First Year of my Degree (Project #1)

Having completed my first year of BA Photography, I took time to reflect over summer of how far I have come since my experience with anxiety started. Looking back, my two years of sixth form 2010-12 weren't for me. I have always been afraid of change and I guess I was just too scared to move away from what I knew. If I had the chance to go back, I would have probably started at the College of Art sooner. There was nothing wrong with my secondary school, I just feel it wasn't the right environment for me to complete my A Levels.

Taking the 2012/13 year off, I was able to focus on me overcoming my anxiety and work on how I can control it. After my first week at PCA in September 2013 (Level 0), my anxiety suddenly stopped. This was when I knew that this was the right place for me. I can count on one hand the amount of days I've had where anxiety has resurfaced, however, none of these instances have prevented me from missing a day of college - I finished Year 1 with 100% attendance and an overall 2:1 grade. A huge improvement!

Year 1 projects: First week.

I knew this degree would be challenging, but I didn't give in to the few days of mild anxiety before starting. Our first assignment was a week long induction project. I got to know the people I would spend the next 3 years with. Having already been at the college for a year on the Level 0 course, I knew a few people already and was familiar with some of the tutors, The induction project was fast paced, consisting of a day of briefing and group sorting, a day of shooting out and about Plymouth, processing and editing the next day, re-shooting the next, and presentations on the final day.

Our smaller groups, mixing all three photography years, were given pretty much free range of Plymouth. Some groups, doing portraiture and interviewing took to the railway station, our group, who were looking at façades and 'layers' stayed around southern Plymouth. We photographed Bretonside bus station interpreting the layers to mean dereliction and regeneration. We also went to Royal William Yard (photos added soon!).

The first week was tiring, but shook me into a routine that worked for the year. A good busy week at the start.

Darkroom Induction

My first camera was film; an Olympus Trip 500 for my 9th birthday. Nothing special, but I cherished it for years. This is what first got me interested in photography. I loved the anticipation of getting the prints back, and although there was the limited number of photos issue, it made me think carefully and savour the film. After digital cameras became mainstream, I completely neglected film. It was fun trying it again at college.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/pentax/k1000.htm

Darkroom Inductions - 14, 28 March, 4 April.

 

Developing film.

In the first session (14/3), our group got out a Pentax K1000 each from college and we went out and about in Plymouth taking pictures ready to develop in the darkroom. No Auto settings so no temptation!

Chemicals.

Rinsing the film.

After taking the pictures and manually winding the film back, in our second session (28/3) we had to learn how to unwind the film and wrap it around the wheel in the complete darkness!

When developing the film - luckily it didn't have to be dark for this!- it took a while for me to remember times for different chemicals to add, when to gently shake the container the film was in, how long to leave it, when to fix and wash out. I was so afraid it would turn out wrong, or wouldn't turn out at all!

Cutting the film to fit.

Turns out, I did get it right! I could see my photos coming through. I just needed to let the film rinse for 20 minutes.

We let our films dry and cut them to size.

Seeing how my photos turned out.

In the third session (4/4) we were developing the film and printing the photos we took. It was a while before I learnt the correct settings.

The first year of the BA course next year is apparently orientated towards film and developing. Although I prefer digital, it will be good to revisit using film and learning how to develop. 

New Beginnings...

Plymouth College of Art: BA Photography (2013-2017).

& how I arrived here.

I guess this is the start of the new part of my blog. As said in previous posts, now last year sometime(!), this was going to be about my journey into Photography, hobby into (hopefully) career. This'll be the place where I document my personal experiences and share anything I've learnt.

I suppose I'm going in to this course as somewhere between beginner and intermediate (more intermediate I think!). I'm not new to photography but I still don't know a huge amount about it. I taught myself everything I currently know about photography. Books and the internet were very helpful.

I hope this may be of use to anyone unsure about where their life is going and is considering something to do with Art.

View from Jigsaw Park. Plymouth Uni (left), The Roundabout, PCA (right) and Drake Circus Mall (far right). ~Nov 2013.

[Sept. 2010 - Aug. 2012]

My A Levels at my secondary school didn't go very well. I suffered from anxiety and panic attacks which started at the beginning of Year 12. My attendance fluctuated and I missed a lot. However, the school was very helpful, there was always someone for me to talk to and the teachers seemed to understand. The anxiety didn't just affect attendance, I couldn't think straight and even had trouble reading sentences, just because my mind was always on the anxiety. AS Levels results came in August of  2011 and needless to say, my grades weren't good. They weren't absolutely terrible, but I knew I could have done so much better. I re-sat one exam.

Mid Year 13 and I applied for Geography at Plymouth Uni. I was always interested in how the world works and our relationship with our planet. Geography ran in our family too! I was very much in to art too and always had been, but I felt I wanted to keep that as a hobby and never really knew all the career opportunities there were involving art. My anxiety was still presenting challenges, but I wanted to show myself I could do this and get through it. Our A2 Level results came in August of 2012 and were pretty much the same. My anxiety hadn't gotten any better and I thought it unhealthy, mentally and physically, to repeat a year. I chose to take a year out and pursue all the options I could, to beat the anxiety.

The year out proved effective, my anxiety improved and I could go out in public without worrying as much as I had before.

I remembered I had felt happiest and carefree when I was out and about in nature and taking photos. Long story short, I researched Photography more and applied for the Photography course at PCA.

Ceramics

[Sept. 2013 onwards]

I started at Plymouth College of Art back in September 2013 on the 'Level 0' course. 

This is an extra year prior to the start of the BA course. In Level 0, all the disciplines are together: Illustration, Graphic Design, Photography, Fine Art, Contemporary Crafts, etc. Up until now, our projects have been aimed at getting to know the college, it's resources and learning how to carry out research and present it. It's been about art in general.

We've been introduced to ceramics, textiles, glass work, etc. which I have enjoyed as my interest in art covers lots of areas.

Textiles (tie dyeing)

Drawing, sketching, painting, etc.

Glass (sandblasting)

One project I loved was named Decon/Recon. We were given a list of objects to chose from (I chose a book) and interpreted how we liked. I made scenes from the pages of books. One scene is Baker Street with 221B Baker Street conveniently on the front of the house I made, Sherlock with the word Holmes across the silhoutette and lamp at the top of the lamp! I acquired some LEDs to fit into the lamppost too - It looked great in the dark!

My final scene was a forest scape with a house, river and old book illustrations of people.

The first year has been great, I haven't had any anxiety since September (except 2 mornings). I think I've made the right choice and I can't wait to get writing on here again!

First scene - Baker Street

Decon/recon - final piece.

Decon/recon - final piece.