Greetings Cards/Development

I decided to present my photographs on greetings cards as I feel that they would be more effective than in an album. I was originally going to present the images as posters, but after looking at 'Moonpig.com' for inspiration, I decided that using cards to present them would be more successful. The element of humour in certain images alongside the captions will work well. I used Microsoft Publisher for these mock ups of the cards, and used Printmaster Gold Publishing Suite to create my final pieces. I also used Adobe Photoshop to edit the images. I presented the cards in a box pegged onto ribbons.

Bibliography

Moonpig.com
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms
http://www.google.com/
http://www.phrases.org.uk/
http://www.blogspot.com/
http://www.slinkachu.com/
http://www.violentveg.com/

Before I went out to shoot, I created a list of idioms as starting points for photographs. This enabled me to have an idea of what I wanted to take photos of, therefore I could narrow a whole city down to different locations and activities. I wrote the list in my notebook and took it with me on the shoot to give me guidance. If I spotted other situations/scenes that could be interpreted into idioms not on the list, I also photographed them.

I have decided to display my photographs as greetings cards. The 'Violent Veg' cards use puns and wordplay alongside photographs, which is similar to my idea of using idioms. They are popular because they have an element of witty humour in them.

Origins of idioms

Paint the town red- I researched this phrase and one site revealled that it was hinting that blood would be shed on a rioutous night out. A common tale of its origin is that a group of young men ran riot around Melton Mowbray, painting several of the town's buildings red. Another is that cowboys threatened to 'paint the town red' if anybody tried to stop them shooting their guns. There are many different theories on this phrase, which all sound plausible as to why it is said.

An apple a day keeps the doctor away- apples are a good source of vitamins and antioxidants. This phrase encourages healthy eating by hinting that if people eat fruit- in particular, apples- they won't have as many health issues as they may do if they lead an unhealthy lifestyle.


Fit as a fiddle- when the phrase was coined, 'fit' meant that something suited it's purpose. Therefore, this phrase would mean exactly that. Nowadays, the phrase is used to describe someone at peak fitness and health.

This website helped in finding idioms to use

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms

A selection of shots

I went to Bath and took some photographs for the quotes/phrases ideas. I feel that some of them are very successful and will use Photoshop to manipulate them slightly to slightly improve them.

                                                                  Paint the town red

                                                                      Sitting ducks

An Apple a day keeps the doctor away

                                                             Like a duck to water

I have thought of a few phrases/idioms for these images... Face the music, music to my ears, fit as a fiddle..Once I have edited them, I will select appropriate idioms for them.

This foundation course has enabled me to experiment and work with mediums I haven’t previously used as well as mediums I am experienced with. I have been able to experiment with various techniques, which has widened my range of skills immensely. Before the course, I had only worked with moving image once as a mini project using stop-frame animation. Despite moving image being a challenge, I enjoyed working in this medium and found that stop-frame animation was a successful medium for me. Each project has been a learning curve and has challenged me in various ways. The variety of mediums we have been able to work and experiment in has often opened my eyes to new ways of working and presenting work. The projects have often had us thinking on our feet and kept us interested by having different elements that we have to include and mini projects alongside our main projects to widen our skills.

For the confirmatory project, I have decided to go back to stills photography, as this is what I enjoy the most. I am going to focus on idiomatic expressions as my starting point, having an idiom as a title for each image in the series. I may present the photographs as greetings cards, as this would contextualise the images and fit in well with the theme. I have always been interested in idioms and will research the origins of a selection in order to widen my knowledge. In French, we learnt idiomatic expressions to widen our linguistic skills and fluency. The French idioms seem peculiar, however the French would probably have the same views on English idioms. I also briefly studied idioms in English Language and Literature.

I feel that this project will be a success, with a variety of different outcomes and that it could be an ongoing project I take on after the course finishes alongside my university course. The course I have chosen is Journalism and Media & Cultural Studies. I feel that this choice of focus on my project relates to the course, as idioms are a part of many cultures and it will be interesting to find certain origins. This will help me to interpret and convey the idioms further and in a more successful manner.  The project will showcase my research skills as well as photography and English language skills. It will be a challenge, but very interesting to bring together.

As a whole, the course has enabled me to focus on my strengths and has often given me areas that, if I choose to, I can revisit in later life to improve on. I will always have creative practices in my life, whether I take on a career in the field or I just continue with a few elements as a hobby.  This project with idioms should engage the viewer, as they will be able to identify with the idioms and I am hoping that it will be a very light-hearted and fun experience for them.

