Overall Project Evaluation

The final pieces of my photography have been influenced immensely by the photographers that I have researched. I have been able to identify certain aspects of their work that connect with my theme of the journey so that I could develop or use them within my own photographs. An example of this is Lee Friedlander 'America by Car' photography series where he photographed different cities and places across America from the window of his car. I was able to use and replicate this using my own resources and produce a strong series of photographs that show a journey. If there was anything within any of the photographers photos that I didn't like or that didn't fit with the theme then this would help me make decisions on how I could develop them into something that works better, which would also therefore be a unique idea that I myself included within the shoot. From all of the research I can positively say that I have learnt the many different types of techniques and the ways in which they can be incorporated with a journey photography shoot, such as texture.
I have gained new insights into the technical processes and aesthetic processes during this project. A technical aspect that I found worked really well in the majority of shoots that I produced was holding the camera at a low angle, this widened the shot and gave my main object a bigger status within the photo, which then made it more eye-catching for the audience. I feel that using this in some photos added emphasis onto what I was trying to show. An aesthetic process that I learnt within the journey theme was a new way in presenting my work, this was done through the different techniques that I experimented with, as it gave me an insight into what improves the photographs and what doesn't.
Overall I feel that my work that responds to the exam paper shows my chosen topic and has developed on new ways in which a journey can be presented. I am extremely proud of my shoot where I photographed people walking about in town as it shows peoples everyday journeys, while including other indications of journey such as buses. I think that my editing decisions are good and compliment each shoot in its own way, another example is the horse riding photographs. I had to edit these photos the most out of any other shoot, I changed the sky to one that was a brighter blue with white clouds because I wanted the overall picture to feel magical and enchanted, I also used Photoshop to include more grass in some images. This was long editing process for myself as I was trying to learn how to do it on my own, therefore I am happy with how they turned out.
I can see areas that would need improving upon so that the images can be of better quality and a higher standard. One area like this would be more shoots, I feel that if I had taken more photographs that show a journey in different styles then there would be more contrast within the photos and more of a area that has been covered within my work. I feel that colour could have been included within my photographs more, even though this isn't a specification for journey photography. The techniques that I did use within my photography links to the theme however I would have liked it if I had tried more complex techniques that show a wider and more diverse set of computer and camera skills. Overall I am happy with the work that I have produced throughout these photoshoots and can identify places which would use some improvements but all in all my theme can strongly be seen in all photos that I have created and for that I feel that my work is at a good level that I can be proud of.