Evaluation

Customer Feedback- Tamar Valley Westerners
I had some amazing feedback from the group, they were pleased and interested to see what I knew about photography. They were also very cooperative with having there images taken and were very supportive to get the images I was after. I was asked to come back with images after they had gone through the editing process and had been printed. I had to have finals printed for my Final Major Project so I used them and took them to the leader of the Westerners. It was very hard to read his reaction at first because there wasn't one, he just looked intently at the images asked a few questions on how they were edited which apart from the basic slightly brighter or darker, there wasn't any. He then asked how much they were printed which I told him, he then asked how much I would sell them individually. I had never been asked this before, I wasn't prepared which made me instantly panic and worry. I needed to make a good return from printing the images so I said £10 a print. He then said right from each person that's in the images I will get them to pay £10 for a print maybe two just as long as I can use these images for a poster and if people wonder where they got the images from I will fully credit you. I instantly agreed as I have never never sold that many prints before and would be good experience on what people would be willing to pay for future sales. As soon as they saw the prints they thought they were superb and instantly wanted to buy them. I made orders for a further 8 prints. To make sure the images got to them safely I put them into clear sleeves so they looked more professional then just handing over a rolled up print. They were very pleased to have had there own copy of the images from that night and thought the £10 a print was very reasonable. This has been the greatest experience so far as I have had further orders for more prints and even starting to charge different prices for different sizes. The most popular has been A3 for £10 as they like the images taken, printed and presented professional so it's something special that they want to put in a frame and have in their home. To have the feedback that they want to put it in their homes in frames gave me the confidence boost I needed to see if I could do this as a career in freelance photography. This is still on going because I've been asked if I'm coming back setting up a mini studio as some want even more prints. I will be doing it again but at a later date when I'm not so busy with college work.

The overall experience from work based learning project has really helped me to define what a freelance photographer does and what is involved. It has made me see the equipment that I am going to need if I am to be a freelance photographer and give me confidence in talking to people. Getting to know the students on the BA year has given me a real insight into what is needed for the next year (even though I'm now terrified but excited!) just wish I could have gained more from experience from the exhibition. I was wondering whether this course of work would actually be useful for my future, but it turns out it was one of the most valuable for my learning. From it I have a greater understanding of business, work ethic and talking confidence to people.

Childrens Shoot

If I am to be a freelance photographer I need to be able to photograph a wide range of images including child portraiture. I used my niece as a model to practice but need to consider better lighting on the face to really brighten it up so you can see more detail around the eyes. Softer lighting needs to be used to soften the child's face and need to be careful on where I focus. I was quite fortunate to photograph her as she is very photogenic and loves to pose in front of the camera. I have taught her to not be afraid in front of cameras, to stay very still and to pose how she feels comfortable. It's like having my own personal model that knows exactly what I want and knows how to act like a model in front of the camera. At the moment im teaching her to refine her hands, so bringing her fingers together so there not spaced out, how to hold her hair and whether to have eye contact with the camera or not. She does find it a bit confusing when I tell her not to look at the camera because she thinks she needs to look at it all the time for the image. She is still a child though and won't stay still in the same pose for long which really helps to manage my time with her to get what I want quickly, in a limited time.

Carnglaze Caverns Assisted Shoot

I had the opportunity to assist Eileen Long, a photographer studying towards her BA (Hons), with a shoot that raises awareness in breast cancer. It was too be shot at Carnglaze Caverns a place where slates used to be mined. When we got there the lighting was already set up at the locations where she needed to photograph the women. Our job was too make sure the women got up and down the stairs ok, that they weren't cold and to hold any jackets or hats between shoots. Even though I was only holding and showing people it was still an amazing experience. The scale of such a shoot was amazing to see and even better to be apart of. The various use of equipment to make sure everything was well lit inside was incredible but because it had to be photographed in section then edited together it had to be well organised so the timing, positioning and camera had to be perfect. Nothing was allowed to be out of place so there was a lot of responsibility and pressure. Would not have liked to have felt the pressure of what the photographer was feeling because she couldn't go back and do it again.

