Personal Statement for Photography Degree

Posted on by december1975
Reply

I have a wide range of interests in photography including fine art, social documentary and abstract. Throughout my first year in the subject I’ve focused on several areas, looking at the historical aspects of photography and the work of Eugene Atget. Like Irvin Penn with portraiture I’ve been looking to communicate something unknown about the subject in my work. I have also begun to see where my own artistic style is and what I’m saying in a photograph. I believe a photography degree will give me the opportunity to explore these ideas and develop my personal expression about community and value.

My personal projects have included themes of emptiness and abandonment of communities, both culturally and socially. Documenting an area and reflecting those themes from the people living there has been challenging and engaging and something I look forward to continuing.

The idea of communication is paramount to me. I have an interest in art, particularly that of Barnett Newman and his peers and feel that this interest has influenced my way of thinking about photography, allowing me to see the expressive nature of photography as an art form and not simply a means to record events. I do however, recognise the distinct and delicate precision associated with documentary photography and find a fine example in Nick Danziger, who I can credit with spiking my interest enough to pick up a camera and take pictures seriously. From seeing his work of war torn and poverty stricken areas I’ve realised he has represented horror, poverty and desperate situations coupled with the realisation that the people themselves know they must fight on even though some have lost everything around them.

Being a full-time student from 2008 has been a big challenge for me and caused a great change in my life. When beginning studies I wanted to further a career in the creative industries that included expression and communication. Taking A Levels instead of applying directly as a mature student or taking the access course focused my attention into where I wanted to go as well as helping me understand the academic strengths I have and building on them. Working independently and meeting deadlines is although not new to me after working in an Art Centre and Theatre but prioritising the different workloads from different subjects has been valuable. I’ve also had the opportunity to realise planning of essays and specifically in photography to organise and co-ordinate photo shoots. I have previous experience coordinating a community film project whilst at the theatre which gave me a good sense of confidence with organising the workload effectively. Gaining the grades at college has pushed me forward to go that little extra, seeing the results of my work encourages me to press on and look at what I could do better or differently. Studying has also given me the skills to better understand, analyse, develop and evaluate my work, in all subjects including Communication and Culture, English Literature and Photography. University will help me to focus these skills with a view to developing a career as an arts practitioner.

Also becoming familiar with contemporary photography, I can now appreciate styles of William Eggleston and Stephen Shore, whose works are both challenging and engaging. The narrative I find, particularly Shore, seems to tell the stories of the communities and settings he portrays as well as, like Eggleston, a reference to contemporary life, a visual analysis and a simple story of the world around them that we might not otherwise see. I am also no stranger to technology, I run and design a website that I’m looking to develop along with the photography at http://www.december1975.com where you can view examples of my work and read about my journey.

Jason Rogers