STREET MODULE self-evaluation

Self-evaluation

The first thing to say about my approach to this module is that my project has been a continuous "work in progress" and the original idea has progressively changed and developed with ups and downs until the very end.

I originally had a clear and solid idea for this project. I wanted to record the multiethnicity of Birmingham (where Britons are becoming a minority) taking close up headshots of people in the street using a fill-in flash.

I went the first time and I considered that shooting day a success. I was very satisfied with the outcome and most of all I enjoyed to take the pictures.

Soon after we had our first class feedback and through my classmates and my lecturer's opinions I realised that I was missing a key aspect, the context. My portraits were good, but by taking close headshots I completely lost the environment of the street which is the guiding line of the module.

I felt a little bit discouraged, and I started to look critically at the other pictures that I took that day and I noticed that I had a few strong images of people in context that gave a cinematic feel.

So I started to research photographers that developed street projects with a movie-like aesthetic and I decided to move in that direction.

The problem was that "the direction" I decided to take wasn't a solid, particular one like my initial idea and every time I went shooting, even if I got some good material, the outcomes didn't really work as a sequence.

I kept on shooting less and less becoming demotivated. Every time I came back to look at my pictures I started this kind of jigsaws puzzle in which I tried to build a consistent body of work using disconnected pictures. Not a good idea.

This scenario kept on going for a while and the situation became even worse because I started to be emotionally attached to some pictures and I couldn't look at them with an objective judging eye. Doing the edits became harder and harder and even if I had some strong pictures I just couldn't tolerate to work like that.

This was the situation until last week when I decided to take matters into my own hands because it is not my style to please myself when I am sure I can do much much better.

I looked at my images and I asked my self:

Which pictures work?

Why do they work?

JUST KEEP ON DOING THAT.

So I gave me one week time and a simple rule to follow: SHOOT.

So I did. Initially, the circumstances didn't really help me because all the people I approached didn't want to collaborate, but in the very last days (possibly due to the good weather) it was difficult to find someone refusing!

Working on this project really helped me to open my eyes and develop. When I am on the street now I always look at people and context in a relationship as I was not able before.

I remember months ago when I came for the first time into McDiarmid's work I thought: "I will never be able to be so observational and take pictures of subjects in their environment so effectively".

I believe his work really influenced me. I find his body of work absolutely great and he taught me to observe quirkily.

There is a quote from a photographer that taught me the basic of photography when I started to be interested in this field years ago: " Street Photography is like going mushrooming". I still believe it's absolutely true.

So, to recap my self-evaluation about my submission:

• I work much better when I have a specific goal in mind

• I should always create a project from "construction" and never from "deconstruction"

• I shouldn't leave my initial project in Birmingham, but keep it as a start for a future work

A last (but not least) thing to say is that being part of this course is extremely stimulating. Every time we share our work in the class I realise how different and original all of my mates are, and working along them is a continuous flux of creative stimulus.