OCA SYP | Study Blog
This blog is now closed and the work is being formally assessed.
For assessors:
Thank you for reviewing my work.
Leave a CommentI had a Google meeting with my tutor on 20 December to feedback on my publication evaluation. The assessment submission is here – A5: Publication Evaluation | For Formative Feedback. In this post, I summarise the feedback received.
As previously mentioned, I agreed with my tutor to create this assignment primarily as a video presentation A5: planning. All materials are also included in the padlet: https://oca.padlet.org/Fitz/drifting. The submission for this assignment comprises:
The script for the video can be viewed here:
This was developed from A4 and substantiates the story conveyed in the video: https://fitzgibbonphotography.com/drifting-synopsis/.
The assignment also requires an explanation of how the work will be submitted for assessment. I propose (after earlier discussions with my tutor) that this will be through the Padlet: https://oca.padlet.org/Fitz/drifting
The padlet itself explains the submission: a) the SYP video b) the Drifting website c) The Synopsis of Work and Promotion. In addition, I created two short additional documents to be included as part of the submission and included them on the padlet:
A memo of outcomes of learning against the PH6SYP learning objectives:
A schedule of references used during research for SYP, including industry research on the Photoblogger. Neither the padlet nor the online materials lend themselves well to academic referencing, so I’ve created this PDF schedule of references instead:
Leave a CommentThe requirements for A5 in the course manual are:
Submit a 2,000-word reflective account of the resolution of your publication (i.e. the work you have done since Body of Work). You should discuss in depth how you have resolved your major publication and justify your particular choices relating to its publication. Evaluate your efforts to engage an audience with your major project and the related themes. This should be a fully illustrated and referenced piece of academic writing.
You should also reflect upon the feedback you documented throughout the publication of the work, and also describe how you might either develop and/or promote the work further. If appropriate, you should include installation shots and a press book and/or visitor’s book.
In A4 discussions with my tutor, it was agreed that it was acceptable to submit this as a video presentation accompanied by a script. This is on the basis that there is already considerable written work around SYP – the materials on the website, the Padlet, and the online Synopsis of work and promotion. I’ll compile a list of references to add to my materials for the academic context.
I learned about writing for the spoken word when writing the narrative for my Drifting video – what sounds good in one’s head may not work so well when spoken out loud. Therefore, I’ll be reading the script out loud as it is edited to avoid rework once voice recording starts. Content-wise, I intend to address the context of the progression of my SYP work as well as the work itself (ie the challenges I’ve faced through OCA organisation).
I’m also conscious of my own limitations as an ‘actor’ when reading out loud (I originally voiced the Drifting narrative). However, I found some useful advice from an author who also read Audible books – be loud, be slow (150 wpm max), and don’t drone (say the words naturally as if you are telling the story, not self-consciously reading).
In the video, I plan to show the site-specific exhibition images as a background and demonstrate the mobile interactivity of the poster QR codes.
Leave a CommentI received feedback on A4 (A4: final draft and promotion | self-assessment) and had a useful and positive discussion with my tutor yesterday to discuss that and the approach to A5 (publication evaluation).
Main points to consider from A4:
Forward to A5:
The project proposal has turned into a mini saga, with my first tutor leaving the OCA without formalising feedback, me doing minor edits based on the informal feedback, and then my new tutor giving additional feedback A2: Tutorial and re-Feedback (new tutor). As well as the general feedback, I liked the suggestion of working the assignment as if it were an application for Arts Council England (ACE) grant funding – it could then be used as a template and experience for any future funding applications.
I did further research on the ACE requirements, tips for writing grant applications, and a review of successful applications (see research materials on Padlet – https://oca.padlet.org/Fitz/drifting). Based on this and the content of my earlier draft, I’ve created a final version of the proposal and attach it here as a pdf.
What was particularly valuable about this exercise was working within the character limits for each area that are set in ACE’s Grantium platform. This made me see just how concise such proposals need to be.
Click to view in new tab.
Leave a CommentI’ve made this evaluation against the ‘assessment criteria’, rather than the ‘learning outcomes’ documented in the course material. I suppose the course material will eventually be updated to reflect the more recently introduced assessment criteria. In the meantime, taking this approach will avoid a remapping exercise for assessment submission.
The submission for this assignment is here.
Creativity 20%
Make creative decisions in the resolving of a body of work that employs appropriate media and techniques articulating a personal creative voice.
In the context of Covid-19, online space has become more important and physical space at a premium with a backlog of artists waiting to show work. While still pursuing opportunities for a actual site-specific exhibition, I have created a mock-up so realistic that most viewer comments indicate they believe it to be real. I have embraced John Tagg’s idea of photography creating a new and specific reality and use that to show photography. The exhibition links to a project website that acts as a hub for viewing the short-film, looking still images, seeing photographs of the exhibition and reading about the project.
Presentation and Outcomes 40%
Articulate and synthesise ideas and research in the presentation of a body of work to an audience.
I have used a website landing page to present this assignment as an interactive project catalogue. I believe it successfully provides an accessible way of viewing a significant volume of materials without over-whelming the reader (using the multiple surfaces of the internet).
I believe the work is presented in an accessible format and its ideas are expressed within the narrative and images of the work itself, as well as in the additional information (including artist statement) that is shared on the website that acts as a hub to bring together the different aspects of the work. The work has been widely viewed and publicised as described in the assignment.
Professional context 20%
Independent dissemination of a personal creative voice. Articulate independent judgements and identify opportunities for professional and or personal development.
I worked independently on getting my work seen widely and with some critical acclaim. There are opportunities to explore in terms further work with still images, sound and narrative that could be used in a heritage/commercial environment – though using a different lens of representation. I’ve experienced how difficult it is to get attention for even promising projects if they don’t meet the aesthetic views of decision makers – in the end this work seems to be heading the way of art for art’s sake.
Knowledge 20%
Demonstrate comprehensive critical knowledge, understanding and reflection of relevant techniques and theoretical context(s) emerging from your outcomes
My proposal for realising the work, incorporates research on site specific exhibitions and the benefits they hold for viewers and the art work. I’ll reflect that in my summing up for assessment purposes.
Leave a CommentThis assignment requires the submission of a volume of materials relating to the final draft of the work and promotional activities. After exploring and researching different options for presenting this volume of information, without it become overwhelming for the viewer, I settled on a web-browser based catalogue that makes use of the multiple surfaces of the internet; the viewer is presented with a chunked up landing page and can click through to reveal more details. It is also easy to access materials hosted elsewhere on the internet from this page, such as the microsite for the project. The viewer can orientate at any time by returning to the landing page.
The project catalogue is accessed here – https://fitzgibbonphotography.com/drifting-catalogue/.
It is hosted on a separate WordPress site that provides a more versatile theme than that used for my learning log. Full use was made of the recently introduced WordPress Gutenberg blocks to create a layout with breathing space around the contents – this required separate research and experimentation.
Research materials are on the Padlet (https://oca.padlet.org/Fitz/drifting).
Self-reflection on this assignment is here: A4: final draft and promotion | self-assessment
This appendix provides a textual compilation of the information that was used in constructing the web-based project catalogue. I have included it here as supplementary information, if it is required.
