Tag: Critical Research Journal

Location: Seaton Sluice Beach.

Intent: Further to discussions with tutors and my research, I want to try some seascapes to assist the viewer see the scale of my project.

Equipment: Nikon D3300, Tamron 70-300mm with Macro

Methodology: I wanted to ensure that the water was represented in more than just detailed shots, I had to carefully pick the point I stood carefully as the North East Coast is a hub for wind turbines! I continued to use the mindful techniques that I had learnt and this is becoming pivotal to my work.

Research: Hiroshi Sugimoto was recommended to me by Wendy. My first thoughts of the initial images I have seen is that the are too perfect for what I am looking for. As I delve deeper into exploring mental illness from my own perspective, I feel the clouds are essential as they feel like the thoughts good or bad that go in and out of a persons mind

” Every time I view the sea, I feel a calming sense of security “

Hiroshi Sugimoto

Reflection on the Shoot: I think this was a good introduction to seascapes – However due to the time of year I lost light really quickly and this was a good reminder that I really need to think about how I want my images to look and consider when I plan my shoots to think about the time of day and the light at that time of day, along with checking the weather forecast.

References:

Hiroshi Sugimoto –
https://www.sugimotohiroshi.com/seascapes-1

Location: Plessey Woods Country Park

Intent: I wanted to try out the techniques that I had been learning reading around the subject of mindful and contemplative photography.

I was not to look at the images until I had returned home from the shoot and had a break.

I also wanted to practice some of the breathing techniques that I had learnt as I was struggling with quite a high degree of anxiety. Which was another reason that I wanted to see if photography really could be a therapy like it had been explained in the books that I was reading.

Equipment: Nikon D3300, Tamron 70-300mm with Macro

Methodology: I wanted to focus on water primarily but if other subjects caught my eye I didn’t want to rule them out. At first I thought I would simply be looking for water reflections. However once I started shooting I had the feeling that the reflections was not what I was drawn to and in fact it was the water patterns that I was finding intriguing.

I did not look at the images in camera as per the lessons that I had learnt. I also worked with the concept that I should stop, look at what I was taking an image of, take a moment to use the breathing techniques and then take the image, and then move along on my journey, my meanderings through the forest and take the time to enjoy my surroundings.

Whilst these are unedited, I’m not sure that this is how I want to present them and I edited some of them.

Research: I started to research some photographers and came across Fleeting Reflections by Mike Curry. He also included some water pattern images but his was quite focused on the reflections that the world had as a whole on the water and I think it really was just the water itself that I was interested in.

Reflection on the shoot: I felt that this shoot not only held the therapeutic benefits that I was searching for but also the process was very enjoyable and I think the images that I achieved really speak to me. This is very much something that I want to take forward with me.

References:

• Mike Curry Fleeting Reflections
  https://www.mikecurryphotography.com/fleeting-reflections/

After reading and researching Mindful photography I decided to give it a go. I took my partner to a local country park and we just went for a walk, I took a small bridge camera to just see what happened.

It took me back to last year, and I had gotten injured training for the London Marathon, what was expected to be a small easily fixed injury, was really quite major, but part of my physiotherapy was to go for walks in an attempt to remobilise my joint after being in a moon boot. It helped so I feel it should help again.

We came to a lake and just watched the swans and ducks and I decided to take a photo, I didn’t look at what I had taken (I guess this is what it would feel like when shooting on film!), we just continued on our walk stopping every now and then taking in our surroundings. When we finished the route we went home and then I decided to have a look and see what I had taken.

I felt relaxed and happy, and this was made even happier by my favourite image of the day.

I have decided to keep trying this technique, as there may not only be some value to it for my FMP but I feel this will also be good for me personally. Combined with the walking it can only do me good.