanding important things. I like the sound of this job although it isn't photography related, it's in my home town (where I'll be moving back to after I leave Salford in June), and I've heard that working for the council opens doors for people for the future! I'm going to go to the interview with a very positive attitude and portray myself in a professional manner. As well as this I've been offered a part time photography job shooting for a new clothing brand called Black Cyprus. http://www.blackcyprus.co.uk/.

Photography Equipment - What Is Out There

I found a great site listing the essential equipment to have if you're a starting photographer. http://www.apogeephoto.com/nov2012/photographers-toolkit.shtml. I've never been interested in using anything that will enhance my images other than the camera itself because I've always been able to produce images to a high quality without them and without having the money to supply these items of equipment I've never had the chance. I would like to know more about what is out there and how it works in case I do one day have enough money and would then be interested in purchasing some new stuff!

1.  A DSLR Camera & Lenses
My Camera:
I've got a Canon 550d. I find Canons easier to work with than Nikons so this is why I opted for the camera I've got! It cost me about £500 which was a lot of money for me at that time, it took a while for me to get over that expenditure. I love my camera, its easy to use, clear and understandable, brilliant image quality, smooth HD video, quick responses and overall great companion.

2.  Camera Strap

I have a strong adjustable strap that fits around me in order to have a stable and secure hold. 

3.  A Means of Carrying All Your Camera Gear 

I have a waterproof camera bag that is compact, lightweight and easy to manoeuvre! 

4.  Tripod & Ball Head 

I have a lightweight extendible tripod that I love using because of it's stability and adjustable heights and positions. 

5. GorillaPod

This is a great little addition to your full-sized tripod.  It’s a mini tripod that is light weight, sturdy and literally, very flexible.  It’s perfect when you need a steady base for the camera but don’t want to carry a full tripod with you.

I have a gorillapod. 

6.  Hoodman Loupe
It provides glare-free viewing of the images on your camera’s LCD screen, so you can easily check that image for good composition, exposure and clarity before you leave a location.

7.  Lens Filters
There is a wide variety of lens filters on the market, but there are three types of filters that should be considered - UV, Neutral Density (varying degrees of ND filters is good too) and Polarizing filters.

8.  Diffuser & Reflector Kit
With diffusers and reflectors you can control the direction or the amount of light on a subject by diffusing, bouncing, angling, reflecting, and softening the light.  You can tone down or eliminate shadows and even change the colour tone.

9.  Exposure Meter
Reflective in-camera light meters can give misleading readings when there is a wide contrast variance in a scene, such as a dark foreground and bright sky, or when the light is bouncing off reflective surfaces.

10.  External Flash Units (LED/Metz)
Your in-camera flash will not have the capabilities of an external flash, so if you add this item to your tool kit, you will be able to direct, bounce, diffuse, soften, angle, and regulate the amount of flash light on your subject.  You can even add colour gels to produce various warm colour tones. 

11.  Remote Shutter Release
The tripod is holding your camera steady, but just the touch of the shutter release can cause a vibration blur in an image.  To get those really sharp images, a remote shutter release is essential.


12.  Extra Camera Battery and Memory Card
I don't have an extra battery but  always make sure the one I have is fully charged before going out on a shoot. I do have extra memory cards because some shoots can take up hundreds and hundreds of image space.


13.  Camera and Lens Cleaning Supplies
Giottos cleaning kits are a good place to start and are some of the best.


14.  Lens Hood
Many photographers place a lens hoods on their lenses.  One, it acts as a protective shield around the lens in case you drop your camera, and second, it blocks the angled light that is coming into the lens, which in turn can cause lens flare - those hexagon or octagon shaped spots on your photos.

Photography Groups

I've looked at a few photography groups in my area to see if anything would suit me.

http://www.smcc.org.uk/
We are an active and progressive club that offers a varied programme of speakers and events. 

http://www.northmanchestercameraclub.co.uk/

Welcome to the North Manchester Camera Club website. Are you interested in photography and want to meet people who share your interest. North Manchester Camera Club runs weekly and gives you the opportunity to share your photos with others and learn techniques on how to make them better.

Whether you are interested in entering competitions, learning how to make better pictures or just want to meet other photographers, North Manchester Camera Club has something for you.

http://www.manchestercameraclub.org/

Manchester Camera Club is group of photographers at all levels who are interested in sharing photographic interests, talents and ideas with others.  You are invited to attend our meetings and share your knowledge and passion with us.  Expand your photographic skills by sharing technical knowledge, photogenic locations, tips, experiences and ca-mer-a-derie on field trips, workshops, and model shoots. On occasion, speakers of note are scheduled to share their experiences and works of art at meetings during the year.

http://www.redeye.com/With experts in A/B & multivariate testing, UX design, usability, data analysis and personalisation all under one roof, we can deliver a full end-to-end optimisation and UX design service.

I like the sound of the Manchester Camera Club, their website was inviting, professional and delivered an exciting pitch for potential new members. I will carry on looking for more to see what is out there!

Independent Project Ideas

I've always been interested in the Japanese fashion Lolita because of its quirky, striking, bold style that draws massive attention. I've done some work exploring this fashion before as I have a friend who used to dress in that way and through her I've met a lot more people who are interested in this fashion. I've had the idea for a long time to do a shoot with a Lolita dresser and a small child, the idea is for the child to take control of the life of the Lolita dresser whilst the Lolita dresser is posing as the child's doll. The fashion is very doll like in the sense that it's big, puffy, frilly, bright and full of big bows, magical shapes and varied textures. I can picture the sort of things I want in my mind but have never got round to producing them. The series of images will portray the daily life of the little girl and her relationship with the doll, the doll will be bigger than the little girl so the images will seem bizarre that the little girl is the one in control. This project is something that I will take up after leaving uni so my vision will come alive!

Building My List Of Contacts

I'm a very approachable and friendly person who meets new people every time I leave the house. I make friends in the supermarket, on the bus, and even in the queue at the bank so it's no surprise that I've got many contacts from university. The place where I meet the most people is in our Students Union Bar, Bar Yours, this is where I spend a lot of my free time because I love the atmosphere, the uni experience and meeting and talking to new people. I've got contacts with at least one person from every walk of university life, from the cricket team to the LGBT, I know a lot of people! I try my best to stay in contact with everyone I meet because I enjoy talking to people, I like keeping friendships alive and like I've previously mentioned, you never know who could help you out in the future. I will carry on building this list of contacts and maintaining my friendships that I have with people!