eleanormcnallyprogressionblog

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- Practice Interview 1 -

After reviewing my answers in a mock interview, I think that I will do quite well in a real interview if I have enough practice and can maybe refine some answers into a couple of bullet points.

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- Possible Answers to Possible Interview Questions -

Why did you choose this subject? - I have always been interested in the concepts behind the adverts for big companies, especially at Christmas. 

Why did you choose this University? - 

(South Wales) I chose this university as South Wales is one of my favourite places. I love the atmosphere of Cardiff and as I have family living down here already, it seemed like a safe area for me to live and grow at the beginning of my adulthood. I chose the course here because I spoke to someone already doing the course and she spoke very highly of it. 

(UCA) When making the decision of which universities to include, I thought that UCA would be close enough to home so that I didn't feel to overwhelmed by experiencing so many new things all at once, but also far enough away for me to have my own life and experiences without having to live at home. 

(Ravensbourne) The choice to apply here was obvious to me because it’s in a perfect location for a lot of things that are important to me. I can live at home and get to university very easily and the O2 is right next door which would provide me with job opportunities to make some extra money. The layout of the building itself was appealing because of how open it is which feels like it would be easier to make friends on other courses. Also, when I came to the open day, I was only thinking about studying advertising and the description of the course made me decide that advertising was the right choice. 

What are you reading at the moment? - I’m rereading the Harry Potter series so that I’m prepared for the new ‘Fantastic Beasts’ films.

What can you bring to the university? - I hope to be one of the students that teachers use as examples of the work they’re looking for and also to show a lot of enthusiasm for the course and my work. 

What are your weaknesses? - One of my weaknesses is probably speaking and presenting to an audience, which I know is a key part of the course and I am hoping that making myself go through the process will help me to overcome my dislike of it.

What work experience have you done? What did it teach you? - I have taken part in several forms of work experience but the one I enjoyed most was shadowing the house photographer at The Brooklyn Bowl in the O2. I think I liked it most because I could immerse myself in the atmosphere of the concerts and every time I went back, I discovered new areas and angles to try out. 

What do you see yourself doing after university? - Ideally I would like to travel for a year and earn money at the same time, but I don’t think that’s as realistic as I had hoped, so I think that finding a job with a company that I can grow within will be beneficial. 

What achievement are you most proud of? - I think I’m proud of the work I complete in projects as I put a lot of work into them and always feel a sense of pride when I hand them in, and I think the pride grows with every project I do because I know I’ve grown and come up with different ideas and concepts within each piece of work.

Is there a piece of work or a series of images that best represents you? - Within my own work, I haven’t yet made a piece that I think shows who I am as a person because, in my opinion, people are too complex to convey in one piece of work or series of images. In a way, you're choosing something to define you and I don't believe that individuals should be defined by one thing. 

What are your strong interests or hobbies? - Photography is obviously one of my main interests and I enjoy different areas within photography. I’m into concert photography and experimenting with portraiture as I like to find different ways to represent the subject. I also enjoy drawing and I’ve recently discovered digital art which I like better because I can change details really easily. 

Why do you take photographs? - I like taking pictures as it captures the moment and, to me, even a blurry/out of focus photo gives a lot more detail to a story.

What photographers/artists inspire you and why? - In the type of photography I enjoy doing, there are several photographers that produce different types of images with the same subjects and lighting which is interesting to me because they’re all given the same sort of setup. Adam Elmakias is one of the reasons I’m into that type of photography because his images are all so different which I like. Also, he does a lot of interactive work with young photographers to inspire them and give them opportunities. 

What exhibitions have you been to lately? - I recently visited the Turner Prize showcase at the Tate Britain which I thought was interesting. In particular, I liked the meaning behind Michael Dean’s  project as I thought it was really insightful and showed the struggles of modern families and how they afford to live. 

#????

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- Future Adjustments To My Portfolio -

For now, I am happy with the images I have chosen for my portfolio, however there are things I would like to add if I had more experience in the subjects. In the future I hope to extend my knowledge of professionally editing to a specific criteria; experience more practical concert photography and maybe explore more analogue camera work. I hope to go to university to study Advertising so that I can get a job either in Commercial Photography or becoming an Art Director or Content Maker at an Advertising company. To add to my portfolio would mean extending my knowledge on the subjects I am interested in, which I am always keen to do. 

