Reflections to Date ... Cover Story

I've just realised that both the deadlines for our Assignments Cover Story and Client Brief  are due on the 5th May. I have decided that I may use one of the images from my "Shadows" project as one of my book covers. I like it and feel it is appropriate; in the light shadow, there is the shape of what looks to me like a skeleton, it looks male and as my book is "The Invisible Man," I think that it's quite creative.

For my second book cover I will try and use the "eye" idea, photographing the eye as it drops into a glass of water. It will probably take a few experiments to do this but if I can get my daughter to help me, it will make the process easier.

I am worried about the Author Portrait, but I  still  have time to find someone. I would like to get that done soon, as I will have to process it in the Dark Room and as I haven't spent much time in there this term, I will need to hone my skills to perfect the final print. But I am getting ahead of myself as I said, I haven't yet taken any. I had originally asked the guy in the library IT Dept, but as I haven't spoken to him recently and he wasn't too keen on the idea, I think I will have to find another model. My friend's son is dark skinned so maybe I could ask him. I'm not confident enough to ask a total stranger in the street. It's not something I would find easy to do.

In fact the whole process of a Portrait Photography is out of my comfort zone and I don't enjoy the experience. I'm not comfortable asking people to pose, and I am not good at putting other people at ease either. The last portrait sitting I did was for the Work Based Learning; my artist looked very uncomfortable in the image I shot of her. I will of course have to get over this somehow.

Reflecting on the assignment so far, I enjoyed reading the Penguin Modern Classic but wish I had chosen a book with a different author. I have been working on my Sketch Book and am fairly up to date with this. I need to complete the section on Penguin History and I need to shoot more images, the sketch book is fairly devoid of images. After the Lecture and Workshop last Friday, I now need to research some photographic history and add this to the mix. There is still a lot to do.

I am finding the work load relentless because we are working on so many different assignments at the same time. I feel under a lot of pressure to get the work done, but at the back of my mind is the thought that I wanted to study for this degree to discover if I had any creative talents, and to develop my photography and conceptual awareness. My motivation for enrolling on the course was not commercial or work based, and I am wondering if maybe I have taken on too much.

My own projects are far more enjoyable than the projects I'm having to do for college. Was this the right choice for me ... I really don't know. I am drawn to photography of the soul, not photography that is a challenge to my technical skills as I am realising that technically I am not really very good at all. Its the mood of an image that draws me, not whether it is sharp or not. If I was intending to be for example a Wedding, Portrait or Commercial Photographer, I know that technical skill would be imperative. But I don't intend being any of these things, I just want to continue being creative with my cameras for the sake of being creative.

Time will tell if I am able to complete this year's work, but I am not going to beat myself up about it if I don't make the grade. From a personal perspective as a mature student, I dont have the same drive or energy as the younger students.

Secon Idea for my Book Cover