More on planning...

Just a quick note on the progress with planning my assignment work.

I am on chapter 3 of 'Behind the Image: Research in Photography' and yesterday I went out and bought myself a scrapbook for keeping ideas, images and thoughts in one place - this would be for any printed things that I want to keep as a reminder or drawings or sketches etc.
I thought it would be a very useful addition to the blog.

I also spent a bit of time going through each individual assignment submission to see what is required and how and when I might be able to shoot the images for the exercises and the submissions. I now have a list of suggested places and occasions that might be suitable.

I enjoyed doing the preparation - now is the time to do the work!  

'Behind the image: Research in Photography'

I am reading 'Behind the image: Research in Photography'  by Anna Fox and Natasha Caruana. I picked this book up as it seemed relevant and appropriate to help me structure my work on the first assignment. Having gone through the first two chapters (Planning and Developing ideas through research) helped me to think about and examine the ways I approach my work and if there is any kind of methodology emerging.

What steps do I take when I develop a new project?

Are these the same steps every time I start working on a new idea or are they very different?

Where do I go for information?

What sources of information do I trust?

Are these information sources vary depending on the subject I select or are they usually the same?

I might not be able to answer all these questions right now but it is important to ask them right at the start of my project.

Now that I am more aware of the questions, I will be looking for the answers as I go along. Hopefully, some structure will emerge as my project unfolds.

People and Places: planning my work

In striking contrast to the way I had approached my previous OCA module, this time I decided to first have a look through the whole course book.

This was actually a very useful exercise as I found out more about the general direction of the assignments, the starting point and, most importantly, the details and requirements for the final submission.

I discovered straight away that few of my ideas might not be suitable for this course. For example, I was hoping to use the course (or a part of it) to do a self-portrait study. After looking through the course materials I have realised that this might not be quite possible as it would limit my ability to explore the nuances of interacting with my subject - in the way which is possible say through a portrait sitting session. So, I am a little disappointed by this but at the same time was very happy to turn my attention to other areas which I'd like to explore.

The ideas I am considering at the moment include:
1. 'A day in the life of...' - type of mini-project. I was thinking of approaching a local shelter for homeless, a market stall holder, or/ and a craftsman. It would be great to be able to use my course submissions to help a charity or a local business with publicity.
2. Having seen East Anglia Air Ambulance in action this year, I have made a commitment to contribute to this charity's work. I am planning to approach  EAAA and offer to volunteer for them as a photographer in 2014. This will hopefully form a part of my OCA submission work.

These are my initial thoughts and ideas...

I wondered if other OCA students have thought of similar projects and if these projects have been fruitful...     

Just wanted to share my joy of discovering Trade-In Book service offered by Amazon. I have only just  came across it and to my delight have managed to trade some of my existing books which I was planning to take to a charity shop for a number of books from OCA recommended reading list. It was easy to do and did not take much time at all. I now have most of the titles which I need to do my study. The books are wonderful - even  a quick glimpse through the pages gave me such inspiration! 

I am starting a new course with OCA and I feel both excited nervous about this course.
The main reason for my mixed feelings is that this year has been quite traumatic and turbulent which impacted a lot on my ability to do photography - I hardly spent any time with my camera this year.
Now that the the year is drawing to a close, I feel getting ready to pick up my camera again.
The other reason for my nervousness is that this course - titled People and Places - is likely to take me out of my comfort zone quite a bit.
Although I have done some people photography in the past, this hasn't been the focus of my work to date. I am quite shy and photographing people hasn't been my favourite pursuit.
Still, I welcome this new challenge - I think it is coming into my life at a right time.
There is a lot to read and a lot to do which is the best thing about studying with OCA. It gives me the structure that I need to work on my projects and develop my ideas.
I am wishing myself good luck on this journey - how exciting!