Research
The research surrounding the photography shoots has been minimal due to the nature of the subject, ‘The Road Home’. I have travelled up and down the connecting roads from Warwickshire to South Wales since I was a child with family members and know it very well. For this reason, I have just created one map which is the route I take on a regular basis, there are some additional locations close by on the route that I frequented regularly. I have supplied an additional artist’s book to compliment this piece of work with photographs of the time and stories.
Before going on these ‘road trips’ I would need to plan them, as there were several factors to consider including risk assessments for each journey, the weather, time of departure and arrival, the complete journey time not including breaks and taking into consideration how busy the roads were. I also checked my photographic equipment was all in good working order and I had everything required for the shoots. In addition to my standard equipment, I went with an open mind and lots of patience.
From a technical point of view, I considered things such as the iso of my camera, the aperture and the shutter speed. When on the road I would also need to use my own judgement concerning timing, as my husband was driving on the ‘road trips’ which I found to be useful! Depending on the legal speed limit I would have to change my camera settings accordingly as I was capturing all my images fully manually.
Previously I discussed an idea I had about this module, after starting it and after much deliberation I decided to change it. I did include a write-up in respect of it though which is below.
How my ideas evolved in Italy
Going on a recent historical tour to Italy with the University of Gloucestershire provided me with the opportunity to reflect on how I wanted my practice to progress. For this week’s excursion I did not take the medium format from the university, I took my DSLR and my 35mm manual film camera.
I found myself immersed in the Italian way of life, culture, history, and art. I found the artwork within The Vatican to be incredible, and it contributed to my thought processes. With each piece of art, there was a narrative which on occasion used metaphors.
Although I was aware of different historical sites through education and documentaries, I had watched I was wanting to experience the locations for myself. From the outside, my first impressions of the architecture gave me a feeling of being overwhelmed. Once inside there was a peaceful yet eerie atmosphere.
Walking around each historical site gave me the opportunity to only imagine what it was like to live in that time period and how much time was spent on each fine aspect of detail and art within their creations. It made me realise how life can be so cruel and cut short in the blink of an eye, reflecting on my own life now.