Scott_Lewis
tutor
Reged: 08/06/2006
Posts: 39
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Hi all,
I just wanted to add a helpful note here concerning the importance of showing 'evidence of research' in your notes. Many of you do this quite naturally without the need for prompting - and to you guys I say a heartfelt thank you. But for those others who might be eager to get a higher score for their written work I thought I'd jot down a few ideas here to get you heading in the right direction.
Technical data:
This doesn't have to be extensive in my view, but it's very useful for us tutors to be able to see at a glance a few basic things. With each important shot or exercise consider listing: focal length, ISO, shutter speed and aperture. Also mention if you used any accessories like a certain filter.
Technical/technique research
So, if, through the course of your module work you've consulted some technical sources to help with a certain situation then do mention it in your written work. For instance you may have searched the web looking for information about hyperfocal focussing, or maybe read an article in AP covering the HDR method or shooting in infrared. Tell your tutor and receive recognition, it's as simple as that.
Artistic/aesthetic inspiration
Now here's the area of research that seems most negelected by students. And this is baffling to me as it certainly leads to the most enjoyable and eye-opening of discoveries. So what's involved? Simply this - begin to look at the work of other photographers. If you're doing a project about architecture, then find a photographer who works in that field. Put any observations you make in your notes and say if you were influenced in any way - perhaps to try something new.
But of course inspiration can come from many sources. You might visit an exhibition, see a film or be influenced by a field far removed from photography. Be sure to include it all in your written work as it helps give a picture of how your thought processes and approach evolved through the course of the module.
Although it's very tempting of course to shoot first and research later this sort of approach won't give your new knowledge a chance to benefit your work. So if possible get your research out of the way before you set out taking pictures.
My last piece of advice here is to keep things brief. We don't want reams of data - just a few insightful remarks here and there in the body of your notes and if you want to you can put a list of references on one A4 page at the end of your module too. This is likely to be a brief list of webistes visited, or books consulted or magazines scanned or all three! It is important though to link the research source to your photo and the exercise in question. Tie the three together. An example might go something like this:
' Through looking at the work of Lee Friedlander I was inspired to try alternative compositions. In this shot this meant assuming a shooting angle which overlapped many of the picture parts. I felt this helped to suggest the complexity of the the city street location.'
Or,
' Joe Cornish's book 'The Northumberland Coast' underlined for me the importance of making the most of the foreground. In an effiort to capture the lovely skies that he did I tried a graduated neutral density filter for the first time and visited the location in the golden hours of morning to get the best light.'
Or,
'Heather Angel's marvellous wildlife images encouraged me to visit the British Wildlife Centre where I got some great shots of a barn owl. I looked at their website first to get an idea of opening times and if photography was allowed. To my delight I found out they held photography days where you could, with a keeper, actually go into the displays and get close up views without the wire mesh getting in the way.'
Well guys I hope this has given you a few ideas and I look forward to hearing about your photo adventures!
Scott
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GDN
old hand
Reged: 05/02/2008
Posts: 719
Loc: Surrey
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Thanks for the tips Scott. I'll try to incorporate more "Artistic/aesthetic inspiration" into my photographic reviews from now on... 
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Gary - My Flickr Site
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Azzi
member
Reged: 08/05/2006
Posts: 175
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Hmmm...I agree Gary, some good advice...
But I can`t say that I have taken any one shot in an attempt to reproduce something I`ve seen else where - well not consciously. But maybe that`s it - we are all influenced in a sub-conscious way to some extent, but how do you then acknowledge those photographers or iconic images that influenced you??
This is getting too heavy, and my friend just called to say the surf is too good to miss, so I`m off surfing right now…sorry to cut the message short...
Have a nice evening.
Chris
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Scott_Lewis
tutor
Reged: 08/06/2006
Posts: 39
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Hi all,
We all learn from others don't we - our whole lives. If you wanted to learn how to put a flat pack table together you could conceivably eschew teh instructions and teach yourself without any reference to the knowledge or experiences of others, but you'd be putting yourself at a massive disadvantage. So I don't think it's wrong to use the ideas of others. You can't avoid it in fact. Indeed when I come to think about it, most of what I know has come from other people in one way or another. Of course I've taken their methods and made them my own. I've applied them to fresh situations and blended them with yet more techniques and inspirations. Perhaps somewhere along the line something original is created. But I'd be just as happy with something meaningful or beautiful or perhaps just plain useful.
So, what i'm trying to say in an extremely long winded way is that you'll learn a great deal from looking at the work of others. Things that on your own you may never perceive. After all, how many times have you opened up your copy of AP to gaze upon some awesome image and wanted nothing more than to be able to create work of that standard? Envy and immitation in this sense can be the fuel for massive positive change.
Scott
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Chloe
newbie
Reged: 18/06/2008
Posts: 19
Loc: London
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Some good advise there Scott and will definitely be taking it on board.
I know where you're coming from with the 'inspiration can come from many sources'. While I was on holiday in Portugal back in May I came across a photography exhibition and was very inspired at what I saw.
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~Chloe~
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alancane
newbie
Reged: 24/05/2008
Posts: 38
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Thanks for your posting Scott, I think that there is a lot of value in this and I wish I had incorporated this 'research + reference' in my first module.... you wait til you get my mod 2 now!
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Alan
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/alancane/sets/
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Paul_M
newbie
Reged: 25/03/2008
Posts: 20
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Thanks Scott - some good advice. I just wish I'd seen it before I submitted module 2. I did try to take into account your comments on module 1, but I can see now how I could have done better.
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MarcusY
newbie
Reged: 05/07/2008
Posts: 14
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This is all useful stuff, but it's not possible to fit it into the 100 word max limit per image in Module 1 - along with commenting on choice of framing and composition.
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Garry McNamara
Snr Tutor/Bongo Banjo
Reged: 16/08/2006
Posts: 2079
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That's 100 words on your actual pictures but you could include a thumbnail of an image you'd seen that gave you a idea (as they say a picture is worth a thousand words!) and a short paragraph on what has struck you after your background reading can go right at the start.
What you submit and what you write are not necessarily the same – a pull quote from your own thoughts (where you take something from your thoughts that really sticks out) is very useful - it's good to keep it brief is because it does help you focus on what was most important in each case and it's the same with background research. Those pithy thoughts tend to stay with you – and that’s useful.
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LizzieD60
newbie
Reged: 18/08/2008
Posts: 13
Loc: Bedford
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Thank you so much Scott for that information
Lizzie
Student NumberL 1847
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GeekGirl
newbie
Reged: 21/08/2008
Posts: 22
Loc: Edinburgh, UK
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Hi Scott!
I just wanted to say thank you for your feedback on my first module submission. I was really nervous about it and your comments were really helpful and friendly so cheers for that! 
Thanks also for the pointers in this forum post. It's good to have some more idea of what the tutors are looking for in the self assesment and I think pointing out the research aspect is a good point. I'll definately take all these points on board.
Now for Module 2!......
Cheers,
Heather
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http://www.flickr.com/photos/heather_dalgarno/
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