The parts that follow deal with the publication of the work; the promotion of the work; ‘footfall’ and feedback strategies; and artist information.
The publication of my work is multifaceted, with the website www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk (the Drifting website) acting as a hub for the different aspects of the work , while also being a part of the publication itself.
My project was not intended to cumulate in a single high-point of an exhibition. As much as I aspired for a site-specific exhibition, it seemed something unlikely to be achieved in the short-term as an unknown artist, working at the time of Covid-19, with established artists scrambling for space and funding as the country comes out of lockdown. So, given the digital nature of my work (and that I had a film), I took advantage of online space to promote my work as and when opportunities arose. Here, I summarise the various promotional activities already undertaken. I will continue to explore other opportunities as they arise.
With the Drifting website acting as a hub for my work and my paid Vimeo subscription offering analytics, it is online analytics that are central to measurement of viewer numbers. Even if an actual site specific exhibition were to take place, viewers would be linked to the website through mobile their mobile devices (QR codes and website URL on posters), which would give a indication of engaged viewers by their locations. I’ve researched and built Google analytics into the Drifting website and my portfolio site. Because of the inadvertent deletion of my original Google analytics account (since reinstated) and the loss of a period of data, I focus on the Vimeo analytics for now.
A few months ago, Vimeo emailed to congratulate me on having over 1,000 views on my video. It has moved on again since then. For this post, I take a snapshot of the analytics at the time of writing. It includes numbers for the full length version and the AOP shortened version of the film. Here is a summary of the stats:
| Total | Unique | |
| Impressions (number of loads to a page) | 3,786 | 812 |
| Loads (number of times video clicked to play) | 759 | 326 |
| Average percentage of video watched | 58% | |
| Total time watched | 71 hours | |
To use an analogy to a physical exhibition, people walked past my exhibition location 3,786 times and went inside 759 times. Some did several times, unique individuals walking past were 812 and going inside 326. As the video is 10.44 minutes long, the average person spent about 6 minutes watching it. In total 71 hours has been spent looking at the work.
The photographs of the in situ exhibition have a visitor book for people to leave comments. At the time of writing these had only been publicised to the OCA student population. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The comments to date can be read at https://fitzgibbonphotography.com/exhibition-of-drifting-by-the-leeds-liverpool/.
My artist’s statement is included on the Drifting website’s project information page (https://leedsandliverpool.co.uk/about) and duplicated here:
I walked the Leeds & Liverpool Canal, observing the burden of deindustrialisation, the areas of regeneration/gentrification, and the water’s tranquil flow over 127 miles. I saw the traces of humanity that mark possession, use and abuse. A ruined mill’s struggle for redevelopment, a make-shift garden house at the water’s edge, detritus dissonantly framed in shining water. Nature’s shrubby undergrowth filling the gaps of humankind’s neglect signposted by graffiti. Trees growing through the ruins of early capitalism where horse-drawn boats were once loaded.
This is not a eulogy to lost industry but an experience of anxiety weighing on a place with only pockets of regeneration (Aditya Chakrabortty, 2011). After decades, ‘levelling up’ is the latest stuttering initiative aimed at fixing the UK as one of the most geographically unequal countries in the world (Bourquin et al., 2020). The canal’s route shows inequality within the regions it flows through.
My work celebrates the diversity of meanings and experience found in the everyday condition, along the waterway’s journey through marginal and affluent space. A strength of photography is that despite photographs being heavily mediated, through their indexicality they offer the experience of looking intensely at the subjects represented. Something often missed when walking distracted through the landscape. The project shares a psychogeographic drift, an experience of reality that is not glossed over with images of the bucolic, white washing the landscape in readiness for leisure and tourism. There are no people in my images, only their traces. These marks are joined to the living and the long-gone through an actor-voiced narrative, sound recordings and samples from oral histories.
My motivation for making the work evolved as I explored. When I found the canal to be a back-route, mostly empty of people (even more so once the Covid-19 pandemic took hold), the work became the portrait of humanity through its traces; a cultural landscape of past activity. These remains of the everyday condition are often rendered invisible in socially shared and publicity image. I would like the photographs and film to convey a sense of poignant calm and encourage viewers to take a closer look at things that often go unnoticed. To experience the fractures as well as the beauty. To discover their own stories in the run-of-the-mill.
Andrew Fitzgibbon
I have a brief bio on my portfolio site. This will be updated as my work continues and evolves:
Andrew interested is interested in the socialisation of space and people’s relationship with place. His practice includes portraiture and landscape photography and sound recording to create short stills films. His work on the deindustrialised landscape of the Leeds & Liverpool Canal is an example.
Andrew is a member of Craven Arts and the Red Eye Photography Network, and in the final stages of completing a BA (Hons) Photography Degree. He has been featured on BBC Radio Merseyside and in regional newspapers, had several images published in the Big Issue Magazine and work that features on the IMDb profile of actor Paul Butterworth.
Home is a small holding near Skipton, in North Yorkshire, where he lives with his wife, two children, and livestock
My tutor suggested looking into Fred Ritchin’s book Bending the Frame, not because have a specific interest in photojournalism but as a source of ideas on how to present photography differently. Instead, I watched a 1 hour lecture by Ritchin. Also linked above are the fourcorners project and website pixelpress.org.
I found the whole lecture fascinating but a few ideas in particular seem relevant as I toy with ideas for A4. I had been thinking of using a PDF document (that would include links etc) because I’m more able to control the layout than I can for a website (I’m not a website designer – and it’s technical more complex than a pdf publishing tool). However, Ritchin makes the important observation that the web has multiple surfaces that can be used to contextualise and show different perspectives. While a pdf can use hyperlinks, it is not as seamless as remaining in the medium of a web-browser. I’m tempted to explore what is possible with WordPress’s new(ish) block layout, without committing to making a web-based catalogue for my project. The pixelpress website shows some interesting examples but I’m conscious they were made with the participation of professional web designers.
Another concept addressed was ‘future photography’; constructed images that show how the future might look (example shown of flooding caused by global warming). The phrase is something that could be applied to my own exhibition – not wish to see when/if permissions and funding might be obtained, I created a composite exhibition.
As an aside, the idea for the ‘bending the frame’ title seems to come from the notion that at one time everything within the frame was considered to represent actual events, much like words within quotation marks. The digital age has bent the frame, with everyone having the means of production to alter and publish images.
Leave a CommentI’m pleased that my new tutor has quickly helped me to catch up with the missing feedback on A2 and A3 from my previous tutor. It has helped to put the irksome episode behind me and rekindle enthusiasm for this final module.
Again, very positive feedback on my research and report for this assignment. Here, I focus on additional suggestions that help develop my practice:
Lots of material for me to work through and consider to tighten up direction and outcome for A4. My tutor’s feedback is much appreciated!
