The theme for this project was landscape photography and I definitely wasn't as excited as I have been for my other projects. This is because being in the middle of winter I knew it would be very challenging to get out and get some good landscape photographs with the unpredictable and restrictive lighting available at this time of year. The most enjoyable part of this project for me was going out into the Peak District and basically having a nice day out hiking, and taking photos for my project. I also found researching the photographers and learning about their conceptual ideas and techniques really interesting.
New techniques I've experienced in this project include using HDR, long exposure times and using photographic tools such as diagonal lines, rule of thirds, framing devices and generally being more aware of things like composition and vantage points. I would definitely like to develop my use of HDR photography a lot further as when I tried it I didn't have a good subject matter or great conditions for a good photograph anyway so it would be nice to try this technique again with better conditions and location.
During this project I researched photographers such as Fay Godwin, John Blakemore, Luca Lupi, Charlie Waite and Ivvy Million. They have influenced my work in terms of their conceptual ideas and techniques and all the subject matters they use such as John Blakemore looking for textures in landscapes.
The technique I enjoyed using most in this project was experimenting with composition and looking for tools such as diagonal lines, rule of thirds and framing devices to really improve the compositional quality of my images. Personally I think the most successful part of my project was my Ivvy Million inspired photographs, where I used elements of her technique to go out and take my own landscape photographs on a particularly snowy day in the Peak District. I was just pleased with how they turned out and they recorded what was a really lovely day out.
Problems I encountered in this project included time issues because there isn't a lot of light about at this time of year and I'm also at college so it was really hard to get out to the places I wanted to photograph and have a good amount of time with sunlight. I also struggled with my subject matter as at this time of year the countryside can just look really barren especially without leaves on the trees which didn't really excite me as a photographer hence why my work isn't particularly exploratory.
Given the chance to complete this project again I would like to have explored more abstract forms of landscape photography, and I also would have liked to find better locations to photograph and make sure I can stay out later so that the sunlight isn't as harsh when I'm photographing as that was a really big problem for me doing this coursework.
Overall I did find this project challenging however I do think a lot my issues were out of my control in terms of my resources and the time constraints and restrictions I have in terms of where I live and how much time I have to go out into the countryside to take photographs.
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