Assignment 5 - Feedback

I was delighted to receive my feedback on Assignment Five from my tutor. I had gone to great lengths to do Fay Godwin justice in putting together my photographs for this assignment. My work covered a wide geographic area including the Ridgeway in Southern England, the English Lake District, Calderdale in West Yorkshire, Stonehenge and numerous plant nurseries with glasshouses.

My tutor's report was very positive and it is great to have my efforts recognised. I will quote her summary in full:

"Gosh, what a lot of ground you have covered for this assignment! It was well worth the effort. This is a lovely body of work that gives a deep level of understanding of Fay Godwin's work an many layers"


There was only one photograph which my tutor felt was slightly off track and that was one of Didcot Power Station which is situated close to the Ridgeway. She felt that the misty conditions in which I captured my photograph was perhaps too romanticised given that it is meant to be expressing environmental concerns - this is a fair criticism. Here is the photograph:

Didcot Power Station from the Ridgeway

I have included two more images from my assignment below to illustrate my work:

Blea Tarn and Blencathra, English Lake District

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Barnsley 

Assignment Three: a linking theme - Tutor Feedback

I have now received feedback from my tutor on my third assignment. Generally my work was well received, but there were three images of which my tutor was more critical and so I thought it would be useful to look at these again and consider the comments my tutor made.

Buttermere

My tutor commented on the strong colours in this image but felt that whilst the pine trees are a focal point they are not sufficiently distinctive. I have to agree with this point. Sadly the light on this occasion was not that great....the sun breaking through backlighting the trees would have been far better.

Overhanging Branches

My tutor felt that this image lacked a clear focal point for the eye to fix on. In my original idea I was homing in on the repetitive curved shapes of the branches to create interest through the rhythm they have. I was in two minds about this and it seems that the idea may not have been a great one. It is worth me noting that as for the first image the issue my tutor has raised is one of defining a clear point of interest in my frame.

Red Tarn Beck at Glenridding

In this shot my tutor felt that she would have liked to see something static in the foreground to contrast with the water and to add another dimension. This would in fact have made the image less abstract and looking again at it I have to agree that this would have worked better. In practice this would not have been so easy as it was pouring with rain and I would have had to move further downstream to find some interesting foreground interest...perhaps I was not persistent with this one as my original idea was indeed to include some foliage in the foreground!...try harder next time.

I was pleased that my tutor really liked the photograph which I also felt was the best. This is one of a lone tree reaching out into Ullswater. I personally like the simple strong composition focussing on the tree, which is enhanced by the constrast with the silky smooth water. The blue tones of the water and the red/yellow tones of the foliage also work well together.....here is the photograph...

Ullswater Tree

Assignment 2: Tutor Feedback

I received my feedback on this assignment whilst I was away in the USA. This trip also explains I  haven't made any posts for a few weeks.

Overall the assessment was fine. My work was judged to be technically competent, my selection and design of the assignment effective and my communication strong. The area which I did less well was in terms of creativity. My worked was judged as 'safe', by and  large, rather than innovative.

The latter is a fair criticism. I have tended to steer away from including highly innovative and unusual images in my assignments to date. This is perhaps due to my lack of creative vision, but it is also in part due to fear of failure. Going forward I need to be more adventurous and to quote my tutor 'playful'. I will then find out if my traditional approach is due to a shortfall in my inherent creativity rather than my reserve and caution. My tutor also suggested that I review the work of Terri Weifenbach and other contemporary landscape photographers. This I shall do.

In a number of the shots my tutor suggested that I might have improved an image had I got in closer and made more creative use of limited depth of field. Here is an example of one of these photos.

Pollard Three, Burnham Beeches Buckinghamshire

Looking at it now I can see that the knarled tree trunk is begging for a close up photograph, perhaps from a side angle to show its bulbous nature to full effect. With the right light conditions such an image would have been very strong.

On a positive note my tutor liked two of my images in particular. Curiously these were the two which before submitting the assignment I was most concerned about. Not because I disliked the images. In fact they are my favourites too. But because I was concerned that they might be too abstract.

Silver Birches, Upper Pond, Burnham Beeches Buckinghamshire UK

Reflection, Middle Pond, Burnham Beeches Buckinghamshire UK

Assignment 1 - Tutor Feedback

I received the feedback from my tutor on my first assignment today. It was very instructive. Overall the report was favourable but I have some significant areas to work on. The overall selection of images and design of the submission was positively received as were some of the images. The key area for improvement concerns creating a clear focal point in the frame. Some of my images lacked this. The image below is an example:

Hedgerow and Field, Bledlow Ridge Buckinghamshire UK

The lines in this image lead the viewer to the hedgerow at the top of the frame where in fact there is little of interest. This is clearly a key learning point for me to build on.

Based on my own views and those of my tutor, I have decided to include the images below in my Seasons Portfolio for submission at the end of the course.

Bledlow Ridge, Buckinghamshire UK

Bridge over River Thames, Sonning  Berkshire UK

Sycamore, Northend Oxfordshire UK