Leave a CommentMy tutor recommended (A2: Tutorial and re-Feedback (new tutor)) materials that might generate ideas for expressing the concepts of siting and audience engagement in my publication proposal. The post contains notes from my readings:
Thoughts:
https://www.simoncroberts.com/news/ – Simon Roberts describes his interest as people in landscape (see video interview on news page); so similar to my interest during the Drifting project – the marks that people leave on the landscape. I feel his news page is more compelling than many artist websites I’ve seen – it has a columnar layout (echoing the reading habit of a newspaper) as a front page, inviting the reader to divide into the details of areas of interest. Importantly, it does not overwhelm with details as a first impression. Much like the front page of a newspaper it provides a map of what can be seen beyond and offers the choice of where to stop off.
Leave a CommentMy tutor suggested using the project self-evaluation form from Natasha Caruana (Behind The Image, Caruana & Fox, 2012: p101) as a platform for generating further ideas for my artist’s statement. I note thoughts below:
Highlighted in red are ideas to take forward in developing the final artist’s statement. Also noted in Padlet.
Leave a CommentThis post supersedes the incomplete feedback from my previous tutor (who has left the OCA) – see A2: tutorial and amendments to proposal (superseded).
We used this introductory session (15/9/21) to catch up on my overall progress on the module, outline a strategy for taking the work forward, and reassess A2 (publication proposal), with fresh insights and in the context of the outline strategy to use the proposal as a reusable proposal document. In terms of the overall learning approach, the introduction of a Padlet (https://oca.padlet.org/Fitz/drifting) act as a map for the territory of the detailed blog and to facilitate interaction with my tutor is already proving to be a refreshing change.
The feedback I’ve received is perhaps the most comprehensive ever during my time at the OCA (though it does also serve as a transition / catch up document). I note areas for further work / research:
There are a number of things that require attention – though some have already been addressed within the detail of the blog. To track my own progress, I’ll ticked off ( √ ) items or link to other blog posts to mark completion. I’ve also created working documents for the publication proposal and artist statement for use as work progresses.
My further reading / thoughts arising are here: Siting and Audience engagement: further reading
Leave a CommentJust over a month ago, I wrote about the lack of response to requests for access to sites for an in situ exhibition near the canal (No news). Despite follow-up emails, I’ve had no responses. I’m therefore cutting my losses on this angle for now – I can only conclude that either the work doesn’t fit the visual culture of the CRT and the organisations it sponsors (as my dissertation observes, they are interested in promoting the canal as a pastural place of leisure), they don’t like the work, or they are struggling to deal with any non-essential requests in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, I have no way of knowing which.
The lesson here is to be mindful of the interests of those approached to sponsorship. However, it is perhaps also important not to prejudge, as there can be side-interests that sit outside what appear to be principal interests. I’ve pressed ahead with my virtual exhibition, and will consider possible alternatives to show the work in place.
Leave a CommentAfter some chasing, I’ve found that my previous tutor is no longer with the OCA (hence the lack of communication). The downside is that my intention of submitting for November assessment was blown away. The upside is that I have an enthusiastic new tutor, who might be able to offer some fresh perspectives and idea on what I’m doing.
We had an introductory video call (14/9/21) and talked at length about the benefits of Padlets as a visual access point to SYP learning – I now have a Padlet, which I think of as a map for this blog (https://oca.padlet.org/Fitz/drifting) . The plan is for us to use this as a basis of interactions / planning completion of this module. He talked about producing promotional materials that could be recycled for different applications and the possibility of preparing an Arts Council grant application as an output from SYP.
I explained how I’d already spent significant time on the SYP project and didn’t really want to reinvent the wheel on anything but was more than happy to make adjustments for any fresh ideas. We agreed that he’d feedback on A2 (I had a tutorial with my previous tutor but he departed without completing formal feedback) and A3 over the next couple of weeks to bring things up to date.
I’m feeling optimistic about not only getting done but perhaps having some additional useful outputs. Though my enthusiasm has taken a major dent, I realise I need to reset and go again.
Leave a CommentI’ve researched and tested software that allows creation and editing of video content centred around digital screen content, for example, websites, photos, webcam footage and so on. I will use this to walk through my own website design, and can envisage it being used for a video for assessment submission. Also, for creation of online content for my blog.
Significant in the research is the fact I use Mac (mid 2014 MacBook Pro with 8GB RAM). In this application area I found that not all software works across Windows and Mac. In fact, my desired software was the open source OBS (https://obsproject.com), which is widely used for live-streaming but also has a video encoding capability. It is also free – sponsored by YouTube and Facebook. However, while I liked the interface of the software and its functionality, it unfortunately crashed / froze while trying to encode video. I initially thought that this could be due to my ageing MBP but found from online forums that it was a common issue with the encoding on Mac – users seem to use it successfully for live streaming (no encoding required) but even users with powerful new Macs found encoding problematic.
In the end, I selected ScreenFlow (https://www.telestream.net/screenflow/overview.htm), which is a Mac-specific software and endorsed/used by some significant online content creators (including the technical photography blog, Phlearn). It is paid but not unreasonable given its powerful functionality (and a 10% student discount). It has key-framing functionality that allows panning/zooming of photographs to create video content, which is important to my work. I can even envisage using it to make future stills-films. Importantly, it works speedily with my Mac and seems stable when worked hard. It is chalk and cheese compared with the sluggish speed of Photoshop when video editing.
I already own a condenser mic and Focusrite audio interface for music making and have now brought this into my onscreen work to improve the sound quality over my Logitech webcam, which is okay for attending online events but sounds weak when recorded for playback.
I found that Fujifilm now have software that allows many of their cameras to be used as webcams – I tried this and while it worked (and generated Fujifilm colours) the image resolution seem low and of limited use for recording. For longer talking to the camera shots, I’ve set up my Fuji XT2 for video recording, using the headphone out from my Roland R05 sound recorder as a mic (it mounts on the hot shoe!) – the sound is adequate but I’ll probably record sound separately for work that needs to be more polished. The camera is capable of recording in 4K but I’m sticking with HD to make sure I don’t overload my MBP when post-processing. The camera video footage is easily brought into the ScreenFlow software.
I’ve rearranged my working space so that my webcam is now off-screen in the hope of creating more visual variety when using footage – I can either talk to it (looking away from my computer screen) or it can be used to show me working if I want picture-in-picture content. I’ve also rearranged lighting in the room and areas that appear in the backgrounds to video footage. The set-up will be put through its paces in my next video, but my first attempt (midway through rearrangements) is shown in this blog post about my project website.
Leave a CommentThe www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk website acts as a hub for showing and promoting my project work. It has gone through various iterations throughout this module, as my work has evolved, feedback has been digested, and sat and matured. It can be viewed directly on the website but in this video, I talk through and show the final version of the website.
The website was designed in Adobe Portfolio and I purchased the custom domain name for the project. Google analytics is set up for the website, but unfortunately due an issue with my Google account, its full history is not available. However, separate analytics are available from Vimeo for the video content of the website. I discuss project reach separately.
I obtained feedback on an earlier version of the design from an Adobe expert and discussed that in some detail here. The previous significant update to the design was in May and I discussed that here, along with some screen shots from the first layout. With the conveniences of Adobe Portfolio (layout tools, integration with Lightroom etc) come restrictions on what can be customised, as the website is hosted on Adobe servers. However, I’ve found work arounds to these that allow me to include a newsletter sign-up (through mailchimp) and a exhibition visitor book (through a button link to a blog post on my main website).