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Personal Statement

I chose to apply for the advertising course as it is something that I would like a career in. The subjects I have studied to help me understand the themes of this course are Media Studies and Photography in which I learned about the influence of media on different audiences. Having studied English Language at GCSE level I have gained the experience of writing persuasively, which will help me on this course. The main aspect of this course that interests me is that the work that I produce has the possibility of being seen by a wide audience, which evokes more of an immediate response than other courses. Also, I think the course will be beneficial to the way I present my ideas and opinions to clients as it will give me more confidence in the projects and my ability to pitch ideas. Advertisements inspire me to question their authenticity and the affect they have on today's society.

I have recently completed a project for my photography coursework based on the influence of early Christmas advertising, both on a diverse group of people and in retail environments. I enjoyed this project as it was a mix of both my passions for Christmas and media. Additionally, I learned a lot about different types of displays and advertisements for different purposes.

From the time I spent taking part in the National Citizen Service at the Meyer House Care Home, I did some maintenance work with a small group of others which included gaining the residents' opinions on what should be included in the garden, I helped to organise a range of activities for the residents and I was trusted with responsibilities around the care home in the time I was there, such as making sure the residents had what they needed. Throughout the programme I met a lot of new people that I got along well with and I think it was an important skill to gain as I can now make new friends with confidence. I learned a lot about how to talk to people of all ages through working with the staff, residents and my team. We managed to demonstrate perseverance and dedication by digging up land and painting a mural with an inspiring message, on a fence in the rain and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

The career I aspire to go into after this course is Advertising as I would like to see if I have the potential to influence at least a small audience with any work I may produce in this course. Having taken part in several forms of work experience with people of all ages, I have found that different generations are affected by the advertising they've seen in their lifetime and it has given me a better understanding of what different age groups are interested in. As I have this knowledge, I think that this is a part of the course that will appeal to me. I have read several articles about the effects of advertising on society, including The Advertising Effect, which I thought was quite controversial to the main idea of advertising, however it raised a good point about how various types of research can affect the way in which an advert impacts different audiences.

My free time is spent enjoying or partaking in different art forms. I go to several concerts per year, either to watch or to take photos. I occasionally draw or paint either on paper or digitally and I enjoy visiting galleries to find new artists that I may like.

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Eleanor McNally Email: [email protected] Mobile: [phone] Instagram: @elmcphotos Website: elmcphotos.wixsite.com/portfolio Profile I am an attentive, hard-working student with experience in retail. I have communication and organisational skills and I am willing to learn. I am flexible and can work independently or as part of a team. I am positive, friendly and helpful. I can use my own initiative as well as follow instructions. Education and Qualifications 2015 – present                 North West Kent College                                             Photography Level 3                                             Working towards a BTEC Extended Diploma                                             in Photography                                             Learning about cameras, marketing and                                             software 2010 – 2015                     Dartford Science and Technology College 8 GCSEs: English Literature (B), French (B), Art (B), Media (B), English Language (C), Maths (C), Core Science (C), Geography (C) Relevant Experience May 2016 – present                     Concert Shoots at The Miskin Theatre ·       Started a good relationship between the Music and Photography departments at the college ·       Met deadlines for the shoots ·       Edited images easily and quickly Distributed images to clients who have since used them on social media platforms August 2014 – present Concert Shoots at The Brooklyn Bowl at The O2 ·       Liaised with clients ·       Worked with another photographer ·       Met strict deadlines ·       Negotiated with clients about online usage of my work June – August 2015                     National Citizen Service ·       Learned to work well as part of a team to meet the needs of the task at hand ·       Contributed ideas that helped with the overall success of the task ·       Easily communicated with people from the ages of 15 – 102 ·       Assisted in the vital negotiation with companies and service providers ·       Provided independent research skills May 2014                               Concert Shoot at The Garage in Islington ·       Experienced photography in a photo pit ·       Learned about how to develop a style in shooting concerts ·       Worked under another photographer Relevant Skills Good working knowledge of Word and PowerPoint as shown by my work with the National Citizen Service and as part of my photography course Working knowledge of Photoshop and other editing applications Attention to detail demonstrated by my editing of images Good written communication skills gained from completing the National Citizen Service and used in my college work Verbal communication skills evidenced by the National Citizen Service Interests Photography: Incorporates my love of visual media with my attention to detail skills while also allowing me to show more of my creative skills. Drawing: Allows me to try out different mediums and technologies for creating different forms of art while also being able to physically produce art. References Available upon request

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- Portfolio Image Review -

This image is used in my online portfolio as I like the framing and the colours of the image. This demonstrates my ability to take onstage portraits. I purposefully zoomed into his face to show the facial expressions while performing which portrays more emotion.

