Last week I was thinking about the degree course and how it would progress next year. As I study part time September ’25 will see the beginning of my fifth year at the University Of Wolverhampton continuing my BA Hons in Photography.
The year just completed saw me engaged in two projects, one on the Black Country and one a collaboration with BIMM University. I was reflecting on what I’d completed and submitted and thinking about what next year might look like. The year previously I’d talked with Sylvia about the final year and the fact that there will be a dissertation, a final project and a degree show to exhibit at, but I knew nothing else.
Being part time means that each year which normally consists of two modules is split over two years. This year will be no different and the two modules might be required to be completed in a particular order so I don’t do things arse about face.
My email client was fired up and I penned a message to Euripides, who is my course leader, to see if he could offer some advice. He came back pretty quickly with some good advice and information that would help ease my mind.
Euripides advised that I do the two modules of Level 6 in the following order.
First I should enrol on 6FP011 Independent Practice, a module that covers the dissertation and the launch of the major project.
Then the year after I should complete 6FP012 which has a focus on finishing the major project in preparation for the Degree Show, and creation of my professional profile, which I think is a website, portfolio, business cards etc.
This was really helpful and means that I will be prepared for the year to come with a plan for the year after. He also offered to meet me in the university and have a chat, which is what I did this week. After I’d been to the Co Op funeral directors I drove over to the George Wallis building for a meeting in room 702.
Ideas
With regard to the major project and the dissertation I was unsure as to whether I should be continuing any projects from previous years and seeing them through a couple more years. Projects could include concrete/brutalist buildings, musicians, night time images, multi storey car park, photograph weaving, factory images.
I also spoke about other ideas that I might consider, more brutalism, experimenting with redscale and other options, photos from Japan from my planned June trip, and even photos of my parents in the last years/days of their lives as my Dad died two years ago and my Mum died a week ago today.
Talking about the works that I’ve been doing Euripides suggested a few differnt photographers to go and research. The Sputnik collective, Paul Graham, Ralph Gibson were all mentioned so I will take a look over the summer. He said that the Sputnik were a Polish group who carried out many projects and after a quick look at their website their photos seem to capture real life in many locations. Some of them are bleak and document changes at borders, or in impoverished areas of the world. Euripides said that Poland is particularly notable for producing photographers at the moment.
We talked about how some photos don’t need to be in a series any more and the format of works presented can be changed up. We discussed that a set of three photos can look almost identical and just contain a barely perceptible change between frames. You don’t need to have separate photos that are disconnected from each other, you don’t need series of images that tell a story by using a narrative.
To work out what might suit my projects and also be linked into the dissertation Euripides suggested I think about my current photographic practice and library and ask myself.
“What do I like?”
Thinking about my catalogue of images, I have many of concrete buildings, street photography of people, buildings undergoing demolition and reconstruction, unusual textures, unusual lighting, parents, family, holidays, scenery, astrophotography, light painting, low light images.
I think that I need to do an illustrated mind map and see what the lonks might be between the collection.
Euripides mentioned that what is it about the photos I make, is it the form or the place/space.
Julia D’Agostino on her website says about space/place
“A location can be categorized in one of two ways: as a space, or as a place. A space is a vessel that does not have a narrative to its accompanying surroundings. Conversely, when that empty vessel is filled with a story, the space is then transformed into a place.“
So do my images concentrate on an empty space, or do they have a story to them? I will need to take a look at a few and see if I can come up with a theme.
Questions
Euripides also asked me to pose the questions about my work.
What?
What is the topic of the photograph, what does it consist of, how is it composed?
Why?
Why did I make this photograph? What caught my eye? Why did I keep this photo? Why is it linked to other photos?
How?
How did I make the image? Was it a difficult scenario? Was it technically challenging? Was it an emotionally charged environment?
So what?
Last of all, I should consider the results of the photo or photos and how it might impact the world, or audience that might see it. Does it have any value as an item to bring about change, or document the lives of people in todays society? What am I hoping is the result of the images being published?
Reflection
Was I right to ask the question about next year? Yes I was.
I now know that I need to enrol in the modules in the set pattern, to enable me to plan for what I need to focus on over the summer holidays.
I’ve an idea that I should look at my current practice and develop some links between thematic areas and see if there are patterns in some of the images that I make. This will be an interesting exercise to take on and analyse.
Euripides has given me some guidance on what I can consider for use in the dissertation to ask a question about or something to analyse, to allow me to produce a 10000 word dissertation. (This sounds like a challenge)
Sharing my ideas with Euripides has also informed him more about my practice and I’ve not spoken to him about my practice for a while and hopefully he can help me understand what I do with my photography and how it might all fit together.
Some of this was necessary as I don’t feel that I have had an opportunity to discuss with my tutor this year. The year was spent on practical shoots and editing rather than multiple tutorials and whilst I could have asked for a tutorial around my practice and future course, I didn’t feel that my current tutor would have had the answers. Not necessarily his fault, as I don’t think he’s involved in the Level 6 courses, but I am glad I’ve spoken with Euripides who has a great overview of the whole course.
I’m looking forward to seeing what happens over the summer holiday and what follows when we return to university in the autumn.
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