The final adjustments to the design (this iteration) further enhance the viewer experience:
I’ve been pressing ahead with my virtual exhibition in the absence of any imminent possibility of securing a canal side site and funding for a site specific exhibition. From the outset I disliked Kunstmatrix and its like; they are clunky to use, resemble online kitchen showrooms and come at a significant ongoing cost. Instead, I’m using my own images (taken this weekend) of the site around Leeds Canal Basin and Photoshop skills to add in my own images and photo-posters to the scene. On top of shooting, this was about a couple of days work.
The technical approach in Photoshop for placement of project images into the site images was complex and varied between composites. Tools used included:
Having completed the composite images, I worked through some iterations of presentation on the www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk website. I settled on one where images enjoy maximum screen space, allowing for clear viewing, including on mobile devices. Adobe Portfolio can be a little tricky to understand at first with layout as many of the spacing controls are adjusted as part of the text / block settings and are not always easy to find – however, familiarity helps!
Portfolio is not a blogging platform, so I’ve included a link to a ‘visitor book’ that I’ll place on my fitzgibbonphotography.com website. I’ve separately looked at ‘guest book’ plugins for WordPress, which I’ll write about separately.
The finished exhibition can be seen at https://leedsandliverpool.co.uk/exhibitions.
Leave a Comment
I was pleased to have an article on my ‘work experience’ featured in the WeAreOCA blog – I wrote the article mainly to share the benefits of researched-based work experience to other mature students, but also as a thankyou to the bloggers I interviewed by sharing their blogs to the OCA audience.
https://www.oca.ac.uk/weareoca/photography/researching-the-photography-industry-the-blogger/
I’ve also shared the link (and full research paper) with the bloggers I interviewed as part of the research.
Leave a CommentA4 requires a final draft of work together with the promotional materials. The guidance explains that what is sent will depend on the form of publication and that it must provide a good sense of how I envisage it being presented. Examples are: page layouts; print sequences; installation maquette/sketch; recce shots; web page previews.
Also required for submission are:
I’ve previously discussed with my tutor that the work is unlikely to be resolved (in the form of a site specific exhibition) prior to completion of the module and that the assignment would therefore be in the form of a mock-up for the site-specific element. A2 already considered in detail how the work will be resolved and its evolution from the BoW, however additional work is required on the presentation aspects, particularly the representation of the work as a mock-up in a site specific location. I already have accumulated significant evidence of promotional activity and also need to consider how to present that. Another presentational element is how to present the website designed for to show the work online – just sharing a URL seems insufficient.
I’ll record my workings / experiments for this assignment in part 4’s research/preparation section of my blog.
Leave a Comment
I am pleased to have my work featured in the OCA’s final year show with the Association of Photographers (https://www.the-aop.org/what-s-on/student-final-year-shows-2021/oca). The show is also being shared on the AOP’s instagram feed but feature the cover image only, so unlikely to result in any useful viewings of my project.
It is useful publicity for the OCA, who feature prominently, and there was no cost involved in the submission, apart from the time volunteered to assist in pulling the submission together and submitting it, which I think was appreciated by the others involved.
1 CommentIt’s been about a month since I emailed a number of sites requesting the use of canal-side space to show my large-scale poster-prints. Aside from a response from the printer, who are considering if they can sponsor the print costs, there has been silence. I’ve sent follow up emails and will look for other potential possibilities. However, I do note that these organisations are only just reawakening after Covid-19 and suspect that many staff are at least partially furloughed. I also see that the Burnley Canal Festival has again been cancelled for 2021, as has the Skipton Canal Festival – because of the uncertainties about large gatherings.
It is seeming increasingly unlikely that there will be an opportunity for a site specific show this season. I’ll move forward with the idea of a virtual show (not Kuntsmatrix!) and research how I might manage that technically.
Leave a CommentThis assignment required research on an aspect of the photography industry, informed by primary research (i.e. direct contact with practitioners) as well as other resources. The aims are to:
I choose to research the photography blog by video interviewing 3 bloggers and exchanging emails with a fourth (who was a no show for the video interview), as well as researching academic and popular materials. My research materials will compiled and annotated in Zotero and accompanied a few posts in the ‘research section’ for this assignment – https://syp.fitzgibbonphotography.com/category/part-3/p3-research/. I’ve added a Zotero bibliography to this to complement the references included in the article.
My self-assessment of the work, prior to tutor submission is here.
A pdf of my article is attached …
Leave a CommentI’ve included references in my A3 research document, but not a lengthy bibliography for what is a short article. For reference, I’ve included a condensed bibliography here (extracted from Zotero).
1000 Words (s.d.) At: https://www.1000wordsmag.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Advertising Standards Authority, Committee of Advertising Practice (s.d.) New Platforms, Same Protections. At: https://www.asa.org.uk/news/blog-new-platforms-same-protections.html (Accessed 16/06/2021).Ambrozy, L. et al. (2011) Ai Weiwei’s Blog: Writings, Interviews, and Digital Rants, 2006-2009. Cambridge, UNITED STATES: MIT Press. At: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3339222 (Accessed 16/06/2021).Amy Stein | Photography | Blog (s.d.) At: http://amysteinphoto.blogspot.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Blog | Martin Parr (s.d.) At: https://www.martinparr.com/blog/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Blog — Photograd (s.d.) At: https://www.photograd.co.uk/blog (Accessed 16/06/2021).Broughton, J. (2021) Janet Broughton (definitelydreaming.com) blogger interviewer. [Zoom] 12/07/2021 At: https://youtu.be/JN6f6usyKUABroughton, J. (s.d.) Definitely Dreaming. At: https://definitelydreaming.com/ (Accessed 12/07/2021).Cambridge in Colour (s.d.) At: https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials.htm (Accessed 16/06/2021).carole evans (s.d.) At: https://www.caroleevans.co.uk/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Caruana, N. and Fox, A. (2012) Behind the Image: Research in Photography. Huntingdon, GBR, SWITZERLAND: Bloomsbury Publishing. At: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=4636413(Accessed 16/06/2021).Cohen, K. R. (2005) ‘What does the photoblog want?’ In: Media, Culture & Society 27 (6) pp.883–901.Crestodina, A. (2014) How often should I blog? Blogging frequency and content strategy. At: https://www.orbitmedia.com/blog/how-often-should-blog/ (Accessed 28/07/2021).Eira, A. (2020) Number of Tumblr Blogs in 2021/2022: User Demographics, Growth, and Revenue. At: https://financesonline.com/number-of-tumblr-blogs/ (Accessed 29/07/2021).Ellyn Kail (2020) 9 Artist and Photographer website builders you should know. At: https://www.featureshoot.com/2020/11/9-artist-and-photographer-website-builders-you-should-know/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Farace, J. (2014) ‘Photographing the world around us: fine art photography websites’ In: Shutterbug 43 (5) 03/2014 p.26+.Feature Shoot (s.d.) At: https://www.featureshoot.