Progress Update – Week 9

This past week, for my photojournalism project, I aimed to take some more photos using techniques I have researched in the past in preparation for the coming week when I will take most, if not all, of the photos I need to complete the project. I was away for a week and a half and had troubles accessing my emails until recently so I struggled to update my progress last week, however, I used my time on holiday to further practice my photojournalism skills.

Research

Glasgow is a city with an American-inspired grid system so there are many long, straight roads that allow for one point perspectives. Alongside this, artificial lights from bars, vehicles and streetlights also make the image much more pleasing aesthetically. This image will prove to be beneficial to my final project given it’s similarity to what I am intending to capture, i.e, a semi-busy street with artificial lighting with a single point perspective and an element of industrial influence. In this case, the industrial influence is represented by the more recently built roads, newer cars and modernised buildings next to the much older St George’s Square and adjacent Grade 2 listed buildings.

This photo of Bamburgh Castle utilises single point perspective in a different way, using the non-parallel/non-perpendicular fence lines to draw the readers attention towards the castle. Even with a lack of a straight line towards the castle, the fence leading from the furthest edge of the first field and the different colour fields either side of it draw attention towards the end of the fence where the castle is. While this may not resemble the idea I had for my photojournalism project, it’s still beneficial to my research given the attempt at establishing a single point perspective via more creative methods.

I also think this may inspire me to include a photograph similar this, juxtaposing the large industrial buildings present in Teesside’s marsh-land with the much older heritage buildings. An example of this would be Middlesborough’s town hall in the background juxtaposed by the Transporter Bridge or Riverside Stadium in the foreground. This would represent the over-domineering industrial history and the often forgotten Victorian or earlier history.

Progress

This week, I will be situated in Teesside and will therefore have the opportunity to go and take photos for my project. I will further research techniques and locations before I go but am confident in my ability to complete this task within the next week. Upon my return to Leeds, I will use the skills picked up in the workshops to edit the photos using digital software. I will also ensure my previous tasks are completed and if finished early, I will attempt to complete some of the extra credit work given to us via the workshop tasks.

I will update this page with my preparation progress and any further research, but after taking my photos, I will create a new research post next week to focus more on them, the challenges I have faced, solutions to them and my steps going forward.

In addition to this, upon further researching styles and techniques, I will also create a second and a third draft research post to document such findings (given that a few of the photos are not creative commons licensed.)