My first week in University
Last week was my first one in University of Brighton, where I’m starting my BA Photography studies. We had a bunch of registrations and introductions and got some tasks already.
The two main units in this semester are: Historical and Critical Studies: Origins and Histories and practice Photography and Identity, accompanied by numerous technical workshops.
In introductory independent project Seeing Things we have to select a minimum of three objects to photograph individually and make a series of still life photographic studies of the chosen objects in our own home using a film camera and b&w film and only natural light. “Try photographing during different times of day to observe how light changes, use different locations and backgrounds. This project is about exploration and experimentation as much as control and technique.” Afterwards we’ll have to develop the film, make a set of contact sheets, work prints and a final selection of 5-10 prints as well as to write an analysis of a photographers work that relates to the brief. (examples mentioned – Brassai, Helen Chadwick, Hannah Colins, Imogen Cunningham, Roger Fenton, John Gossage, Jan Groover, Paul Kilsby, Simon Larbalastier, Don McCullin, Irving Penn, Josef Sudek, Hiroshi Sugimoto, James Welling, Edward Weston)
These are my little friends for Seeing Things project, I found in one of the numerous junk shops in Brighton:
For the first Origins and Histories lecture we had to read The Origins of Photography (to 1839) by Mary Warner Marien. (In Photography: A Cultural History). Further reading includes L. Wells and D. Price Thinking about Photography in Photography: A Critical introduction, G. Batchen Burning With Desire and U. Stahel Well, What is Photography?
On Friday we had a briefing in Photography and Identity.
Some of the photographers mentioned:
August Sander, People of the 20th Century
Thomas Struth, Portraits
Shirin Neshat, Women of Allah
Jim Goldberg, Raised by Wolves
Mariusz Hermanowicz, Testament
Duane Michals re-photographing photographs, for example, this famous picture of Walker Evans:
And we wached two fragments from Terence Davies’s movie Distant Voices, Still Lives (1988)
And a quote of the week: “Friedlander is like a wine. Bier might satisfy you immediately, but more you look at Friedlander’s work, more it satisfies you.” 🙂
Evita Goze 
hmm..Vine and Friedlander. Let’s go and have some on the bench in front of sea.
again? 🙂
well, let’s do that!
wow! that’s great! i’m just gonna read your blog and learn with you! thanks a lot for sharing! kisses from cold berlin!
I’m happy if it is something interesting for you! Kisses!
ehh thanks for sharing.
one question – do you need to make any story in this still life set and what about deadlines ?
no problem. well, still life set is totally independent project, so we didn’t get a lot of explanation about it, but it is mainly for technical purposes, to make sure that everybody knows how to develop the film and print the pictures. Though, me and Anna, we feel that we need to make up at least some explanation for ourselves to feel better what we are doing about.
Thank U very much! It was a pleasure to read, I hope that You are doing great and will keep on share the experience about the study process and daily life, cheerz
Thanks, I’ll try to keep that up! Take care.
Busy first week!
Distant Voices, Still Lives is one of my favourite films.