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Flickr Turns 10: The Photo-Sharing Site’s Rise, Fall and Revival | Time (s.d.) At: https://time.com/6855/flickr-turns-10-the-rise-fall-and-revival-of-a-photo-sharing-community/ (Accessed 27/07/2021).Flickr Turns 10: The Rise, Fall and Revival of a Photo-Sharing Community (s.d.) At: https://time.com/6855/flickr-turns-10-the-rise-fall-and-revival-of-a-photo-sharing-community/ (Accessed 27/07/2021).Format Team (2021) 23 Photography Blogs To Bookmark Right Now. At: https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/photography/photography-blogs (Accessed 16/06/2021).Garden, M. (2012) ‘Defining blog: A fool’s errand or a necessary undertaking’ In: Journalism 13 (4) pp.483–499.Gunelius, S. (2018) Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Business. Irvine: Entrepreneur Press.Hotshoe – International photography magazine (s.d.) At: http://hotshoemagazine.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).How Many Blogs Are There? (And 141 Other Blogging Stats) (2021) At: https://growthbadger.com/blog-stats/ (Accessed 18/06/2021).Humans of New York (s.d.) At: https://www.humansofnewyork.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Internet Live Stats – Internet Usage & Social Media Statistics (s.d.) At: https://www.internetlivestats.com/ (Accessed 18/06/2021).Johnny Mobasher (2021) Jonny Mobasher (streetphotography.com). 10/07/2021Merrill, B. (s.d.) Blogging Masterclass: How To Build A Successful Blog In 2021. [Online training course Udemy [online]]. At: https://www.udemy.com (Accessed 15/06/2021).Miller, J. A. (2021) ‘Opinion | Social media addiction: how social media companies function like casinos’ In: UWIRE Text10/02/2021 p.1.Momus (2003) Photoblogging. At: http://imomus.com/photoblogging.html (Accessed 13/07/2021).Nick G. (2019) 29 Shocking Blogging Statistics. Is Blogging Dead in 2021?. At: https://techjury.net/blog/blogging-statistics/ (Accessed 18/06/2021).O’Dell, J. (2013) Blogging for Photographers: Explore Your Creativity and Build Your Audience. Abingdon, UNITED KINGDOM: Taylor & Francis Group. At: http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucreative-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1659194 (Accessed 16/06/2021).best-of, A. V. et al. (2021) Stats & insights from the websites of the world’s top 100+ photographers. At: https://www.foregroundweb.com/photography-website-statistics/ (Accessed 18/06/2021).Ofcom (2020) UK’s internet use surges to record levels. At: https://www.ofcom.org.uk/about-ofcom/latest/media/media-releases/2020/uk-internet-use-surges (Accessed 29/07/2021).On Landscape (s.d.) At: https://www.onlandscape.co.uk/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Photograd (s.d.) At: https://www.photograd.co.uk/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Robin Whalley (2021) Robin Whalley, blogging interview. [Zoom] 06/07/2021 At: https://youtu.be/cpquUgXUb6MRobin Whalley (s.d.) Lenscraft. At: https://lenscraft.co.uk/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Samur, A. (2018) The History of Social Media: 29+ Key Moments. At: https://blog.hootsuite.com/history-social-media/(Accessed 29/07/2021).Sandra Roussy (2018) 47 Best Photography Blogs in the World. At: https://www.photoblog.com/learn/best-photography-blogs/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Shutter Hub (s.d.) At: https://shutterhub.org.uk/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Stein, A. (2011) Amy Stein | Photography. At: http://amysteinphoto.blogspot.com/2011/07/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love.html (Accessed 16/06/2021).Steve McCurry | Photographer (s.d.) At: https://stevemccurry.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Street Photography (s.d.) At: https://streetphotography.com/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Take a Look Back at Instagram’s First Posts, Six Years Ago (s.d.) At: https://time.com/4408374/instagram-anniversary/(Accessed 27/07/2021).The Bigger Picture | Smithsonian Institution Archives (s.d.) At: https://siarchives.si.edu/blog (Accessed 16/06/2021).The Photo Argus (s.d.) At: https://www.thephotoargus.com/inspiration/ (Accessed 16/06/2021).Wang, H. (2020) 121 Blogging Statistics for 2020. At: https://getcodeless.com/blogging-statistics/ (Accessed 18/06/2021).
Leave a CommentI’ve made this evaluation against the ‘assessment criteria’, rather than the ‘learning outcomes’ documented in the course material. I suppose the course material will eventually be updated to reflect the more recently introduced assessment criteria. In the meantime, taking this approach will avoid a remapping exercise when it comes to assessment submission.
For this assignment, I decided to complete industry research on the photography blogger, rather than seek work experience (for which I may be a little long in the tooth). I interviewed 3 bloggers by video and exchanged emails with a fourth – details are in the written assignment.
Creativity 20%
Make creative decisions in the resolving of a body of work that employs appropriate media and techniques articulating a personal creative voice.
In the context of Covid-19, online space has become more important and physical space at a premium with a backlog of artists waiting to show work. I decided to research the role of the blog in the photography industry to help develop my own practice in disseminating work online and finding an audience for it. Part of resolving my body of work involves creating a micro-site and linking to that through my personal blog.
I approach bloggers for interview, looking for individuals that covered some of the ‘types’ of blog that I’d identified in my research – this allowed me to understand different perspectives. The assignment requirement was to just interview one person.
Presentation and Outcomes 40%
Articulate and synthesise ideas and research in the presentation of a body of work to an audience.
This research into blogging in the photographic industry has helped support the presentation of my own work online. On the back of it, I plan to make additional use of blog posts to help explain and communicate my work. In particular the idea of using ‘channels’ to bring viewers to the work.
Professional context 20%
Independent dissemination of a personal creative voice. Articulate independent judgements and identify opportunities for professional and or personal development.
During the research process, I communicated and conducted interviews with three professional bloggers (unfortunately the 4th blogger was a no show on a couple of occasions). This allowed me to refine my online presentation technology set up to incorporate a condenser mic and headphones to cut down background noise, as well as gain experience of video interviewing.
In writing the article, there was the opportunity to further develop an academic voice and reflect on how that might be different from the voice of blogging – a voice that recognises most readers will skim blog posts. I intend to write a ‘blog’ version of the article.
Knowledge 20%
Demonstrate comprehensive critical knowledge, understanding and reflection of relevant techniques and theoretical context(s) emerging from your outcomes
Good use of academic research incorporated with popular materials in preparing the article. I continue to make use of the Zotero platform for collecting research materials, annotating them, and incorporating citations into written work.
Leave a CommentThis is a brief note to record that further blogger interviews took place, again using Zoom but with the improvements to my set-up identified during the first interview.
Johnny Mobasher – www.streetphotography.com was interviewed on 10 July and Janet Broughton of www.definitelydreaming.com on 12 July. I have transcribed the interview notes and filed them in my Zotero folder with other resources to prepare the written paper on photography blogging.
Leave a CommentNOTE – post superseded as formal feedback was not completed by my previous tutor and additional feedback has been obtained from my new tutor. See A2: Tutorial and re-Feedback (new tutor)
My video tutorial on 14 July was positive and encouraging. A few minor adjustments were suggested for my proposal, but otherwise it was confirmed that it achieves what is required.