It was good to get to know the other students that I haven't yet talked to on the BA year but it was the women that I enjoyed talking to. They each had there own story to tell of what happened most finding that telling their family to be the most devastating. It was a shock at first when I saw the amount of women coming into the room of all age and size. To think that they had each been through something so horrific and yet you wouldn't they had if you had just passed them in the street. It was amazing to talk to different people and the experience of seeing such a large scale shoot was incredible. I was really pleased to be part of such a good team no matter how small the job was.

Confederate Shoot

As with the United States Shoot I did the same with the Confederate side. The flags really make the image as it represents what side they are on and brings out the colour on the uniform. The Red, White and Blue are very patriotic colours making it stronger.

United States Shoot

I decided to use the flags and place them behind the subjects. This created a much stronger image which creates a patriotic feel to it. It also makes the background more interesting without distracting the attention away from the soldiers. 

Trilogy

This is the Tamar Valley Westerners Trilogy which honours the fallen soldiers and re-enacts the Confederates Surrender to the United States. There is only a limited time to take photographs because its not a long ceremony but it was great to capture and brilliant experience to make imagery to look interesting while not getting in the peoples way. 

FMP- Shoot one

Here is a collection from the first shoot I did with the Tamar Valley Westerners. I set up my own portable studio for the first time and thought it was an invaluable experience. I am now more prepared for set up with the timing involved and how much space they can take up. I would also set up the studio differently as I would not peg the backdrop to the side of the poles, I would have another pole across the top and have it draped down to avoid creases. I also had a few of the models suggest positions relating to the war and telling me their characters and shows. This helped them to relax so they weren't so stiff in the images. 

Final Major Project

My final major project is about the American Civil War and a documentation of that. I first got the idea of this project from working with the Tamar Valley Westerners. I have already took images of them in there Native American Gear as they needed images for a portfolio to show people what it is they do. I wanted to go further into the group so I asked if they would be available for me to take images. They agreed just as long it was in the clubs time so there equipment wasn't damaged or shown outside without supervision. I did a test shoot to experiment with lighting and how I could go about this project. While I was doing this I also talked with the models to see if there was any positions they could suggest, especially with the way they saluted. After this discussion I felt much better as I had a few ideas how I wanted them to pose. I will also be creating my first studio so it will be good to see if I have the skills to set up a good enough studio. Whatever happens it will be good experience and practice.

Portable studio shoot

While I was taking photos for my Final Major I was approached by a lady who wanted to have some portraits taken. I had some time and I agreed not realising there were so many! It was really challenging to try and get them all in front of my little studio which it just wasn't possible. It was also challenging to light that many people without shadows crossing. Also getting the timing right so the children were all facing the right way proved to be difficult. Even though I was put on the spot with this, I was glad I did it as it would be there last family picture together.

The Best So Far!

This was an exhibition held in the Trerise Gallery featuring the work submitted from the Foundation Degree Photography (Year 2) Group from Plymouth College of Art. There was an amazing variety of work on display showing just how creative each individual is and there own personal technique showing through. We submitted an image that best reflected our work or style. Each style is different but every image had a story behind it which links it to the artist. The Image I submitted was from a series of Images that show the journey of Drakes Leat through Dartmoor. I felt this image represented me best as a landscape photographer but it also had very powerful meaning throughout the image.

Unfortunately I was unable to help with putting up the actually show which I was really looking forward to do  as I have had previous experiences with putting up framed images in exhibition before. This was the third exhibition that my work has been exhibited in, first was at The Plymouth College of Art in 2009 where I showed time through light trails, my second time was again at The Plymouth College of Art in 2011 where I explored the Native American Culture. In 2012 I helped the Foundation Degree Photography (year 2) at the time with setting up the show, carrying boards, painting, measuring etc.

I do enjoy seeing my work in an exhibition because it looks really professional with it mounted and framed with other students work. It's nice to see when people compliment and appreciate the work that goes into it.

BA (Hons) Photography Auction Night

As I am hoping to top-up my Degree and go onto the BA (Hons) year I thought it would be good experience to go and see their auction night to get a sense of what is expected next year. I went to the one that was held in the Plymouth College of Art on Monday 4th March. Even though it wasn't a fantastically huge place to hold it, there was room for entertainment, refreshments and a projector to present the work that was for sale.

