Previously I submited for my final pitch for this module that I wanted to:

Shoot a heart warming event, like a run, and make it into a magazine.

I want to capture people participating in the race and interview them to find out about their story. I also want to capture teh heartwarming moments that take place during a race, for example at then end when families reuinte. These moments to me speake 1000 words.

I will then compile this into a 8 page magazine spread with a avriety of landscape and portrait picturfes that compliment the article.

Although I will still be doing this, I have now decided to widen my scope.

So, I will also focus my features around the beauty of running. This can then still include the charity side and I can do an interview with someone running at the event. As well as interviewing someone who runs for their own benefit and mental health, and perhaps someone who has made a running group and runs for the social side. This would then be four solid interviews, I can include secondary data about running and get far more photos.

I have decided to do this as it will give me mopre room for pictures and writting as following my interview ith St Gemma’s Hospice, I felt I may struggle. Also because recently, I feel like running has really taken off in a whole new way.

In light of this, I have found a running group and an individual(s) all willing to participate. I have arrange interveiws with all, here are the questions:

Individual runner:

Full name and age
Why did you start running?
How did you find it at first?
How long have you been running for?
How far do you run?
How often do you run?
What reasons do you run?
What physical effects have you noticed?
What mental effects have you noticed?
How has running impacted you?
What feelings do you get when you run/after?
Can you describe ‘runners high’?
Have you done any races?
If so, what was that experience like for you?
What would you say is the best thing for you about running?
What would you say to someone who wants to start running?
Anything else you would like to say or feel as though my questions have missed?

Running group:

Full name and age
Name of running group
Why did you start running?
How did you find it at first?
How long have you been running with the group for?
How far do you run?
How often do you run?
What reasons do you join a running group?
What physical effects have you noticed?
What mental effects have you noticed?
How has running impacted you?
How is running with a group?
What benefits have you noticed of running in a group compared to solo?
How are differing abilities catered for?
What feelings do you get when you run/after?
Can you describe ‘runners high’?
What would you say is the best thing for you about running with a group?
What would you say to someone who wants to join a running group?
Anything else you would like to say or feel as though my questions have missed?

And I am planning on taking pictures of these the week commencing 7/04/25.

I will still be making thesed into a magazine spread which, the desinge is soemthing I need to start considering.

My next steps will still to hire out a camera and get some practivce shots.

Reflection

Week 1:

This week was the first week of the photography module. I have never done anything to do with photgraphy at any level of education or for fun so for me this was a completely new thing.

We began the moduel by looking at the assessment criteria as well as different exampels of photographic journalism.

For the task, we were asked to choose a topic from a list and create a story from it including pictures we had took. For this, I created a story about TRAD Collective, a vintage shop in Leeds City Centre. I interviewed the store owner and a customer as well as getting two images of the store.

I took these images on my phone. I know this work will not be my best that I produce as I am only just begining and I also plan to use a camera for my final project. However, it’ll be interesting to reflect back at the end of this module.

Week 2:

This week, we looked at the differnt types of photojournalism. From this, I was able to recognise styles that I had seen in a variety of magazines, newspapers and online outlets. As well as making decisions about the things I did and did not like.

For the task, we had to reasearch a particular style of photojournalism and find exampels of our own and reasearch about the images. Having taken a liking to portrait I reasearched some of the most famous portrait images I could find. I particullarly liked portrait photography as I like the way it hones in on one person in particular and really pasy attention to all their features.

This task helepd me to gain a better udnerstanding of portrait photogrphay and sparked ideas that I could include in my final project.

Week 3:

For week three, we looked at constructed images and how the view point in which an image is taken can affect a story.

For the task, we were asked to reasearch some famous examples of these. I chose Lunch Atop a skycraper and the controversial 9/11 image.

Both these pictures allowed for a lot of disscusion about the story they tell and how what is seen in the image may not be what is actually happening.

This highlighted to me that when I take the images for my final project, I need to make sure what I am photgraphing is true to the events taking place and can’t be questioned or distroted

I don’t think there is anything wrong with constructing an image as long as the truth behind the image is shared too.

Week 5:

In week five we got to start practicing skills that were spoken about in the lecture part of the workshop into practice. This week it was ISO and shutter speed.

For the task, we were aked to photos using fast and slow shutter speed. For this, I used burst mode on my phone to get a picture of Saffy jumping to emulate a fast shutter speed and long exposure of cars moving to emualte a slow shutter speed.

This was a fun and interesting skill to practice as the results were instant. Although the images were not the best in terms of quality they higlighted some very important things I need to consider for my final project.

As I am photgraphing a charity running event, I will need to use a fast shutter speed to capture crisp images of those running and ensure i can almost ‘freeze the moment’ in the picture.

