Formative feedback

Student name
Course/Unit
Type of tutorial
(eg video/audio/written)

Lucy Macpherson
FiP
Written

Student number
Assignment

515802
2

Overall Comments
Your investigations into death photography have informed and deepened your assignment.
You were perceptive to notice a link between the subject and the visual effect of painting with
light. You have then added your own interpretation using double-exposures (or layers) to suggest a spiritual resurrection.
Youve demonstrated really well that you are experimenting broadly with different processes,
placing images in sequences and re-photographing them, not to mention work in Photoshop.
It may not always work, but it suggests an artistic approach with plenty of promise.
One question: why did you use layers of two exposures to create the sense of movement
rather than use the technique of painting with light itself and move your model during the
exposure? The effect of this would have been far less predictable but also more interesting
because youd have introduced blur.
Feedback on assignment
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Quality of Outcome, Demonstration of Creativity
Your images show someone lying down asleep or dead on a bed with what look like rose
petals around them. Through sequences of four images you then show a double-exposure to
make them appear to move. The 2nd of these sequences is the most effective to me, being
the clearest view of model, bed and petals. And it expresses well the morbid feel of Victorian
death photography. With the other angles, it is harder to make out the subject clearly.
The quality of light fits with the subject very well, pin-pointing the face, sheets and petals and
leaving darkness all around the model. Theres a palpable sense of doom and also a strangely
dream-like quality to these pictures. And the exposures are just right which is clear that you
experimented before you made your final project.
1

There are some bright points (the white sheet for example) which could be reduced with burning in but nothing very distracting. On the whole you got the light where you wanted it in
order to spotlight the key subjects.
The final submission - as an exhibition - makes it much harder to discern exactly what is the
subject of the photographs. Some are upside-down and the resolution is much lower. But
there is a curious shape in each frame.
It has a different overall effect than the individual photos, having a more narrative quality because the viewer reads it in a line. Im not sure what the curve signifies - is it the birth, growth,
maturity and death wave?
Emphasizing the fragility is an interesting idea. Not sure the metal paper clips help in this but
the white wall does. You could also have tried photographing the prints on a window to emphasize the translucency.
Youve printed them quite small - or so it looks - and I reckon you needed to choose one of the
best sequences and printed each image out on A4. The size of the image would then have
revealed more detail.
Coursework
Demonstration of technical and Visual Skills, Demonstration of Creativity
Your floral photos are all interesting formal subjects but youve laid them on paper and that
means you have a very strong shadow interfering with the form of the plant. This is why Blossfedt photographed his subjects away from the background.
Your first portrait of the serious looking girl is a particularly good dead pan portrait. Once
again though your background is too close to the subject so its texture is visible.
Your interpretation of the Identikit picture is really good - and taking in your own direction
with the Past and Present photos is excellent. Your night portraits are also really good. As is
the collection entitled Belonging to Kenya.
Research
Context, reflective thinking, critical thinking, analysis
Your research into death photography is good and potentially good fuel for creative ideas.
And your further research is also good. When you are looking at different photographers, try
to write down aspects of their visual style.
Learning Log
The blog is clearly laid out and informative. It may be a good idea to have a more extensive
menu because have one long page for all the exercises makes it really big.

Suggested reading/viewing
Context
This website/blog has plenty of good photographer links:
https://azurebumble.wordpress.com/2011/02/07/beate-gutschow-s-series-photographicconstructions/
You can see here what I did with the torch painting technique: https://robertenoch.com/realhorror-show/
Pointers for the next assignment
A staged photo is similar to what you did in Belonging to Kenya in that you need to think
about the meaning of each element of the picture. But, like Jeff Wall, Gregory Crewdson and
Tom Hunter, all the signs and symbols need to be in one shot.
Good luck with it.
Robert Enoch
17th June 2016
1st September 2016

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