The main adjustments made were :
I attach the updated proposal here for reference, with a note to myself to look into how updates/reworks are managed within the OCA VLE.
Leave a CommentI was delighted to be selected as one of 20 finalists in places category of the AOP’s graduate awards for 2021. My work was featured in the video announcing the awards (YouTube link).
A video link to my work is also featured on the AOP’s website as a selected finalist:
I had hoped to get feedback on A2 before proceeding with these but my tutor is unresponsive at the moment and I need to push ahead with what will undoubtedly be a long process.
The attached pdf includes text of emails send to:
The emails explore the idea of supporting both an outdoor exhibition and locations for outdoor screenings.
Attached to each was a mock-up of my outdoor photo-poster that is planned for outdoor exhibition spaces – this would be printed A0 size, with 3 image variations.
It was a pleasure to interview Robin Whalley, who runs the blogs ‘thelightweightphotographer’ and ‘lenscraft’. The interview was conducted and recorded over Zoom. I’ve written up notes and placed them in my Zotero folder for reference when it comes to writing the 2000 word essay for the assignment. Here, I make a few observations on process / things to consider for upcoming interviews
Next, I need to send reminders to the others who agree to be interviewed, as they’ve not come back with convenient times / dates. I’m going to aim for next week.
Leave a CommentOn 6th July, I attended a live interview with Nadav Kander, hosted by the AOP as part of their ‘starting out’ sessions for new graduates. The AOP intend to put a video of the session online at some time. Points of interest to me:
If a blogger’s motivation includes selling anything – art or services for example, an effective way of building a mailing list is important. It becomes a list of contacts that can be nurtured and owned by the blogger, independent of any other channels they might use. It is a more intimate form of communication than social media. The list can be moved by the owner – they are not platform dependent.
I’ve done some practical research into this by looking at free mailing list services, registering with one and putting it into action. I chose MailChimp as its free option is generous and would probably suffice for many artists, without any need to add admin overhead costs apart from time! The main limitation of the free offering seems to be the requirement to use a MailChimp url and no access to some of the more sophisticated marketing tools the platform offers.
Some of what I discovered through implementing MailChimp at a basic level (MC):
Example of landing page in MailChimp (created by Andrew Fitzgibbon): https://mailchi.mp/9f42381d4911/sign-up-to-news-from-fitzgibbon-photography
It is clear that setting up an running a successful mailing list would take considerable time and perseverance. And there is much more to it than just mechanics – understanding and building a marketing strategy, being aware of the law and spam email / email permissions, advertising standards requirements and so on. Susan Gunelius’s book Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing for Business (2018, Irvine: Entrepreneur Press.) covers in detail the various aspect of email marketing.
My conclusion from practical research and reading around email marketing is that significant effort is involved to do it well. This is time above and beyond creating work – one might begin to wonder how long is left for creating work for the photographer who is also an active blogger!
Leave a CommentI’ve spent the past months finding alternative words to describe my project – non academic and accessible, press friendly. A fellow student asked if I’d published the dissertation anywhere, as they’d be interested in reading it. This prompted me to re-read it again and publish it here. I’d avoided publishing it prior to assessment because of concerns about plagiarism/self-plagiarism – I’m unclear whether there is any basis in them, but I chose to err on the side of caution! The dissertation is attached here …
By now, I feel that I’ve been thinking about the canal for too long and found it difficult to settle to read the dissertation yet again, after all the editing and re-editing it went through. Though I can feel how I’ve absorbed the thinking and how that’s been helpful when thinking about making press releases and discussing the work in interviews.
I am reminded of what seemed a short number of words to express a breadth of ideas in my own voice, while at the same time demonstrating critical engagement with relevant theorists. I also have a sense of regret at lost time following what was generally accepted as a poorly constructed version of a CS course. If it wasn’t for the online tutor-lead video sessions, I might still be twisting myself in knots even now! On the positive side, I did learn how to approach academic research in the arts (something alien in my numbers and business-based background) and am still using Zotero as a research tool now, even for non-academic work.
Leave a CommentI’ve spent most of the day with my nose against the screen researching photography blogs. Interestingly, I found a PhD dissertation on the UCA library from 2003, which already seems hopelessly out of date given the pace of change in the digital domain! Part of the research was to unpick the various types of photography blogs now online and select a few to interview. The selection was based on authors who I have a chance of making a genuine connection with, who cover a range of blog types. I’ve initially emailed three, bloggers for the research, with an email tailored specifically to each of them in the hope of increasing my chances of a response – it is not a question of ‘just sending a quick email’!
The three I’ve approached are: Robin Whalley (a landscape photographer, who also sells lessons, books and products through his blog); Carole Evans (an artist and academic, who shares and promotes her own work through her blog); and streetphotography.com (a longstanding community based blog that appears to be driven more by a passion for the subject rather than any attempt at financial reward).
I’ve asked all for telephone or video interviews in the first place, as I would like some interaction rather than using email correspondence. I’ll revisit next week in the hope of progress, or the need to cast my net again.
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For part three of the course, as industry research, I will examine the photography blog. I’ve hosted my own WordPress blogs over a number of years for student learning logs and basic portfolio sites, but not analysed the blog as part of a business activity. To help with this I’ve taken a short Udemy Course, Blogging Masterclass: How To Build A Successful Blog In 2021 (Brad Merrill on Udemy; https://www.udemy.com/share/1022YoCEoecVhQR3w=/). It has helped in preparing to interview professional bloggers as part of my own research.
Some outline questions I will consider during interviews are built around areas covered in the course material:
I’ve generally kept the questions open to encourage a dialogue, with the exception of the final question. Seven questions feels like a manageable number to cover – I think requesting a 30 minute interview is possible, but much longer could be off-putting.
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In addition to my www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk project website, I’ve developed a photographer website, www.fitzgibbonphotography.com. With over 50% (https://www.statista.com/statistics/277125/share-of-website-traffic-coming-from-mobile-devices/) of website traffic coming from mobile devices, having a mobile friendly site is important. I’d received a few warnings from the Google Search Consol that my site has some problems for mobile traffic (eg images too wide, text too small).
As part of my industry research, I’ve looked at a number of photographer websites and found that many are not mobile friendly – I would prefer visitors to look at my images on a larger screen and suspect others would too. On the back of this, I spent half a day updating my website to ensure that it is mobile friendly. I use WordPress.org with a Photocrati theme. This involved adjusting display widths and editing content to ensure text does not overwhelm images on smaller devices. It also required configuring of the menu for mobile devices and the Nextgen gallery displays to ensure they fit well on mobile devices.
The successful changes also give me more confidence when submitting work for bursaries or competitions that even if the submission is viewed on a mobile device, my website will display well.
Leave a CommentI’ve made this evaluation against the ‘assessment criteria’, rather than the ‘learning outcomes’ documented in the course material. I suppose the course material will eventually be updated to reflect the more recently introduced assessment criteria. In the meantime, taking this approach will avoid a remapping exercise when it comes to assessment submission.