I spoke to Nick White who is on the BA year and asked him a few questions while he was at the auction. He discussed about the last auction and even though he didn't think they were going to make as much as last time he hopes that it was still going to be a good amount of earnings. Also they had a print from an artist that was donated to them which, rather then put into the auction they were hoping to approach a private collector to get more money. I also asked why he had picked his particular piece to go into auction as it was not from any of his recent work. He chose it because he thought obviously it would be best to sell but also that the image stood well on its on as his recent work is better viewed as a series. He was also curious to see how the image will do in an action on sale. He thought the image was appealing and thought it would attract a more variety of an audience for selling.

I had never been to an auction before and found it a good experience especially to know what's expected next year. The more work that is available to sell the more chance of getting money so it is good to approach people and see if they would make a donation. Its not something I can see myself doing for a living but it was good to and was also quite fun to see what prints would sell good and what wouldn't.

Events with the Tamar Valley Westerners

Here is a collection of imagery from their latest event which I photographed. This event entailed them to show the Native American Culture and their Tombstone shoot out at the O.K Corral.

I find that going to the events with the Tamar Valley Westerners a brilliant experience because it keeps me in practice with my photography while having something interesting to shoot. I developed my action shooting especially during the shoot out between the cowboys. It was brilliant to capture them in the moment of there acting with the shoot out! I feel that I shot the Native American side the best and showed how they represent the culture. I would like to use a different lens next time so there is more concentration on the main subject. A prime lens that will let me have an aperture of F1.4 for shallow depth of field, this also allows for quicker shutter speed while keeping the ISO relatively low.

Business Cards

Any freelance photographer uses business cards as they are easy to hand out to perspective clients, also a great way for them to remember your details. I have had business cards before but they need updating as I have new contact details, work and logo that need to be displayed. I chose these three images to be put onto the cards because they each show an area that I specialise in. Landscape, wedding and portraiture which these show and I can hand out to whoever wants them. They also have updated contact details and my emblem from my logo.

Facebook

I have decided to create a Facebook page so that I am able to keep up to date with people as well as show my latest work. It is a very good way to network with people and keep them informed as the average person goes on Facebook up to 50 times a day. It would be foolish not to as this is another way to advertise your business and its free! It is easy to organise your pictures into albums, easy to keep updated with latest projects and easier for people to share your work for everyone else to see.
My Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/AlexDancePhotography

Logo!

If I am to be recognised in the photography world then I will need a good strong logo that will be linked to my work and what I do. Using Indesign I started to play around with fonts but couldn't find any that I seemed to like let alone see what would use as a logo! So I turned to a friend who is a graphic designer, Tom White. He is the Co-founder of the company Inspiration Hut which showcases a wide range of artists work as well as there own Fonts and Photoshop tutorials.
This is the link to the website: http://inspirationhut.net/

I am very pleased with my logo as the font has been designed uniquely to me and has a professional quality to it. The small emblem makes it easy for me to mark my images as mine without spoiling the imagery and it links with the main logo. Alex is a very masculine name and is often associated as a male name even though it could be either. The style of font, I think, gives it that slight feminine feel to it while maintaining a professional look and feel to the logo. 

Client Brief

So the first project I got given from the College was to take images to a clients need. The client turned out to be the college itself and so I was given the challenge of shooting the night life in Plymouth. I had shots taken from around the centre of Plymouth and the Barbican. To make the City Centre look more exciting I slowed the shutter down as slow as possible to get the longest trail from car lights.

These images are copyrighted to Alex Dance Photography.

Paid for Printing!

I did a shoot for a College project which involved me to photograph a model and make it look as pose them as if they were the author of a real book. We had to shoot on film so I used a Hasselblad (square format camera) and a large format (5x4). As for using him as a model (for free) I agreed that I will give him digital copies. He then went through and a few weeks before Christmas requested these to be printed at A4 size. 

These images are copyrighted to Alex Dance Photography.