Where I am, what I am, and where I’m going
I have joined the FDA Commercial Photography course to expand on a skillset that I have developed during my career as a web designer and front end developer. During this career I have learn how to teach myself new technologies, present my ideas in a skilful and measured way, and to evaluate my own work. This set of skills will be transferable to the course, but with a different industry.
Previous Photography Courses
In the past I have done small courses such as the Open University T189 course where I learnt the basics of photography, before going out to test them with practical tasks. I have also taken part in a project called Nice Smile Sir where a number of creatives took a picture every day for a year. These different tasks have taught me skills such as time management and organisation, as well as the different technical skills to complete the tasks.
Industry experience
I have good experience with using many software packages such as Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign, but have not used tools such as Lightroom which is often used by industry professionals to edit images. I will want to develop skills with this software as I know it will help with workflow.
My own areas of interest in Photography have recently focused around Motorsports photography. I have been to several hillclimbing events, as well as a VSCC race at Mallory Park. With these shoots I have learned how to pan correctly with the camera, and have found different techniques to create different types of images. I have constantly evaluated the images I have created, which has seen an improvement in my understanding and development of this type of Photography.
A Maserati 4CS at Mallory Park. One of the many Motorsports shots I’ve taken.
There are many areas which I have yet to explore – this mainly includes studio based photography and film photography. From my work in the web industry, I can appreciate how important it will be to add this to my skill set, as many clients have required product shots in the past. I believe film photography will give me a purer perspective on photography, as fundamental principles are applied stronger here, as post production is far more limited. I believe the discipline required for this will created a more streamlined and better prepared process for my photography skills.
How I learn
I have used the Honey & Mumford system to determine that I am a theorist, as I like to think through problems rationally and generate a theory to solve the problem. I also believe that understanding basic theories is the key to finding solutions.
In this early stage of the course I want to establish the basics of Studio photography, film development and the technical skills, before advancing into generating creative ideas.
Posted in: Photoshop, Review, Workflow
