Photographic projects

[1kgcoffee]

To this point in time, my photography has been anything and everything.

What projects have you worked on?

How do you formulate a concept for a photographic project?

 

[blockend]

To this point in time, my photography has been anything and everything.

What projects have you worked on?

How do you formulate a concept for a photographic project?

I have short and long term projects. Long ones include documenting the area I grew up in over a period of 40+ years, and the English at leisure. Short projects vary from local traffic intersections, to people who like dressing up (re-enactors, transvestites, performers). I also have a thing about edgelands, where city meets country, and the visual and human signs of those places.

The only formula I have is whether I'm interested in the subject. If I'm not, no matter how smart the idea I'll quickly bore of it. OTOH If it speaks to me, I can pursue it for decades.

If you're really interested in something, whether it be local aero modellers, or every kind of jellyfish, your enthusiasm will come through. If I was offering advice I'd say stick with a lens and film you're happy with and stay with it for the duration of the project, at least. Don't flit between colour and B&W, film and digital, people want to see a coherent body of visual work, not catalogue your gear buying habits or map the quality of your lenses.

Dead Link Removed publish inexpensive photobooks by (mainly) documentary photographers, famous and unknown. Plenty of ideas there.

 

[Ian Grant]

Simple answer is a lot over the past 30+ years. Projects come mostly from a realisation that I've begun shooting a set of images, I'll then think about the parameters and possible timesacle. So one project ran for 18 months before being exhibited in a gallery in an arts centre, the next was a conscious decision to spen 5 years photographing an area - again a large exhibition in a gallery in the area.

Other projects have been ongoing for 10-15-30 years. Some are shorter it depends.

Ian

 

[eddie]

[QUOTE="Ian Grant, post: 2000252, member: 2310] Projects come mostly from a realisation that I've begun shooting a set of images...[/QUOTE]
I think mine usually come about the same way. I’ll notice a relationship between images I’ve made, then begin to work within that relationship.

 

[Ian Grant]

I go to a lot of exhibitions and over the years saw how other photographers were working, essentially on bodies of work. In the late 190's I bought a remaindered (excess stock sold of cheap) 1988 Michael Freeman book "Achieving Photographic Style", what he does in the book is look at how quite a number of different well known photographers were working and how they each had their own style. While learning nothing new from the book it totally re-enforced the way I was already working.

Projects must be of interest, perhaps reflect your pursuits, sympathies or concerns. I played with ideas to start with photographing a small cast iron foot bridge for about a year in all seasons and weather conditions, including snow and fog = that helped me in terms of consistency being able to use images shot in wildly different conditions coherently together, more an exercise than a project to be exhibited as a whole. At the same time realising in other places I that I was photographing industrial landscape, that tightened my parameters and brought structure to my projects. So the first major project was based around an abandoned canal, and as mentioned earlier exhibited in an arts centre gallery.

Each completed project gives you greater confidence and strength, so as I neared completing the Canal project in 1989 I went into the "Black Country" (black from coal dust) an industrial area near Birmingham in the UK. one evening with a friend to take some photos. Stood on top of a coal slag heap knowing I'd just made some great images (I'd never shot there before) I said I'm going to spend 5 years working here with an exhibition at the end, and that's what happened, culminating in an exhibition of 62 images and picking up some arts funding and sponsorship to help with costs.

It's a case of setting yourself some goals, an exhibition, magazine publication, even a book. It's also about trying to say something with you photography, there may be social, moral political overtones or maybe humour, or it may be more documentary.

Ian

 

[MattKing]

Some of the projects are essentially inductive in nature - I see patterns in what I have been doing, and I decide to try to take them further. A lot of that recognition comes while I'm in the darkroom.
Others are at least partially an excuse to get me out somewhere I haven't been.
I don't consider a project a "failure" if it doesn't end up becoming a cohesive whole. But it certainly is a success if it does.
Don't be hesitant to have multiple distinct projects on the go. Just be willing to set one or more of them aside temporarily when circumstances make concentrating on one of them (or the realities of daily life for that matter) the best course of action.
And whatever you do - write down what your plans are and what you learn along the way. Most likely those plans will evolve, but the process of writing them down provides a clarity of purpose that is absolutely necessary for success.

 

[Ian Grant]

I don't consider a project a "failure" if it doesn't end up becoming a cohesive whole. But it certainly is a success if it does.

I completely agree, some projects may become more open ended or fade out, but an important part of the learning curve..

Don't be hesitant to have multiple distinct projects on the go. Just be willing to set one or more of them aside temporarily when circumstances make concentrating on one of them (or the realities of daily life for that matter) the best course of action.

Again that's the advice I've give as well and is what I've done many times. It's important as you can easily become jaded if you don't give yourself some variety and breaks from larger projects.

I've lectured about my work, and ways of working and this is very useful to me, I went two steps further by going back to University studying Industrial Archaeology to help contextualise my work, later doing an MA in photography, the latter was always part of my late 1980's plans.

Ian