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.