Week 3 is quiz time! I don’t know why I left it until almost the end of the week before attempting the quiz but procrastination is one of my skills 😉 I’m pleased to say I got a 10/10! Now it’s onto some of the more technical aspects of our course and the creation of a digital journal to chart our progress. The digital journal will also serve as a means of assessment throughout the course.
Digital Journal Options
A bunch of options were suggested for our digital journal: Powerpoint, Word, Tumblr or any type of blog. Since I already have this WordPress blog, that is the way I’ve chosen to go.
I began this blog a long time ago and it has morphed into the format it has today. It’s a comfortable space to share my projects and an online place to call home. I’m most present on Instagram but the blog serves as a permanent record unlike any of the other social media options – it’s mine for as long as I pay the hosting costs and I’m not limited by changes in algorithms or app updates.
Digital journals That Inspire
There is a huge variety of online journals that inspire me daily so I’ve chosen to share a few of my favourites. As the social online world grows the methods of consuming content change and lately I find that I spend most of my time reading blog posts from the few blogs I subscribe to and visiting Instagram.
Inspirational Photo Journals
Lauren P Bath, @laurenpbath
Lauren is Australia’s first professional Instagrammer. She has built a career on travelling to unusual places and giving the average persons view of tourist spots while also finding those out of the way places nobody but the locals know. Lauren rarely puts her face in a selfie – usually they are shots of bits of her body or taken from behind like this one.
Phoebe Lee, @littlegreybox_phoebe
Phoebe is another travel Instagrammer and I’ve been following her for a long time. In contrast to Lauren, Phoebe is not shy in putting her face in front of a camera. I love the fun that she brings to travel.
Canon Australia
Canon Australia run a group called the Canon Collective for photography workshops and meet ups around Australia. We have a very active group in Brisbane and I get along to as many meets as I can manage. In the meantime, the Facebook group is full of inspiration from around Australia and the travels of members.
BenMcRaePhotography, @benmcraephotography
Ben is an Australian photographer who has followed his passion to portray life in Namibia, Africa. He images are striking and make you think and offer a window into the life of tribesmen and animals in that area of the world.
Sophie Munns, @sophiemunns
I enjoy Sophie’s strong sense of style that is portrayed on her Instagram feed and within her blog. Sophie is a ‘seed artist’, using seed pods as creative inspiration and has become well known in botanical circles.
@Kankanavee
I discovered this page while scrolling through Instagram. I find these images visually intriguing and they leave me wonder how they were created. I’ve not got the editing or photographic skills to attempt anything like this – yet!
Selfie Inspiration – student examples
The tutors have provided us with a wealth of inspiration and a peek at the work of past students. I’d like to comment on two of them, the first is from Charles Chadwick. Charles communicates so much via his selfie which he took by using a mirror. We learn a little about his age and maturity and the fact that he would rather obscure most of his face and keep a beloved camera the focus of the shot. The camera is centred and the high contrast of black and white makes for a strong image.
Jessica Bishop’s shadow image with her horse clearly shows the bond between man and animal. Jessica has her hand resting on the back of the horse, strengthening their connection. The strong contrast of black and white is balanced by the inclusion of an animal. Jessica’s love of her horse is clear.
Product Photography
Product photography is something I’ve been working on improving for the past year. I work and teach as a papercrafter and mixed media artist and I run classes and design projects for several businesses. A good photograph will help promote the products I’m designing with and bring more design work my way. A well composed image that properly represents what I’m teaching will encourage people to come to my classes.
I think that I’ve finally developed a style and workflow for taking images of my own work. Doing a bunch of workshops in Lightroom and general photography have definitely helped me improve. My next plan is to explore the use of lights and reflectors to further improve my shots.
Canon Collective – 12 Exposure B&W Challenge
I attended a photomeet organised between Canon Australia and Ipswich Tourism for a visit to the Workshops Rail Museum at Ipswich. Our creative brief was to shoot 12 images in black and white around the grounds – within an hour with no deletions or extra images. We were given access to the empty rail museum and permission to wander as we pleased. This is the collection of images I captured –
Purple Salt #2 