poppymcdonnell
Poppy McDonnell
The only photographer you should compare yourself to is the one you used to be.
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Evaluation
This module was the most stressful for me, due to my originally idea falling through so late on. I had to change my idea with a month left until the deadline, due to so many musicians cancelling on me at the last minute. I do feel that I coped with the change, and got what I needed quickly. I just wish I got to spend more time on my new idea as I feel like I could have developed the idea more or at least take photos of new people, but for the limited time I had I felt like I had done a good job.
I did find that I didn’t enjoy the know west media centre project though, I found it very difficult to get my head around, and felt myself becoming stressed by the project as I didn’t know knowle west, nor could I find many people who were willing to take photos. I also found it a little frustrating when on the debrief, after we had finished our task, when they said big camera’s can be intimidating and phones would be more appropriate. I just felt like it made our work seem less important that way, and anyone can take a photo on a phone, and not need to use a professional camera.
Overall I did enjoy this module, but I did feel that there were a lot of mini side projects we needed to do, when I solely wanted to focus on just one big project. This module also showed me I can work under stressful situations and can change my project and get things done, even at the last minute if all else fails and goes wrong.
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Evaluation
I really enjoyed this module as it helped me understand how much work needs to go in to building a good exhibition. Before I didn’t even consider about how I was going to display my work, but after taking in some careful consideration I decided I wanted to hang my work as it was. If I had more money, I think I would’ve maybe have framed my work, but at the time I did not have the money to do so.
I also liked the whole printing side for the portfolio and the exhibition, I liked watching the prints come out, and watching the whole process for printing. I didn't realise how much of a lengthy process it would be for printing, but it took all of Friday morning and afternoon to print off my portfolio. I wish I spent more time on choosing my images for my portfolio, but I think it does show me as a photographer, especially with my music part of the portfolio.
Bristol 24/7 was very helpful for me, I found it gave us a little inside look into working in the industry with a professional magazine. Being able to source my own clothing company meant I was able to pick who I wanted to work with, and what clothing style would suit my photography. I wanted to pick an “out there” brand like Katze, I thought it was eccentric, but the clothing worked really well with the car park. I think I should have taken into consideration the brief more, and making sure the photos were noticeably Bristol, but as a series the photos work. It showed me I need to improve on posing people though, as they were all very similar.
What I really enjoyed most about this module was having a mentor though, I think I picked the most exceptional mentor who was very much up for helping me better myself as a photographer. Without Jo I wouldn’t have got to experience taking photos at the festival, which was truly an experience I will never forget, and I am thankful I contacted Jo to be my mentor.
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Bibliography
References
FilterGrade. (2015). 11 Best Portrait Photographers to Inspire You - FilterGrade. [online] Available at: https://filtergrade.com/best-portrait-photographers-to-inspire-you/ [Accessed 4 May 2018].
PetaPixel. (2016). How to Shoot Street Portraits With Permission. [online] Available at: https://petapixel.com/2016/12/30/shoot-street-portraits-permission/ [Accessed 26 Apr. 2018].
Stanford, A. and Hussey, M. (2018). Photography + Storytelling = Portrait Project 365 | Design Bridge. [online] Design Bridge. Available at: http://www.designbridge.com/photography-storytelling-portrait-project-365/ [Accessed 26 Apr. 2018].
Taggart, P. (2015). Storytelling through Unconventional Portraiture. [online] Lynda.com - from LinkedIn. Available at: https://www.lynda.com/Portrait-photography-tips/Shooting-Photo-Essay-Telling-Story-Portraiture/387354-2.html [Accessed 26 Apr. 2018].
websites:
http://www.paultaggart.com/projects/portrait/
http://stevemccurry.com/galleries/portraits
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References
Amateurphotographer.co.uk. (2017). [online] Available at: http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk/technique/expert_advice/exhibiting-your-photography-67898 [Accessed 4 May 2018].
Artists Network. (n.d.). How to Hang Art: Fine Art Lighting & Art Hanging Systems. [online] Available at: https://www.artistsnetwork.com/art-business/art-hanging-systems/ [Accessed 3 Apr. 2018].
