Mod 2 weeks 1 to 5
Well at long last I can put pen to paper! It has been a difficult start for me with modal 2 as in the first place I could not get on to it, despite some frantic emails to Jess and then when I did it appeared I was a week late!!! Then I went away for 3 weeks with the England cricket team to Sri Lanka on a pre arranged trip to shoot there 4 one day internationals for my agency. So putting me 5 weeks behind.
I’m now caught up with the course and just putting my CRJ down and catching up.
This modal has been interesting, and good that I can look back on it after my 5 week abstance. Giving me a great overview of the past 5 weeks rather than putting down my thoughts at the end of each week.
I am unusual I think on this course and in particular to the past 5 weeks. I do not wish to get a job within the industry, other than the one I have already, nor do I need to grow my business. I only wish I had had this course and its information 30 years ago and I would be in far different place. I am very happy being where I am today, having been planning it for the past 9 years or so. I aim to semi retire in November of this year giving me two days a week to give the MA my all 3 days of work and two days a week to peruse my particular field of photography. The taking of this MA is to get a photographic qualification in photography and be able to send a picture to my mum of me in my mortarboard and gowns when I graduate, to put on her mantelpiece.
Weeks one and two I found interesting and I identified where I sit in the levels of the types of photographers that there are. Plus keeping abreast of copyright Law is always a good thing as stuff changes so quickly.
Week three seemed to happen for me quite by accident while I was away. I use social media, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Although not as well as my son seems to, think it might be an age thing. However I seem to fulfill the task set as I seem to be doing it as an ongoing process, which was heartening for me to see. The biggest threat to me and others I assume is time, having and making time to do all these things and keeping them up to date, then following trends etc plus I still struggle with the #!!!! I was delighted to see that I gained over 30 new followers across a three of the platforms I use, some of them just saw my work and others were people I talked to and met while I was in Sri Lanka. I always have believed that if your work is good and people have an interest in it they will want to find out more and in doing so will start to follow you.
As I said at the start of this piece I am very happy with where I am in terms of my photographic career at the moment. I feel this modal is focused towards those just starting out on their journey and career. I understand that and so feel some of the topics are not relevant to me but make for useful reading just as a top up.
At the end of my trip away I met someone new. Which coincided with week five, quite by chance. I am an outgoing sort of person so am constantly asking questions as I want to learn and find out why, what where etc. I use this a lot when I am lecturing; buy telling the audience that I still make mistakes but am always looking to find out why and how to get it right next time. I enjoy meeting with people and hearing their stories of how they are where they are and how did they get here. For me it’s the photographers I find most interesting and today have always been happy to supply the information and advice.