Proposal

Final Major Project Proposal (first draft)

For my final major project, my theme will be based around 'Appearance'. Within this theme, I will focus a lot on people in their natural state, both on location and in the studio. As well as this, I will photograph things such as still life which link in with my theme, like the marble I have photographed. I photographed them because despite just being marbles, they are all incredibly unique, similar to people.

I intend to produce mainly photographs, which will be mostly black and white. Black and white photographs are a recurring theme in my work because I think people automatically assume the colours in their head, because we're all used to seeing in colour, making them take a deeper interest. Also, photography was originally made black and white, so producing black and white photographs feel like the 'proper' way to do it in a sense.
I have looked at a massive range of artists, some of which include Saul Leiter, Gary Winnogrand and Lee Freidlander. I have looked at these artists specifically because they photograph people in their natural state, there's little or no staged or posed shots, which is relevant to the work I'm aiming to produce. I want to produce natural work because I think having people pose always looks awkward and uncomfortable, letting the models and subjects go about their day normally allows me to produce better looking photographs.
For my final pieces I would like to produce some large prints (A0, A1, A2) and some contact sheet style prints of a similar size. Also, I would like to produce some cyanotypes of a smaller size (A3 or A4). Cyanotypes are made by exposing the chemicals to ultraviolet light after spreading them onto a material, to create a bold blue and white print, for the same reasons as the black and white prints.
To conclude, I will be making a large amount of photographs and cyanotypes based around appearance, alongside primary and secondary research and opinions on the subjects. After doing a broad range of work, I will pick a specific subject within the theme for my final pieces.

Second Draft

Throughout the course, I have learnt about all different kinds of art, and practiced in methods used in all the pathways. As well as this, I've developed my skills as a photographer and gained a lot of experience with different kinds of photography and lighting. My project will allow me to further my skills through practice and experimentation, doing a broader range of work will help me gain experience. The main issue identified through my assessment was that I needed to signpost my work more, which I will solve by showing all the steps in my work, including the ones that didn't work to highlight progression and allow clearer reflection.

My theme will be based around 'Appearance'. Within this theme, I will focus a lot on people in their natural state, both on location and in the studio. As well as this, I will photograph things such as still life which link in with my theme, like the marble I have photographed. I photographed them because despite just being marbles, they are all incredibly unique, similar to people. Giving myself a really broad starting point allows me to produce a lot more work before picking a specific subject for my final piece.

I have looked at a wide range of artists, some of which include Saul Leiter, Gary Winnogrand and Lee Freidlander. I have looked at these artists specifically because they photograph people in their natural state, there's little or no staged or posed shots, which is relevant to the work I'm aiming to produce. I want to produce natural work because I think having people pose always looks awkward and uncomfortable, letting the models and subjects go about their day normally allows me to produce more aesthetically strong photographs. A lot of my primary and secondary research will be opinions, because my theme is something a lot of people will have strong opinions on (for topics like beauty and discrimination), I think using a lot of statements would be suitable.

I will use mainly my digital single lens reflex camera and a 50mm lens, but I will experiment with other equipment such as lights, macro lenses, wide angle lenses and film camera. I would also like to use some alternative printing methods such as cyanotypes to produce a wider, bolder range of work. My final pieces will be all photographs, printed quite large onto glossy paper. The majority of the photographs, if not all will be black and white, so having a plain white background will really bring out the detail in the photographs. I would also like the produce some cyanotypes (blue and white prints) of a slightly smaller size presented in the same way. The materials are all available or easily accessible, so there shouldn't be any problem with production.

Throughout the project, I will critically reflect on all my work, as well as receiving feedback from piers and tutors to help find the best course for my work. This will help my work progress because I can easily establish the good from the bad, and receive opinions on how to approach my work differently for stronger outcomes.