Knight, C. (2010). A Guide to Preparing Your First Gallery Exhibition. [online] Photo & Video Envato Tuts+. Available at: https://photography.tutsplus.com/articles/a-guide-to-preparing-your-first-gallery-exhibition--photo-4036 [Accessed 6 Jun. 2018].
Sageartsstudio.com. (2012). How to Hang a Show. | The Art of Anthony Sell. [online] Available at: http://sageartsstudio.com/wp/blog/2012/10/20/how-to-hang-a-show/ [Accessed 5 May 2018].
websites:
http://johaycockphotography.co.uk
http://philippehalsman.com
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My dad had free crocodile clips in work which he said he would get for me. When I looked at the I decided they weren’t the right style or big enough to hang my work for the exhibition. I ordered larger bulldog clips to hang my work, if all else fails I will use white tack to stick to the walls
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Evaluation
This module was the most difficult for me, as it was all about marketing yourself and the graduation show. When I first started this module I had no clue about how to describe myself as a photographer, so I couldn’t even understand how I was suppose to write an about section about myself, let alone build myself as a brand.
When I first began, I was stressed with the questions about ourselves, I didn’t know where to begin as I felt like I didn’t have a clear vision of myself, or my brand. This module really helped me discover myself as a photographer and have a clear concept of what I want to do. I needed to decide how I wanted to portray myself to future clients, so making a website really helped me solidify myself as a brand. I know now I want to be a performance photographer, and once I had decided on that everything else just seemed to flow, my artist statement came from that decision.
I think if I had given myself enough time, I would have taken more time on my business card, I feel like I left that too much to the last minute, and I was worried about it not arriving in time for my hand in, so I sort of just built it quickly with a website that would deliver it in time. I wish I had spent more time considering the design of my business card. But I still like it and my design as I didn't want it to be too eccentric.
Also for promoting the show, I wish I had spent more time making sure the social media was active, as I find this is a weak point for me, keeping the sites active which is something I need to improve on. That would be the same for my social media’s also. I felt like the Instagram was the one that I managed to keep the most up to date.
Overall, I enjoyed this module as I felt I learnt more about promoting myself and discovering myself as a brand. I also don’t think I ever would have got round to making myself a website or business cards without this module.
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References
Bhasin, K. (2018). 7 Ways To Promote Your Business Online For Free. [online] OPEN Forum. Available at: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/7-ways-to-promote-your-business-online-for-free/ [Accessed 3 Apr. 2018].
The Modern Tog. (n.d.). 10 Free Photography Marketing Ideas That Work Like Crazy. [online] Available at: https://www.themoderntog.com/10-free-photography-marketing-ideas-that-work-like-crazy/ [Accessed 5 May 2018].
Young, N. (n.d.). The Photographer's Guide to Self-Promotion. [online] Digital Photography School. Available at: https://digital-photography-school.com/photographers-guide-self-promotion/ [Accessed 8 May 2018].
Olewitz, C. (2017). Do Photographers Need Business Cards in 2017?. [online] Format.com. Available at: https://www.format.com/magazine/resources/design/photographer-business-cards-moo?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=2018_format_cpc_a1_generic_dynamicsearch_desktop_uk&utm_term=homepage [Accessed 5 May 2018].
Websites looked at:
www.brandonwoelfel.com (Accessed June 3rd)
https://www.carysmart.com (Accessed March 3rd)
http://www.chris-webb.co.uk (Accessed March 6th)
https://www.jameslynd.co.uk. (Accessed April 6th)
http://johaycockphotography.co.uk/childrens-photography (accessed April 3rd)
https://www.instantprint.co.uk/business-cards/premium?_$ja=tsid:86612%7Ccid:316561940%7Cagid:22557834140%7Ctid:aud-114491609300:kwd-10164130%7Ccrid:269484398314%7Cnw:g%7Crnd:614317402641484897%7Cdvc:c%7Cadp:1t2%7Cmt:p%7Cloc:9045639&gclid=Cj0KCQjwjN7YBRCOARIsAFCb937e4xmLdol_m0y-pVSE10X2lhl-nlUs0ASCCGORDY77jJgIK_Z3J2EaAmxIEALw_wcB#!?lamination=no&size=85-x-55-mm&paper=450gsm-silk&sided=single&finish=standard-corners&turnaround=Standard (Accessed May 20th)
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Google business pages
Automate social media posts - keeps you online, even when you’re not.