Shoot

I am going to do a shoot on the quotes/phrases idea. I feel that this could be a very interesting and varied subject and I could take the idea far. I will shoot in a variety of locations, places like the beach, the river, city centre.

This quote relates to me, and probably a lot of other people my age. It relates to me because of my indecisive nature. At the moment I am deciding whether I should go to university and, if not, what I would want to do otherwise. I am finding it to be a very difficult time, as I feel that I have very little time and am too young to decide what to do with the rest of my life.  Many people I know have known from a young age what they wanted to do with their lives, but I have always been indecisive and have kept changing my mind throughout my life. When I was little, I wanted to be a zookeeper, a jockey, a princess (like most 5 year old girls), an athlete, a teacher, an actress and many others. As many children do, I had an idealised view on becoming an adult. I didn't see the hardships adults face with careers, having children, their families, personal lives etc. Children seem to have a fantasy of what their adult life will be like, similar to Disney films when everything works out in the end. Looking back, I can see that the optimism I had as a child has changed. As an adult, I set myself realistic goals, whereas as a child I would think of fantasy situations. I could do a project based on what people wanted or thought they would do as a career as children and compare it to what they are doing now. I could do this by taking photographs of people holding a small chalkboard with a profession written on it.

Use of the French Language/ Development

In some way, I would like to incorporate the French language into my final project, as it has been a prominent feature in my life since the age of 4. I am very interested in the language and Culture of France, and would like to portray this somehow within my work. I sometimes struggle to think of ideas for projects, and this is often my downfall. I can think of components of an idea, yet find it challenging to create an entire successful idea. I am determined that, in this project, I work to my full potential and create something that I am immensely proud of and will be for the rest of my life. Different factors I would like to include are: French language, light hearted attitude, photography, sunshine, phrases, my friends, influence from my experiences/memories. I would like to have a title for each image which has an effect on how the viewer perceives the image.

Music

I may have a CD playing French songs as background noise for the viewers of my work. I will only do this if the music fits the titles of my work and the atmosphere.

I have done some test sketches and paintings. I used oil pastel for one and acryllic paint for another. I am comfortable in working with these materials and would like to continue with one or both of these for the stop-frame animation idea.

New Idea

I have found it a challenge to come up with an idea that I think will be a success. This has been an issue throughout the course, therefore I felt that I should somehow portray this through my final piece. I am thinking of doing a stop-frame animation (as this has proved to be my strongest medium to work in this year) of me trying to think of ideas, sketching/writing on pieces of paper, then screwing them up and throwing them into a pile. Also, I could do stop-frames of myself painting a picture and drawing too. I could then present these drawings and paintings alongside the stop-frame animation.

I might present my work in a similar style to this. I could put photographs into perfume bottles, glass bottles, photo frames, a jewelery box, at the bottom of an empty coffee cup with a stain on, a compact mirror and a diary. It would be an interactive piece as the viewer could pick up the objects and open the diary to look through it. I could try to create flowers out of photographs and wire and put them in a small vase.

If I made/bought a window frame, I would want it to look rustic and old like these antiques. I would create a photo-collage behind it using some photos from my family album as well as photos that I have taken, in a variety of sizes and colours.

Hobson- Artist who displays photographs in bottles

Mary Daniel Hobson stores memories in bottles, inspired by a dream she had. I am thinking of doing something similar- photographs, objects and messages in jars and bottles that relate to areas of my life. I will experiment with different colour, shape and size bottles/jars to see which have the best effect for the image/object/message inside. 

 

I may look at other objects to present images etc in, for example old lanterns, jewellery boxes etc. Also, I could make a window frame and create a collage of memories behind it. I feel that making my work personal to me will make my work more detailled and effective. 

Painting/Drawing into pictures

I am thinking of painting and drawing into photographs, putting them onto a larger piece of paper and painting/drawing out from them, making it hard to tell where the photograph ends or even if there is a photograph on the piece. I may also look at ironing photographs onto fabrics, then sewing and painting into them.

Stop-Frame Animation Idea

I am thinking of possibly doing a stop-frame animation exercise video, as I am interested in sports and keeping fit. The people/person in it could be styled in 80s clothes- leg warmers, headbands, sweatbands etc.