My feedback for Assignment 5 arrived a couple of days ago and I am so pleased with how it was received.
I had been unsure whether to 'use' my mum's illness as the topic of my assignment but I am so glad that I did. I always go into assignment mode as soon as I start planning for one, but this time it has been completely different. I think that has been because of the personal link I have to the subject. I have a habit of shooting to fill the assignment criteria but this time I have tried to work the assignment around what I want to show. I had posted on the OCA student forum to gauge peoples response to the idea, I'm so glad that every comment had been positive. My tutor mentioned in my feedback that "it does take a bit of bravery to make such a post out there not knowing what the results would be" and I am so pleased that fellow students are so supportive and willing to encourage each other.
I think that if I was shooting the assignment again of course I would choose the same subject but maybe it would of been nice to of been able to include myself in the images somehow as this did prove pretty impossible. It is difficult to decide what to include and what to leave out. I am happy with the overall decisions I made as the series is accurate to 'real life'.
The image I produced of mum walking down the garden (number 6) with the slow shutter speed to illustrate how fast she moves, nearly made my tutor laugh out loud. This is exactly the response I was hoping for. I had set out to show the living with someone who has Dementia is not all doom and gloom. I wanted people to be able to view my photos and smile, maybe because they realise things are not so bad after all, or because they bring back memories.
My tutor did suggest that with photo number 7 showing my mum and sister holding hands, that I try bumping up the contrast and converting the image to black and white, so here it is.
I really like the effect this has created and wish that I had thought to try it before.
Overall I am so pleased with how the assignment turned out and the feedback I have received. I feel like I have really progressed since completing the first assignment. I now look forward to working on the next course.
Overall I am so pleased with how the assignment turned out and the feedback I have received. I feel like I have really progressed since completing the first assignment. I now look forward to working on the next course.