This is a difficult piece for me to write as I had set out this year with high hopes for the photographic education sector in the Birmingham area. Over the last couple of years, I have seen a slow, but marked improvement in the creative output from the region and thus hoped this trend could be continued.
In total, I visited 6 shows and have opted, after much discussion with several of my peers, not to the name these establishments. I was unable to visit the Coventry and Stafford Uni shows due to work commitments but quite enjoyed several of the submissions on their online galleries.
The work exhibited this year falls into 3 main categories - the good, the bad and the ugly. Unfortunately the majority falls into the latter.
So here goes, my thoughts on the shows viewed (these are not in the order viewed or ranked):
1. University/College
Creativity
None of the submissions showed any creative spark or initiative to think out of the box. The same tired projects were wheeled out again - burlesque, death, zombies, band photography. The students had obviously not been encouraged to widen their repertoire of imaging or consider industry trends. Little or no observation of light in the images produced.
Technical
Little evidence of advanced camera/lighting skills. The majority of students appeared to be working at L1 with regards to key camera skills with at least a dozen images on show unintentionally out of focus. No evidence of workflow/raw file colour/management being taught.
Presentation
For the most part adequate but greater care could have been taken in the framing and mounting of work.
2. University/College
With this show, I was truly lost for words. Even after several days of reflection I can not adequately described how bad this show was. A fellow peer described it as the worst camera club show he had ever seen. I feel this is truly unfair to keen amateurs as I have seen their passion and pride they take in their photography. This show failed on virtually ever level. There was no evidence from the work on display of camera control, basic understanding of compositional values, no lighting skills or presentation techniques. Some of the work was mounted onto Kapa board with 3/4 strips of double sided tape (sticking out the edges ) causing a wave effect across the surface of the prints.
Other prints were curling at the corners, peeling off or had started to drop out of their window mounts. I am at a loss why the lecturers/course leader allowed this to go up unless they are seeking early retirement or a sizeable redundancy payment.
3. University/College
By far the best on show.
Creativity
A good range of visual styles and specialities had been explored. The students had been obviously encouraged to broaden their creative thinking and this was reflected in the responses on show. There was for the most, a lack of observation of light and the images appeared flat/lifeless.
Technical
For the most part good L2. I would liked to have seen greater control of exposure, depth of field control and basic lighting techniques. Quite a few of the images were let down by silly mistakes - considering the time of day the image should have been taken for optimum lighting, marks on backgrounds, obtrusive/distracting items in the foreground/background. These should have been picked up in crits by the lecturers and students.
Presentation
For the most - consistently good standard. A couple of very weak items were noticeable.
4. University/College
Creativity
Unfortunately not as good as their last couple of years' submissions. This could simply down to poor student year group but the work on display lacked originality and creative spark. The same old student projects came out to haunt me - zombies, death, bad band shots (I was half expecting to see pics of ducks by the end).
Technical
Good evidence of key camera skills and use of B&W/film media. No evidence of digital work flow or basic digital image control (re-sized pictures pix-elated and group/batch pictures showing marked density and colour balance differences)
Presentation
This appeared rushed and done on a severe budget. At least the presentation was consistent and uniform. A lot of the prints hadn't been properly spray mounted and had started to peel.
5. University/College
Creativity I thought overall this was the most interesting set of ideas I saw throughout my journeys. However, the students were hampered by poor execution of their images through lack of technical skills. This could have been an exciting submission but their trade craft was unable to support their enthusiasm and excitement for the medium.
6. University/College
Yet again I am lost for words. This show is almost at the same level as institution no.2. The only thing that saves it from the wooden spoon was the level of presentation (which is only mildly better). There was no evidence amongst any of the images on display that the students had any awareness of basic camera, composition, lighting or printing skills. It was though they had all endured a creative lobotomy upon entering entering the department. From the evidence of the work on display, a major rethink of the aims and objectives and quality management of the department needs to be undertaken if photography education is to remain viable there.
Overall, I was very disappointed with the work I viewed. There seems to be little evidence of any trade craft being taught at the majority of the establishments viewed and this is reflected in the work produced. Also, the lecturers seem to be becoming complaisant about the projects being set and the lack of encouragement/criticism they are prepared to give to students. A lot of the poorer images could be easily dealt with by regular (weekly) crits which help students identify poor imaging through robust but constructive feedback from peers, tutors and visiting professionals. At present, I gather from talking to ex-students who are still in education, this is not happening.
From the student prospective, I felt a lot if the work was rushed or given insufficient time to be completed adequately. Some submissions felt like they had been taken/produced over 2 hours on a wet Tuesday afternoon so I must ask the question, what were these students doing for the rest of the academic year. It is as almost as though that the students have failed to grasp the importance of this time to produce a coherent and professional set of 12-16 images which will enable them to continue in this industry they profess to love.
What truly worries me, is that the vast majority of the students whose work I viewed could not even undertake the simplest pack shot. Their basic camera control skills are woefully inadequate and thus even the simplest commercial brief would be beyond their ability. I feel that educators need to take a long hard look at the content/structure of their courses in light of this years submissions and decide the raison d'etre for their scheme of work because if you trying to prepare these young people for the harsh world of industry, your failing them miserably.
On a brighter note, I would like to congratulate the following students on their work including the excellent fashion images by Mihaela Calin,
Michaela Calin
Aleksandra Zagozda
Lukasz Gajdek
Richard Southall
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk
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