Use a blog as often as you can, fresh content means google will think your site is active, if site hasn’t been updated in a while, is the business still running?
email marketing / building email list
referral bonuses, gets word of mouth going
Network with other photographers
Contests / promotion, gets people talking about you
Get a feature on a photo blog
Give back to the local community
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Self promotion is important, in order to build a successful photography business you need to be both a good photographer and also a good marketer for business.
No one will higher you without you being able to showcase what you can do. Show off your work.
Get rid of your fear of self promotion / fear of rejection and put yourself out there
Get your business online - website - easiest way to showcase your portfolio
Be excellent at customer service - word of mouth is important
Network both on and offline
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Brand Analysis
Brandon Woelfel is a fashion / portrait photographer, whose work is bright and colourful. I have chosen to analyse Brandon’s brand as he is one of my all time favourite photographers, and I find his work inspiring.
Brandon’s website URL (http://www.brandonwoelfel.com) is just his name, this makes it easier for people to search for, or access quickly. I find that photographers who include photography or have really long URLs can be difficult to search for. With a snappy url it’s efficient to type in and people who do not know he is a photographer will guess from his website. I find that his URL is professional, as it doesn’t have a long list of numbers in the url, and you can tell he pays for his website/ domain name as it doesn’t have .wix.com after it.
When clicking on the URL, the first photo you see is the one which is on his book cover, Luminescence, this is one of his most famous images and I think that is good promotion for his book, but also makes the website look less messy when you have just one image to start with.
On his welcome page, it also has his name, an option to click on his portfolio or Instagram, and then below that are all of his social medias. This is a very smart thing to do, as people can easily find a link to his social media’s at the click of a button, and it also means people don’t need to keep looking through his website to find a way to follow him. It also has his email, so you can easily get in contact with him, if you didn’t want to go through the website. I think for a welcome page, it is efficient and easy to use. Most people don’t want complicated when looking at a brand, simple and easy to use is the best way.
When clicking onto Brandon’s portfolio, the style of his work is consistent throughout. His works are all a cool light blue tone with a partial pinky tone, and he also uses lights a lot during his works, it isn’t very often that he doesn’t. Brandon Woelfel’s brand is best known for his use of fairy lights in his images, and his book Luminescence features that. He rose to fame through using lights, so including this in his portfolio of work is essential.
On his website Brandon show’s his “before and after” photos, with his online following, lots of the people like to see his before and afters that he publishes on twitter and instagram. People love to see what his original images use to look like before and how much work goes into creating a single image. People are nosey with how he creates what he does, I think that’s why they also like to know what sort of gear he uses, whether they be in his photos, or what he uses to actually take the photos.
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My facebook header is the same image as my website opening photo, Which I thought was a nice touch.
Also I like to keep my facebook page up to date with my latest photos.
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Personal Branding
When I first started this module, I found this part the hardest, to find a branding for myself. I felt like without knowing what kind of photographer I was, I would not be able to come up with anything. However, once I built my portfolio and website, I found this easier.
Colour scheme: For my colour scheme, I’ve decided to just go for a simple black and white. I sometimes find that lots of colours can be off-putting. It brings more attention to my work that way, people will be more focused on my work rather than the colours. This is shown on my website as well as my logo
Brand: I consider myself a music photographer, but I also like to do mini documentary series, and also take portraits. However, when it comes to my website I do not want it to be full separate tabs, so I will pick two headings for my photos, my music as well as my portraits. As a music photographer you need to be able to take portraits of musicians so I think this will best showcase my brand, as well as interest what I hope to be future clients.
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Presentation on Branding,
When I did this presentation I wasn’t too sure what my brand was or what it would be, so what I did was research photographers to see what I liked and disliked about their websites, and also had a play around with Squarespace and Wix when looking at my website.
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