Positions and Practice PHO701

Week 7: Reflections

| Phil Hill
Liquid Image - Micro Project
Figure 1. Balsamic Vinegar and Water Liquid image from the week 6&7 Micro Project. (Hill, 2019).

I enjoyed producing the images for the micro project. It was a complete departure from what I have been shooting for my current work in progress portfolio, focusing on an abstract series of images as opposed to the location portraits I have been photographing.

Where I feel that the images could have been improved was how distracted with the production of the oral presentation I have been and not taken the care and time over the images that  might have done if I was completely focused on it in the same way that I am for my main practice and project. The feedback received for the set has been generally good and I had much encouragement to continue the series and create something with the minimal nature of the water image. Sequencing was the main area of development that I should consider. This is an area that I feel needs much refinement over the whole of the MA as selecting and editing my work has never been my strong point. I feel that when presenting my wider project ideas it may become crucial to seek the support from my peers and tutors.

At the moment, the images sit somewhere in the experiment category, as I know that they are created with simple liquids, I do not feel that there is enough depth to the set in order to take it any further as it stands. That said, during the webinar with my peers and Paul, some other photographers and artists who work in a similar way were suggested to me and I could now start to see how a project with these images may develop. I do feel that given the time, I would like to explore the concept and see where it could lead with a style and type of photography that I have never done before.

I have been working fairly consistently on my research project, continuing to shoot carnivals. Salisbury on 24/10, and have reflected on these images here.

Work In progress portfolio

To support the practice I am also working my way through ‘Bowling alone.’ I am finding this book on the subject very much based on the economics of the subject and how it ultimately impacts the productivity of a society. Interestingly, I do find that our world tends to be defined the economics of it and the capitalist nature of our culture. Putnam also notes that civic engagement has decreased as education has risen over the past 30 years (as written in 2000). People now have the skills to function within a society that historically would have been nurtured through clubs, organizations and associations. I am also interested in Putnam’s reference to social philosophy and will look into this side of things to support my project.​*​

Bowling Alone Notes (Evernote)
  1. ​*​
    Putnma, R. (2000). Bowling Alone. New York: Simon & Schuster, p.60.

Week 7: Contact Sheet

| Phil Hill
Salisbury Carnival 24/10

I photographed Salisbury Carnival with the intention of capturing some of the big carts that are at their most spectacular when lit up at night. Unfortunately, the weather meant that many of the participants of this carnival stayed away and it was raining heavily during the time that I was shooting at the event. Of the images I did manage to capture, I am wondering how these will fit into the wider narrative of the project so far. The night shooting meant that I had to light the subject and this meant that I had some strong shadows to deal with which are a departure from the other portraits that I have been shooting.

I was fairly happy with the shot of the girl by the lorry and could see how more in this sort of style could work with the rest of the images.

Middlesbrough Dance Group 29/10

As an experiment into other ways of representing communities, I decided to take a studio kit on location whilst in Middlesbrough last week. These images are of a group of retirees who come together in Middlesbrough Library to a dance class in an attempt to combat the loneliness of this time.

Week 6: Peer Commissioned Micro Project

| Phil Hill

This week I have paired with Kimberley Barry to set each other a micro project. Looking at the delivery for this week, I consider how to include elements of constraint and serendipity into the project brief that I set Kim:

  • Using the 2 hour time constraint.
  • I want you to take a walk. Somewhere you walk often but do not stop to consider the environment.
  • Take one image every ten minutes along the route until you have 6 images in total (taking half the allotted time).
  • Reflect and review the images that you have taken. Consider which ones might work well together.
  • Go back and aim to refine/improve these images to submit for your project

This is the project brief that I was set by Kim:

  • Choice of constraint was distance. 
  • Using a 50mm or less lens take 6-8 images using liquid. 
  • The choice of liquid is completely down to you (oil. Water) be as creative as your want. 
  • Use lights, surfaces, gravity.
Looking at photographing liquid – Mood board

I am thinking that I would like to explore this micro project in a similar way that Wolfgang Tillmans did in his ‘Paper Drop’ series

Figure 1. Paper Drop (Star) by Wolfgang Tillmans
The Result:

I liked the idea using Kim’s constraint of ‘Distance’ and used liquids that do not really mix: Water, Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Wine, Milk. The images were shot on a flat surface and carefully put together. I back lit these using my speedlite.

I am quite pleased with the result. I especially liked the thin highlight running along the edge of the liquids surface tension.