Week 6:

This week, we looked at post- production editing. This is the part of the module that I felt I would struggle the most with as there is a lot of things you can do that may look good or may not and I just have no concept of what is or isn’t good.

For the task, we were asked to edit some images we had previously taken in photoshop. I was quite happy with how my edits turnt out as I do feel they did improve the images. I now know as well, that this is the area of the final project I need to take the most care with. Hopefully, if my images are good enough then minimal editing will need to happen however, I want to be careful when doing it to not ruin the images.

Week 7:

For the final workshop, we looked at cropping images. If I am being totally honest, I am still figuring out the purpose of perspective crop.

For the task, we were asked to crop two images. One from portrait to landscape and one to perspective crop.

Cropping from portrait to landscape was an easy task and one that may be of use to me during my edits as I plan on using both portrait and landscape images in my magazine pages. However, I don’t quite understand the benefit of a perspective crop. I am hoping with some outside work and more explanation this will become clear so if I do need to use it during editing I can.

Week 8-9:

For the last few weeks, I have been working on my final project.

For this, I have organsied and conducted three interveiws aswell as dates for me to take my images.

Reasearched around the topic for my feature so I can include secondary sources.

And finally, updated my pitch to fit my new proposal.

Over the next four weeks, I will be taking my images, editing them and compiling my magazine pages.

This week I have began writting the feature.

Week six workshop

This week, we have been looking at post production, specifically cropping and colour correcting images.

I used images I took last week when we looked at ISO and edited them.

Below you can see the before and after.

Before:

A girl is jumping with her legs out to the side over a black and yellow bollard

After:

Although the images are only slightly different, changes were made. I lowered the brightness, upped the contrast, increased the vibrancy and lowered the saturation.

I did these things because I felt as though the original image was slightly washed by the natural sunlight but I wanted to maintain and enhance the vibrant vibe produced from the image itself.

Image two

The second image I chose was one that I have previously took of people playing goalball. When I took these image I had no knowledge of how to use a camera so was just guessing and therefore, post production editing is vital.

Before:

Three men sit in a triangualr formation on a gymnasium floor. They all have their hands on the floor and eye masks on

After:

For this image there is a very clear difference. I drastically increased the brightness, lowered the contrast and increased the vibrance.

The original image was very dark and quite yellow toned so in order to counteract these issues, i made the image brighter and more vibrant. It adds a crispness and freshness to the once dingy looking image and make the quality better.

I also cropped out the two bi-standards as they do not add anything to the image and are therefor, not needed.

Shutter speed and ISO

This week we looked at shutter speed and how they can impact the way an image looks.

First, we looked at how slow shutter speed effects an image. On an iPhone, you can achieve this result through using live phot then adding the long exposure effect.

Here is the image I took:

A girl stands infrotn of a road in Leeds as a bus drives past — Using slow shutter speed has caused the subject to be still whilst the blurred bus moves behind.

To achieve this, we ensured to take the photo in a busy area with a lot of action. The subject also stayed very still to ensure they weren’t blurred.

Next we looked at fast shutter speed.

On an iPhone, you would use the burst mode to capture an image ‘frozen in time’.

Here is what I took:

By using burst mode, I could capture a clear and crisp image of the subject jumping.

Vintage store makes move to Leeds high street

The front window of sustainable shop TRAD Collective

TRAD Collective are making their name in Leeds after their recent move to the city centre

TRAD Collective an award winning sustainable second-hand store, has recently made the move from Headingley’s high street to the city centre.

Sandwiched in-between some of the biggest names on the UK highstreet, TRAD Collective have made their name as the best rated vintage store in Leeds.

James Fennwick, co-founder of TRAD Collective said: “We’re the only vintage store in Leeds to have its own instore sewing studio. This means if you find something you like here but it doesn’t quite fit you, we can alter that for you.

A sewing machiene sits at the front of the image with behinde a large wooden shelving unit full of a variety of fabrics — TRAD Collective is the only vintage shop in Leeds that has its own in-store sewing studio

Despite the move being mostly positive, some customers were not so happy. Grace Saunders, a regular customer, said: “I found the store when I was in Headingley and it was just round the corner. Now, I have to make a journey to it, which I will do cause I love it, but it’s not the same.”

However, for the owners of the second-hand store, buisness is better than ever as they recently were awarded Best Indie at the Smart Work Awards this year. Fennwick said: “We were so happy to finally win this awarded, we were nominated three times. Its nice that our hardwork has paid off.”

As the new year begins, TRAD Collective are looking to get their name out there with a whole avriety of new lines and innitatives to get people shopping sustainably.