This image is used for an example of black and white photography and also concert photography. I used this image as it shows the atmosphere of the concert and the emotion of both the band and the audience. 

This photo is an example of landscape work using minimal colours and no lighting control. I took this photo on a compact camera and I chose it because I liked the contrast between the sky and the buildings. Also, I liked how the light shining through the glass of the buildings near the centre broke up the silhouette.

This is a close up, low light image that I took on my sister’s birthday. This image gives detail to the cake and the image itself makes people think about the actual story behind the image.

This is an example of studio portraiture which shows that I know how to work in a studio with technical equipment. I took this picture to experiment with settings before I took the actual portraits that I was supposed to use in my final project, but never actually did.

This image is an example of a silhouette of a landscape that I took on a compact camera. The fading of the colours in the sky interested me and at that point I had taken an image of a silhouette. 

This is an example of more concert portrait work in the O2, which I thought was important to demonstrate that I had a lot more experience of shooting concerts than the shoots I do at college. I like the fast shutter speeds I used as this is one of the shoots I did at the O2 where I had more experience in what I was doing and I had a DSLR camera. 

This image was part of a documentary series I did for college. The subject is my sister and the series was based on my journey in taking her to Victoria Coach Station. The photo is based on the ‘portrait’ section of a documentary series. 

This shows another concert image as that is the main area of photography I am interested in. I enjoy taking pictures of people on stage when they look at the camera as it’s more interesting to me. 

This art instalment interested me as it was very vibrant against a boring wall. The statement was an interesting concept to me as it was like the artist was demanding that people looked at the art. The framing was done so that the art was centred with a brick background. 

This is another studio portrait with different lighting which shows my progression with the use of studio equipment. I like the background of this image more than the previous one, however i would try and get a model to wear a contrasting t-shirt next time. 

This is more of an abstract image to show a different side of an art instalment. The artwork is in a studio in Chatham and an art student at the university there was producing it.  

This picture of shop fronts in Rochester show that I can take inspiration from artists. The artist I was influenced by for this image was Eugene Atget. I like this image as it follows the rule of thirds. 

This is an image to show that I can do product shots. I took this image in an Applebee’s in Florida because I thought the faming looked good and I wanted to try some product shots somewhere other than in a studio. I like the bokeh effect of the lights in the background and the way that the cold of the drink has affected the glass. 

This image is another sunset picture because I liked the colour contrast and the abstract leading lines. The lines interested me as they don't really point to anywhere, and the ripples in the netting are intriguing as they look slightly like they should be something within the sunset.

When asked about these pictures I can explain the thinking behind them, the place they were taken and any additional information I am asked for. To improve the content of my portfolio, I can explain about certain shoots I am not allowed to include in my portfolio due to confidentiality, I can talk about work experience I have gained from emailing photographers and communicating with venues, and I can explain about different types of photography I am interested in. I think that all of the images I used are relevant to explaining how I have progressed throughout my course and I think it is good to see what course I have come from to the course I am hoping to enter. 

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- Self Promotion -

In terms of promoting my own work on social media, I have an account on Instagram where I post some of my photos from projects I am working on. 

People I have taken pictures of have also reposted my images for more people to see:

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- Design Your Future -

At the Design Your Future exhibition in London, I learned a lot about universities that I’d never considered looking at. I talked to representatives from the University of South Wales, the Leeds College of Art, the University for the Creative Arts, the University of Greenwich and Ravensbourne University which helped me decide on some choices for UCAS. I have decided that I prefer the Advertising courses to the Photography courses because I think advertising is the career I want to pursue. 

Having searched some of the Universities I talked to at the exhibition, I have found out more about the courses I am looking at. 

UCA:

Leeds: 

USW: Advertising Design. Next open day is December 3rd, however I can’t go.

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- Hard Copy Photography Portfolios -

What are hard copy portfolios? 

Hard Copy portfolios come in many different forms. You can go for the commitment of a professionally printed book, or you can opt for the updatable plastic sleeve choice which can vary a lot in price. 

The cheaper end of the spectrum is the A4, flimsy, plastic book: 

and the pricier end being leather bound with a way of fastening more images inside. These plastic covered options are best for protecting the images: 

There are also box portfolios that are better for showing the images without the protection of the plastic sleeves, which better displays the picture as they can be moved around and shown in different lighting without the shiny covering: 

The more committed of the hard copy portfolio options is a printed book which are best for showing collections of work, e.g. documentary work, however they don't leave the option of editing which pictures you choose once you’ve printed it. 

