I’ll start off by saying that I believe this journey of working through quarantine conditions has provided me with so many personal lessons, that I am not quite sure at times wether I love it or hate it (?) but one thing I do know, is that it has built up my resilience greatly as a photographer and as a human being in general.
THINGS THAT WENT WELL:
– Pushing myself to great lengths to achieve the outcome I want.
– Making use of the resources around me, which may be limited but always still useful.
– Bringing an idea to life, that may have been left on the shelf for a long time, had the opportunity not arose to create something from it.
– Finally being able to shoot in my own home and test out the components that would work for me in the future (lighting/resources/space).
– Finding motivation in places that I never knew existed.
– Having a concept that relates directly to myself and my personal challenges that I don’t openly display to the world, as well as the current crisis and how the effects have weaved their way into our daily lives.
– Creating a fair amount of beautiful images that resemble what I had envisioned in my head (to an extent).
– Surprising myself with how efficient I can be, when put through my paces.
– Realising that it’s okay to have a breakdown, release my emotions and carry on functioning as normal to get the outcome I desire. I note this because I have spent a lot of my life allowing negative entities bring me down and trick me into giving up on myself, the second that things get really tough; but not anymore.
THINGS THAT COULD BE IMPROVED:
– The detail in my planning. I feel that plans are never truly ‘completed’ as such, but there is a certain level of refinement and do-overs to go through so you can achieve a solid plan with a great execution!
– The quality of my imagery and post-production. I still have a fair amount to learn about my camera and build that relationship where it knows what I want, and I know how to make it get me there. I have learnt an immense amount about photoshop and the general basis of photography, but I still feel as though there is much to understand.
– Shoot more! I didn’t do nearly enough testing, which hindered my outcome. In fact, the test I did do (surprisingly) became my favourite part of the series. It would’ve been so much more beneficial for me to have shot perhaps, every other day, but a lot of factors (in and out of my control) deterred me from this route. I have to be more vigilant and focused in the future.
– The shower shoot, I believe was one of my biggest personal tests and although I overcame a lot of obstacles and got it done, it was not completed to the standard that I would’ve hoped. If I was behind the camera shooting somebody else instead of myself, the range of angles, shots and poses would be much more varied; offering (what seem like luxuries) such as close-ups of the body and water which would’ve elevated the final completely to a new level.
– I never actually chose a title for my book. I didn’t give it much thought because I had no idea what the final book would actually look like; but if I had to choose one now it would be titled ‘Dreams & Nightmares’ because somehow I started off with dreams and ended up with nightmares! :’)
DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS:
In terms of both of my ideas (original and amended), my plan is to develop them further and execute them to my standard level and hopefully it will include the appropriate resources and access to to a wonderful team of people, as I have discovered that doing things alone doesn’t make me even nearly as happy as being in the presence of other creatives, sharing a vision and working diligently with one another to bring it to life. As much as I enjoy isolated conditions at times; I miss human interaction, and I miss being able to bounce ideas and great energy off other people and them off me! This time has really allowed me to appreciate how incredible it is to be a creative person, as no matter what blocks your way, that love for art somehow always carries you through.
This time has also inspired me to develop shooting concept plans and ideas for the future, as a lot of the time I note them down and somehow never find the time or motivation to carry them out. A lot of the time I get put off because my ideas require money, but even planning them in detail would get me one step further so that if I ever did manage to accumulate the resources in one way or another, I’d be ready!
This whole journey has been a bit wild if I do say so, but one thing I know is that it really has solidified an unwavering love for my craft which I know for a fact will last me a lifetime. The unbelievable challenges and obstacles, along with my reactions to them have really shown me how much I care about what I do, and the next step is to make sure I continue to do it as much as I possibly can, to get to the place where I dream of being. 
PHOTOGRAPHY WORKBOOK 