Contact

E-mail: joy515609@oca.ac.uk

joysphotographycn.wordpress.com

PROFILE

I enrolled in the BA Honours programme in September 2016 beginning with Expressing Your Vision.  I have long had an interest in photography – my father was a keen amateur photographer.  I do remember as a child my Dad spending a considerable amount of time on each photo he took obviously wanting to get it right.  Until I enrolled on this course this had probably had the impact of me hurrying taking a photo as I think particularly as children we used to get a bit fed up of waiting for Dad.

I recall being given my first camera when I was probably around 10 or so.  I’m going to show my age as it was a film point and shoot.  I didn’t really get into photography at this point although would take it on family holidays.  The problem was the cost of developing and my parents never had a lot of money.  I continued to want to take photos on holiday and was keen to buy a digital camera when these first became available – I remember buying a Canon point and shoot – I think it was 2 megapixels and cost $US800 – a huge amount of money for the limited camera it was.

My interest really began when I moved to the UK and began a lot of travel in 2004.  I continued to want to capture images but even then think I wanted to take the best photos I could.  Photoshop was developing and Elements was a good way of enhancing photos.  I enrolled on a 10 week course – the only formal training I’ve had on using this programme.  Nowadays if I want to know how to do something I will either do an internet search or look to see if I have an appropriate video (I subscribe to Photoplus so have a collection of these).

I think it was either 2005 or 2006 I enrolled in GSCE photography again with the idea of improving my skills.  I upgraded the camera to a DSLR – the Canon 300D – this has been done several times since – to the 40D and I now usually use a Canon 6D.  I’ve collected a few lens on the way with a 50 mm, 24-105, 70-300, 100-400 and a Sigma 105 macro lens.  I do still have the 16-35 mm wide angle on my wish list but have other commitments at present.  I passed the course with a B grade.

Formal study in photography took a back seat after this due to work commitments and some formal university study at management level in order to enhance my career.

Work led me to the Isle of Man and I found I could have a work/life balance that I hadn’t been able to achieve in the UK – I joined the local Photographic society once again to develop my photography further and to meet and make new friends.  As a new member I was put in the Standard grade and over the two years I was on the island had some success in their annual competition winning 5 trophies.  This earned me promotion to the Intermediate grade.  I missed the next year due to travel and work back in the UK but I was a keen member over the last year2016-2017.  No trophies this time although did get placed in some categories.

I made the decision to enrol on the Photography degree as I enjoy learning.  I had got to a point where I was feeling a bit in a rut with it and wanted to try and develop a more creative approach and not just the ‘quick snap’.  I also would like to think it may be a part-time career in retirement!  EYV has helped me to slow down and think more about what I am doing and how conceptualisation and context can be just as important – I still have a long way to go and continue at times to find I’ve forgotten to change settings in between photo shoots!

I’m looking forward to continuing to progress my development with Context and Narrative.  My first conversation with my tutor already gave me some ideas – for example thinking about Where is/What is home?