During the course of this module, I’ve definitely gained new skills and have been able to apply them within a professional situation. There are things that I have done, that if not for this module, I wouldn’t have done otherwise. Being able to take on the role as a freelance photographer has shown me that it is definitely hard work but is very, very rewarding when you sit and look through the images that you have taken afterwards.
I had never really experienced a portrait photo shoot before and I wasn’t sure if it was something that I wanted to pursue in my career but after the experience of doing so, I’m definitely keeping it open as an option and will definitely accept the job if it is ever offered to me. Even though I didn’t arrange a live music shoot, I still want to keep that open as a path to go down in the future as it’s what my favourite photographer, Adam Elmakias, does and he’s the person that inspired me greatly into becoming a photographer. I’ve loved cameras and taking photographs from a young age but I never really considered it as a career up until I was about 17, so this experience has definitely made me realise that this is the career for me.
I wasn’t able to do all of the things that I wanted, due to poor planning on my part and then being let down by people but that’s all part and parcel of the job. Things don’t always go to plan and you just have to accept that, move on and try again. Before this module, if something didn’t go to plan I’d just forget about it and not bother trying to do it again but I’ve learnt that you shouldn’t give up on something if it doesn’t go right the first time, you should be determined to try and try again until you get the opportunity you want or to get it right. It’s also made me realise that I definitely need to work on my organisation skills and to start creating check lists and reminders when things start to get a bit hectic, this will definitely be a great help in my future career.
Research has played a massive part in this experience for me because well, every day is a school day and you never know what you’re going to learn. Carrying out the research that I have has made me understand that there are downsides to being a freelance photographer that I’d never even thought about up until I’d looked into it properly but it didn’t put me off, it just made me more determined to get past those issues and get where I want to be in life. Also, researching into other photographers has shown me that there are some gaps in the market, for example, there aren’t many female music photographers and I feel that this is something that I can help out with.
I didn’t shy away from things I hadn’t done before because I’m always up for new experiences and that’s what this module is about and that is what being a photographer is about – shooting new things and different things that nobody has really done before. I wanted to push myself creatively and put my own stamp on the work I’ve created and I feel that I’ve done that with the things I’ve done throughout this whole module.
This experience has also made me realise that I don’t mind editing photos for other people, I like to be able to make changes to improve the look of something and create a different effect on the photo completely. As well as being a photographer, I wouldn’t mind being a photography editor either as I have really enjoyed helping other people out in the form of making their images look better. I’ve learned new skills in editing software and have also been able to fully use the skills that I had before and show what I can do. I’ve also realised that I much prefer to work for myself because then I have free reign over the projects I want to do and the things that I want to create, I much prefer to work independently.
Due to having to create a video presentation, it got me thinking that I could start my own YouTube channel as some photographers do have them to account for fans of their work all over the world, so they can keep them all updated at the same time in form of a video. By creating vlogs, this helps you to keep your audience updated and gives them something to view when you’re not releasing any new work. This is a project that I’m going to get started on over the summer and go out, shoot work then create a vlog about my experience.
I’ve gained a lot of confidence throughout this module as I’ve been getting positive feedback on the work I have created, whether it’s ‘likes’ on images on Facebook or comments on my blog or Twitter and it has pushed me to want to create a more photography and get my name out there for everyone else so that they can look at my work, if they’re interested too. I wasn’t very confident about my own work at the start of this module and while I still criticise my own work, as everyone does, I don’t mind showing it to people now because I’m starting to come to terms with being able to admit that I’m good at something, even if it does kind of make me feel a little uncomfortable and awkward. It’s also taught me that you have to sell yourself as it’s a competitive industry and if you don’t have confidence in yourself and your work then why should anyone else? This is something that I still need to work on but it has been improved by this module.
Overall, this experience has been positive and very educational. Of course, there were some ups and downs and times then things didn’t go to plan and were stressful but that happens in any job. I’m very happy with the work I have created, though I feel that I could definitely have done a lot more than I have but this is a mistake that I have learned from and I definitely won’t let it happen again in the future. It has definitely helped me decide on the right career path for me and has helped me start to make the transition from a student to a media professional and I can’t wait to see what other experiences are waiting out there for me.
Ashton Elizabeth Timmins 