I completed this self-evaluation when I had a final draft of my assignment and made minor adjustments to it based on my reflections here.
Creativity 20%
Make creative decisions in the resolving of a body of work that employs appropriate media and techniques articulating a personal creative voice.
My work reflects the grittier side of life along a deindustrialised waterway, therefore placing it indoors on white walls in a traditional gallery setting would seem incongruous. On the back of the pandemic, there are practical issues in finding gallery space with the huge backlog of artists waiting to exhibit. Therefore, I am planning for outdoor exhibitions with prints made on weatherproof PVC sheeting. The prints will be poster-like with a slogan encouraging viewers to engage with the environment of the waterway and to watch my film on mobile devices, through a QR code scan.
Presentation and Outcomes 40%
Articulate and synthesise ideas and research in the presentation of a body of work to an audience.
In this case, the audience for my proposal is my tutor. I believe the presentation is thorough and gives all the information needed to understand and assess the proposal within the 2000 word limit. It reflects my research on audience engagement and costing proposals, including the notion of ‘in-kind’ costs. It is built around the idea of ‘partnering’ in order to fund the costs of an outdoor exhibition.
Professional context 20%
Independent dissemination of a personal creative voice. Articulate independent judgements and identify opportunities for professional and or personal development.
The proposal involves negotiating display sites and sponsorship for photoposter costs – making the most of the opportunity to engage in the development of my professional practice in the commercial environment. It also involves seeking publicity through regional media outlets and other channels for publicising work, such as film and photo competitions.
Knowledge 20%
Demonstrate comprehensive critical knowledge, understanding and reflection of relevant techniques and theoretical context(s) emerging from your outcomes
The proposal demonstrates a solid knowledge of work proposals, including objective setting, technical specifications, timelines and costings. Articulated in businesslike language, avoiding the use of artistic jargon that may alienate many non-arts based readers of the proposal.
Leave a CommentI’m intending to release my project in part through a site-based installation and have been researching print options. https://www.printed.com customer services were helpful through online chat and also offer a 15% student discount (I’ve applied for that). I will also think about applying to them to sponsor the installation by providing print materials for free / at a deeper discount, in return for their logo on the prints.
There are a couple of print options of interest – 450gsm pvc poster with eyelets and 3mm foamex. The cost of the poster is considerable less (£25 for a single unit, but unit costs quickly decrease with the number ordered), vs £45 for foamex. There are options for both in A0 size – I could do test prints in smaller sizes. Another cost consideration is the more different designs, the greater the cost. This has a bearing on including different sponsors’ logos for different locations. For example 3 posters with different images and different with a sponsor’s logo would attract the full unit cost.
I’m attracted to the idea of posters as I can envisage them tied to the railings that are often near canals in urban areas. I saw a similar format many years ago in Warsaw.
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I found that Google Analytics was not tracking activity on my www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk website despite having followed the set up instructions provided. This means I’d missed tracking activity around my newspaper publicity events, though at least video viewings and impressions have been captured within Vimeo.
Some research on fixing the issue, suggested deleting the analytics property in the Google account, creating a fresh one (with a new tracking ID) and using this to populate the Portfolio settings. Thankfully this worked – from 6 June, I have tracking for my website traffic.
Leave a CommentThere is an arts language around communicating the ‘reach’ of work when applying for funding. The OCA course material points at an article that is long out of date (2013) and event the update of the article in the same year has been amended to redirect to more recent information on the subject. Interestingly none of the articles deal in general or specific terms ways of measuring online engagement. Here, I make brief notes on the area, including the measurement of online engagement.
The OCA recommended article (and its follow on) are at: https://www.artsjournal.com/engage/2013/01/outreach-and-audience-engagement/ and https://www.artsjournal.com/engage/2013/01/new-thought/, both by USA based Doug Borwick on his own blog. Points of note:
A more recent article (https://www.artsengaged.com/engagement-essentials#Definitions) by Borwick is entitled, ‘Community Engagement is Not Giving Them What We Think They Want.’ (s.d). In this, he observes that ‘community engagement’ has been used as a platitude over the past decade and that communities can immediate detect when it is insincere (ie going through the motions to attract funding). Berwick describes detailed steps for effective community engagement, emphasising that it needs to be a genuine value for arts organisation to be effective. He usefully suggests that the acid question is ‘who is doing what for whom and why?’.
Communication an relationships have increasingly moved online (the Pandemic has only served to further accelerate this), so I briefly consider the measurement of that kind of engagement through ‘analytics’.
I’ve hosted my video on Vimeo and the paid version gives access to analytics on engagement with the video. Vimeo’s guide on use of analytics is here https://vimeo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/224820247-Analytics-overview, with a more detailed description and definitions here – https://vimeo.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/115004386887-Video-Manager-analytics-panel. There is a distinction between ‘impressions’ and ‘views’, with the former measuring how many times a video was loaded to a page/device but not necessarily played, and the latter, how many times it was viewed. In turn views are analysed in terms of percentage complete and so on. I intend to share my own statistics as part of the measurement of audience engagement.
Google Analytics provides a way of measuring engagement with websites – including those hosted on Adobe Portfolio, like my www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk microsite. It requires some setting up and registration with Google – it doesn’t just happen automatically and the tracking history only begins from when analytics is set up. That is, it doesn’t just happen as it does for paid Vimeo accounts and requires administrative time and effort. Google provide a free online course for anyone wanting to understand its analytics capabilities – https://analytics.google.com/analytics/academy/course/6. I plan to take this after muddling my way through for a while, then loosing my analytics account when having a clear out of old gmail accounts!
Leave a CommentThe OCA course materials discuss budgeting for projects. While, as an accountant, budgeting is more than familiar to me, the idea of ‘support in kind’ in the context of match funding in grant applications is less familiar. I make a few research notes here.
The concept is straightforward – the cash value of ‘support in kind’ is the difference between the market value of the materials / service on one hand and the amount paid for their use in the project. So, if they are introduced to the project at no cost, the value of support in kind would be the full market value. However, there are apparently specific conditions, depending the grant application. For example, The Arts Council have a specific policy that defines support in kind (https://www.artscouncil.org.uk/funded-activities/finance) – importantly, it excludes from support in kind any costs incurred prior to the making of a grant.
Therefore, the timing of grant applications is critical, particularly when an artist is including their own time and other resources in the project.
Leave a CommentThe OCA course material suggests some potential sources of funding for artists. I’ve compiled a collection of book marks in my browser and followed the funders on social media / email updates. Here I make some short notes.
The Arts Council – offer grants between £2000 and £10000, with application windows open at various times during the year. Only 1 successful or 2 rejected applications possible in each funding year. Noted that they have received 10 times the normal level of applications during the pandemic.
The Photographer’s Gallery is noted as a ‘regional development agency’ of the Arts Council – there doesn’t seem to be any mention of this connection on the TPG website, though they clearly fund some projects. Suggest they approach artists, rather than artists apply to them. London-centric organisation.