Why choose a hard copy portfolio?

The option of hard copy portfolios is good as you don’t have to rely on internet connection, you can scale the images however you need them and there’s less risk of your images being stolen. 

The option of having a digital portfolio as well is beneficial as they are easy to show people if you can’t meet up with them, they can’t get damaged, you don’t have to carry them around, more publicity and exposure is available online now due to social media and they can be free!

Which hard copy portfolio would I choose?

In my opinion, box portfolios are the option I would choose as they don’t have the risk of offending anyone with the materials they are made from, you can change the images or the layout, they are reusable, you can control the look of the pictures with different types of paper, and you can easily take the images out of the box without the hassle of taking them out of plastic sleeves. This option does have drawbacks as well. The images are harder to look through in a rush, they run the risk of getting fingerprints on the images and they are awkward to carry around.

Another thing to consider when buying a portfolio book is what it’s made of. Some books are made of leather which causes a problem if either you or your client is vegetarian/vegan.

#portfolios

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- DEADLINES!! -

The UCAS deadlines are: 

January 15th - Applications for most of the undergraduate courses should be with UCAS by 6pm. The reference must be completed before the application is sent. 

February 25th - If all five choices have been made by now and the applicant isn't holding any offers, they may be able to add another choice.

March 24th - Applications for certain art and design courses should be submitted to UCAS at 6pm. The reference must be completed before the application is sent. 

May 4th - All offers for places at universities and colleges must be replied to by this date. 

May 5th - If the applicant has applied for a slot by January 15th then this date is the last day that universities can decide to offer a place. 

June 8th - If the applicant has received all offers by May 5th then this is the last date to reply otherwise they will be declined. 

June 22nd - If the applicant has received all offers by June 8th then this is the last day to reply otherwise they will be declined.

June 30th - If the applications have been sent to UCAS then they are sent to the universities and colleges at this date. The applicant will automatically enter clearing. 

July 5th - Clearing opens. 

September 20th - Final deadline for 2017 applicants. 

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- Digital Photography Portfolios -

Adam Elmakias - http://portfolio.adamelmakias.com/index

Adam’s website shows all of his work in a chronological order and has a link to what he feels is his best work. He annotates each photo with comments on what he thinks of the image or the circumstances it was taken under and at the bottom of the page he specifies the items used in the shoot. I think this information is generally all relevant to the portfolio because it shows the range of equipment that he can use. I think adding the camera settings could benefit other photographers looking to start shooting the way he does, however it isn’t essential. 

There are roughly 100-150 images in the portfolio section of his website, ranging from concert shoots to portfolios with some more documentary style photos mixed in. The photos are presented in a way that appears random but is probably well thought out so there is variety while scrolling. He mixes colour and black and white images together in various areas of the page so that there isn’t too much of one thing in the same place.

I think that all of the images included in the portfolio section of this website are technically very good. The portraits are great quality and the concert shoots have used the right camera settings with good usage of ISO and shutter speeds. 

Ashley Osbourn - http://www.ashleyosbornphotography.com

The website includes many links that show the range of photos that the photographer has taken. With some of the images, there is a caption to tell people who the photos are of, however that is not done for every image. I think that it would be beneficial to her if she included the names, venues and equipment used for all pictures taken.

Ashley includes around 50 images in each section of her website. Each section has a different style of photos to demonstrate her range of images and talents in different styles of photography. The photos vary within each section to show how she can produce different images within the same genre. She has split her concert work into two sections - black and white, and colour. Ashley is most known for her black and white concert images so I think she has split it up this way to demonstrate both styles that she can produce. I think there is a good range of topics covered in the sections on Ashley’s website and she has included a lot of pictures for each one. The images are well presented, however she could find a way of showing how she has experimented with particular genres, for example: showing the evolution of her ideas.

Performance I is black and white, Performance II is colour.

Jon Hoeg - http://www.jonhoeg.com/photo/#/new-gallery/

Jon Hoeg’s website layout was minimal. At first, not much information was provided except for his ‘Music’ section. He only provides a name for one of his subjects and has no other information regarding the photos. I think he could do a lot more to improve his website. 

