Feedback

I received some useful feedback from my second assignment – collecting. I was a bit nervous about it as I know in my own reflection I still have a long way to go with my photography.

Firstly, it was clear that I chose a subject that I engage with which is always a good starting point with assignments. Moving forward from here and to push myself out of my comfort zone and not wholely rely on the technique of photography such as the exposure, focus and composition. Im still trying to find my ‘photographic voice’ but I do believe this will come with experience.

Next time I am going to shoot just in one location rather than several as often it asks different things of the viewer and thinking of a series it doesn’t flow as easy so this is something I will definitely work on for my next assignment.

I already know that research is my weak point so I am going to really focus on my research for the next assignment and use the cycle; inspiration – action – reflection.

Jo Longhurst (1962)

I am researching Longhurst as part of my suggested reading through my assignment two feed back as I focused my assignment on canines and Longhurst too has done a series of photos ‘twelve dogs, twelve bitches’. Jo Longhurst is a UK based artist and photographer and has worked on a project which she named “The Refusal” that included 24 portraits of British show whippets a series which she named twelve dogs twelve bitches. She chose this subject as part of a personal matter after she went into showing her own whippet called Vincent and because she wanted to research further into the ‘perfect’ dog In the series Longhurst focused on removing the whippets traditional heavy leather collars and replaced it with what looked like fishing wire that was held in an upright position but almost completely blanked out by the studio lights. As the Hotshoe magazine 2008 explained within their article this is to emphasis a sense of control. The white backdrop background highlights their form and defines their shape. In my opinion looking at the twelve dogs and twelves bitches separately it allows you to look for comparisons you can really notice the difference between the way the dogs and the bitches carry their tails. I enjoyed looking at this series, as well as creating technical and interesting images you can expand your thinking as a viewer into the way the dogs are breed to be more visually pleasing for the judges. I like the way that Longhurst removed the leather collar as in my opinion this allows us viewers to see more of the dogs neck and she still kept that thin piece of string which, made the dog stand to attention as if in a show ring. The series actually allows you to be the judge and enables you to chose which one is the ‘perfect’ dog in your opinion and I like that!

Wainwright, J (2008) Hotshoe: Twelve dogs Twelve bitches. http://www.jolonghurst.com/media/update/hotshoeoctnov2008.pdf (Date accessed: 20/07/2019)