Overall view on the EYV course.

My over all view on this course was that it was ‘Vague’.

I wish it had been more to the point in the coursework, my tutor kept on saying research , research , research but in the coursework they were only a few requests to look at the photographers stated in the texts.

So if you didn’t follow other students blogs and just followed the coursework to the letter and also by being an international student with a lack of study group participation you will come up short.

I wish that it was stated,

‘ Do more work than what is in here ‘, research everything that is mentioned and then some.

It should state the minimum amount of exhibitions you should see.

As stated before on a previous post, I also wish that the book that was sent with the coursework folder was ‘How to write about Contemporary Art’ instead of ‘The photograph as contemporary art’. This would of been more useful because it gives you clear instructions on what you have to write when it comes to reviews and research. It helps with the process.

The students that are studying photography obviously have a passion for photography otherwise they would not be paying for the module and even though we are all at different levels of education it is obvious to me that we all need guidance on the ‘Artistic side’ of photography. Some times I got the concept that we were asked to research other times I was disconnected and at a total loss at what to write about. Who do you talk to then about it ? Do I honestly want to announce on the OCA facebook page/ online chatroom that I just don’t get it?  Do I email my tutor with every concern ? No I muddled through by myself.

What I take away from this course is that I need to make more of an effort interacting online with other students but I am genuinely worried about sharing my opinion with people online and how opinions come across, things can be misconstrued. People ask for honest opinions about images but rarely are they given.   I would love it if we were assigned a OCA student rep that actually critiqued images and progress on the blogs themselves.  Pointing out blurred images, Framing and cropping issues and highlighting the short comings not negatively but constructively, asking the student questions and engaging with them one to one.

Overall, I have increased my knowledge about art and historic photographers but I am still so unsure of myself and my work and where I am heading photographically speaking. I feel that I started off being confident with my photography and then I lost my way by assignment 3. I tried too hard to be ‘arty’ with my ideas, when all I needed to do was trust myself and carry on doing what I was doing.

 

Sailing off into the sunset