About 6 images are provided under the ‘Photo’ section of his website however they cover several different aspects of concert photography. There are colour photos as well as black and white and there are portraits, onstage portraits and a photo of the whole stage from afar. The organisation of the images is quite good because it doesn’t put photos that look too similar next to each other, for example, the black and white images are distributed between the colour ones. 

The images included are all good however I think there needs to be more variety. I do not like the website as a portfolio because there’s very little information to work with. The links don’t seem to work, there’s no descriptions and nothing really stands out to me.

Chris Lee Martin - http://www.grizzleemartin.com/live-music/

Chris Martin has a lot of information displayed on his portfolio website. He has links to 5 shoots that are either most recent or the ones he likes best, a link to the rest of his work (split up by genre), a place to contact him, an overview and links to his social media platforms. I think this is all favourable when it comes to choosing a photographer as it shows their abilities in the industry and their capability of adapting to projects. 

There are varying amounts of images depending on which link you choose, for example, if you click the 'Music Portraits’ link there are about 150 images, however with the 'Live Music’ link there are about 50 images. The pictures are organised to show the range of work he can produce and to show the editing skills he has. The images vary in size, style, colour and setup. He includes portraits for magazine work that he has produced and also more commercial images in his Overview which I think is good because it shows that he can fit any brief given. 

I like the pictures that are shown on the website as they show the photographer’s abilities to modify his approach to a situation. The website is one of the best on this list. It has a similar level of content to Adam Elmakias's website, which I like.

Personal Opinions -  

I would choose a layout like Adam Elmakias’s because I think the showcasing of images has a nice effect and the dark background colours are nicer with the style of images I am interested in taking. I would probably include less images on the front page as many of his are very similar, so I would maybe choose about 25 pictures that show the different areas of photography I am capable of. I like Ashley Osbourn’s layout because she has different sections for her project types. I like that she has a section for personal work because the viewer would then see what type of photography she likes to produce or experiment with. The personal touch that Elamkias’s self evaluations or comments give are nice to see as the progression of his work is clear. I think that adding in your opinions or stories can help give an idea of who you are and the client would appreciate that as they can see what type of person they are working with.

#concert photography #portfolios

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- University of Arts London -

UAL

largest specialist Art University in Europe

access to all the libraries 

work with 20,000 creative students

good industry links

larger university with small college fees

Camberwell - BA Photography 

Fine Art Photography. Camberwell and Glasgow offer a studio for Photography. The main skills covered in Foundation are: Darkroom, Black and White Photography, Post Production, Studio Skills.

Portfolio

In your portfolio, you should include: 

a range of creative skills and techniques

sketchbook process work

evaluation and selection of photographs

represent your personality and life experiences

potential for future development

work that interests and represents you, not just what you think the interviewer wants to see

start with a strong, current piece of work explaining the direction you are looking to go in

keep it tidy and clean

mount on neutral card/paper

keep it light for transportation purposes

moving images need to be converted into storyboards

scan/print sketchbook work

be selective

keep it relevant to the course 

show someone else for an outside opinion

allow plenty of time to create the portfolio

don't cover complicate it

annotate

I personally wasn't interested in the courses that were talked about, however if I did some more research into the colleges that weren’t talked about then I may change my mind. 

I did think twice about applying for university due to the talk as there was a free year of foundation course mentioned and I feel that that could be a good resource. 

The speech was very clear and she was well spoken. She managed to elaborate on her notes made in the presentation. 

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- Evaluation -

For our powerpoint we managed to include:

- a clear introduction

-information on how to make the average salary in the Fine Art field

- the qualifications needed in the field and where to get them

- a case study on an artist in the field (Robert Mapplethorpe).

We all spoke clearly and participated to the presentation, however we didn't manage to achieve the minimum of a 5 minute talk.

The other presentations were on different types of jobs within photography. 

Photo-Journalism and Documentary, Advertising Photography and Commercial Photography. 

I think that I would like to do something like Photo-Journalism because I would have the potential to earn a lot of money in a short amount of time, however I could possibly be in dangerous situations with a lack of sleep. 

I also think that Advertising Photography could be fun because the subject is less likely to move and there is more control over the shoot.

Contrastingly, I aim to be a concert photographer.

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- My Intentions -

After college I plan to either start finding jobs for myself and building up my portfolio and contacts, or I plan to go to university and study Photography or Media in general and maybe Business. I think either of these options will benefit my career because I can start to build up my own business or employment opportunities or I can further my skills and knowledge in the subject while also learning to live by myself. :) 

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https://www.careersinmusic.com/music-photographer