‘Partnership funding’ is funding through an organisation (charitable or commercial) that may see a mutual benefit through supporting a project. On the face of it, The Canal & River Trust are a candidate, but the aesthetic in my work doesn’t fit well with the CRT’s ‘life’s better by the water’ mantra. However, there are other waterway festivals/organisations with more of an arts focus, such as ‘superslowway.org’ that is based on the Lancashire Pennines. This could be a route to the funding of site-specific outdoor prints / access to an exhibition space. I have personal experience of working within a large multinational that funded arts projects, so am very familiar with the thinking and decision-making processes.
‘Foundations, awards and grants’ is a broad source of opportunities – often with specific outcomes in mind. For example, I’m currently looking to an RPS bursary for a new ‘environmentally’ focus project, which I’ll write about separately. I’m a member of Curator Space, which advertises opportunities and exhibitions. Though, ultimately to be successful for funding there needs to be a ‘what’s in it for the funder’ consideration – this was not something I had in mind when making my body of work; if it was, it would have needed to have represented a sanitised, up-beat version of life on the water!
‘Crowd funding’ is another popular option. I’ve seen a few students crowd funding their projects through fellow students and friends, with some success. The OCA material points to Peter Cox’s self-published landscape photography book – his website gives an interesting insight into the process of publishing what is essentially a ‘coffee table’ book of Irish landscape photographs. A product that many would be interested in (and apparently were). I suspect the OCA criteria would assess Peter Cox’s work as derivative and of little artistic interest. I also suspect the general public would not be interested in owning a coffee table book of a warts and all deindustrialised canal!
There is lots to think about here and to follow up with ongoing monitoring of opportunities. However, it is apparent that some routes of funding require a more commercial approach to making photographic work that has a broader appeal.
Leave a CommentCraven Arts, a network supporting artists in the Craven District of North Yorkshire and beyond, publicised my work on its Facebook page and Instagram feed. The FB page carries a photo not featured in the film because the newspaper requested an identifiable local image.
Text of Instagram post – in case embedded object (above) doesn’t function
Member Andrew Fitzgibbon (@thephotofitz) has produced a new body of photography work and short stills-film, narrated by Paul Butterworth (The Full Monty, Strike), titled ‘Drifting by the Leeds & Liverpool.’ 📷 The photographs were taken during a 127 mile psychogeographic wander 🚶🏼
Andrew describes the film as “A portrait of humanity’s everyday condition using traces in the landscape that mark possession, use and abuse along the Leeds & Liverpool Canal. A poignant experience of absence, deindustrialisation, regeneration and the tranquility of water.” He wanted to show the waterway in its “complex everyday condition” and avoid “the often over-shared photos of pastoral scenes.”
As part of the project, Andrew is now welcoming contributors who would like to share their stories from the 200 year old waterway 💧 These stories will help to shape a photo book and exhibition of the photographs, and ultimately a portrait of life along the canal 🌿
Learn more about the project, watch the film, and join the community of contributors at leedsandliverpool.co.uk 👈 You can view more examples of Andrew’s other work at fitzgibbonphotography.com
#contemporaryart#photography#stillsfilm#film#skiptonarts#cravenarts#skiptoncreative#craven#leedsandliverpool#canal#leedsandliverpoolcanal
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As well as being featured in my local paper, The Craven Herald, the article was syndicated to the Telegraph & Argus (Bradford are area paper) and appeared on 31 May 2021. A pdf of the article is with my earlier post.
Leave a CommentI presented over Zoom to OCA East of England Regional Group on 29th May, along with Paul Butterworth (my film’s narrator and a painting student), who talked about the collaborative aspect of the work and collaboration in general. PDF of slides are attached.
Rather than just talk about Drifting …, I also talked a little about my journey in photography that brought me to the point of making the film. So the talk told some of my story as well as that of the making of the film. Following the talking, we streamed the film. It seemed to be well received and I received a pleasant thank you email from Sharon, who chairs the group, who reiterated that she didn’t want to say anything after watching the film but to just sit in silence reflecting upon what she had seen. An observation during Q&A was how the still images allowed greater participation in the scene than moving images, as people have time to look around the scenes.
From my perspective – unresolved technical challenges with zoom, though this time different. When sharing my screen, it became a full-screen so I could see nothing of what was showing in the chat or anyone waving to get my attention. Need to test and resolve this properly before my next outing. For the ‘my story’ part of the presentation, I could have shaped it around projects rather than individual images (or a series of images from projects), which could been more informative to talk to. I’ll consider reshaping for next time.
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Pleased to be featured in my local paper (covers Skipton and the Yorkshire Dales), following on from my press release and some email correspondence (https://www.cravenherald.co.uk/news/19335588.drifting-leeds-liverpool—tapestry-life-along-canal/). They asked for a local image for the article – the one provided didn’t feature in the film. The journalist, Lesley Tate, covered the story well, given the paper mostly seems to glorify and promote the local landscape (nothing wrong with that of course). A clean copy of the article is attached as a pdf.
The article is released online and will appear in next week’s paper edition. I was pleased to have received a comment on my ‘stories from the canal’ blog and a food bank donation within a day of the article going on line. I suspect there may be more engagement following the print edition.
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I was pleased to be featured in The Yorkshire Post following my earlier telephone interview and photo shoot with a press photographer (https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/heritage-and-retro/heritage/photographer-walks-entire-127-miles-of-leeds-liverpool-canal-to-create-film-on-its-story-3248006). A clean version of the text from the interview is attached as a text pdf.
A disappointment was the lack of link to my www.leedsandliverpool.co.uk website, which I plugged heavily in the interview and is prominent in my press release. However, on the plus side Google searches for ‘drifting by the leeds and liverpool’ and ‘andrew fitzgibbon photography’ both now fill the first pages of Google searches. There is of course, the benefit of being able to mention ‘as featured in The Yorkshire Post’ when discussing my work, which is the regional newspaper of the UK’s largest county!
Leave a CommentI received an alert for this opportunity through Curator Space. Pipeline seems to have an online only presence and is aim at students and emerging artists. It’s unclear exactly what the virtual space they are offering will look like and I notice they don’t have a stellar number of followers on Instagram. Nonetheless, one can never be sure where these opportunities might lead. PDF of submission is attached.
Leave a CommentVal contacted me after seeing my Drifting by … project in the Redeye Photographic Network newsletter – mainly to point me in the direction of work by the Tea collaborative group on the canal 20 years ago (http://www.teaweb.org/the-cut.html). However, I also took the opportunity to request some feedback from her, as an experienced artist who has a collaborated on exhibitions of performance based art. A PDF of the email exchange is attached.
Val commented that it is tricky to work with the range of different inputs in the film and suggests that my idea of disconnecting the elements might work well. Interestingly, she talks about how Tea worked and reflects, with hindsight, that their projects tended to be overloaded and she feels that less may have been more. Also that in some cases they made a completely new piece of work to document/share the performance, which she feels worked better.
Val’s comments have further encouraged me to think in the direction of producing a simplified output that is not so multilayered, or the existing layers are separated and presented differently.
Leave a CommentUnfortunately, photographer and book publisher Iain Sergeant, was unable to offer feedback as he gets too many requests. Anyway, a pleasant email in response to my request is attached.
I’ll revisit obtaining feedback on a photo book once I have a mockup of the book available.
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