Final Evaluation and Next Steps

Overall I am happy that I my images reflect the main ideas behind my project. The images show the change in purpose of these mental institutions but some are still in use and how the main structure of the hospitals are still there without need for demolition. I think that these are stronger images as the focus is on the buildings that stand out against a plain background. I have learnt more about these places which has lead me to interesting places that I hadn't been to before creating new opportunities to keep the project going.

If I were to do this project again I would explore a wider range of areas as I want to continue taking pictures of these places to make a strong series. I would also research into different artists to get a better understanding of what is out there in regards to what artists work is similar to mine so that I am able to get recent inspiration to make my work more current and contemporary. Planning out where I want to go in advance is also important as I will have more time at the places and I will be able to do more research.

I will now be focusing on getting my work seen by people that are interested in my images and continuing my volunteer work with the National Trust. I will be attending the private view of the White Horse Hill exhibition in Plymouth Museum and Art Gallery that is happening in September, which will be help me to network and gain some interest which can lead to work as I am interested in working with the museum. I will also continue to look for photography jobs in Cornwall so that I am still able to take images.

Final Evaluation for PDP

Through this project I have increased my online presence and achieved more confidence in myself through meeting new people and gaining volunteer work with the National Trust. I have re-created my website through 4ormat that looks professional and something that I am happy for my clients to view. I have also enjoyed working with the college on the White Horse Hill project which has had a large input into new work that I have produced, relating to landscape photography that I am interested in photographing. By challenging myself to do new things that I wouldn’t do I have become more confident in where I want my work to go and the direction that I want to go in regards to possible work. As I am interested in historical landscapes and how man has changed it over time, I will continue contacting museums and working with the National Trust as they are one of the most influential contacts that I’ve made in relation to how I want to work in the future.

I think that my skills in promotion and creating an online presence have improved the most, as I have been keeping up to date with my blog and have successfully created a strong website that highlights the best of my abilities. I am happy with the contacts that I have made through my FMP work as well as my volunteer work for the National Trust, as I am able to carry on the St Lawrence’s project after the exhibition as I want to photograph more people so create more awareness of the building and its history. I think that I could have pursued a wider range of people to create work to get a stronger presence and more work that I can show on my website. I also could have created my website sooner so as to make my online presence better as I could continue to add more work to it. I will continue to write in my blog as I want to keep a record of the work that I do and I will be showing people what I am interested in that may lead to possible clients.

If I were to do this project again I would push myself further to make connections and work to show my best abilities as a photographer. I would also work on my website earlier so as to add more work and to refine it more to get as much out of it as I can. As I have become more confident in myself, I have been able to contact new people and gain volunteer work that I pushed myself to go for as that is the area of photography that I want to work in. Continuing to make work and write on my blog my online profile will be current and hopefully won’t stagnate as I pass my work onto more people who could be interested in what I do. I would also research into other website designers to see what can work best for me, as 4ormat is the easiest to use but there may be others that I’ve missed that can offer similar services whilst still having a strong presence and easy to use system.