Assignment Five Preparation

Something I like to do before beginning an assignment is to visit the various student blogs I have bookmarked, to see their efforts and their tutor's responses. You can avoid a surprising amount of pitfalls this way, and it can also give a sense of direction and inspiration.

Some general tips I've picked up from tutor feedback on others submissions:

• Be specific about the context you are aiming to have your images reproduced in - what magazine? what kind of readers?
• Stick to one 'venue' for the shoot, rather than spreading your ideas over several locations.
• Consider sub themes of a major theme - for example instead of Christmas, you could do 'over-indulgence', 'christianity' or 'materialism'.
• Avoid repetitive images, and even repetitive colour.
• If an event, feature the crowd as well.
• Focus on conveying a sense of the narrative of the event, rather than the 'performance' itself.
• Make sure the images hang together as a set, aesthetically as well as thematically.
• Try to find situations contrary to the normal emotions of the event - laughing in a serious environment, sad in a happy environment etc.
• Choose something you are emotionally engaged with.

Brief Requirements

Illustrate a story for a magazine.

A clear rationale underlying your narrative.

Visually and/or intellectually stimulating images.

Brainstorming Ideas.

• Two ends of the Christmas spectrum. / Homelessness at Christmas.

Turkey slaughter - turkey farm, turkeys for sale
Food Bank
Debt - credit cards, reposession
Materialism - Hoards of shoppers, stacks of presents, encouragement to spend more
Homelessness
Higher suicide rate
Loneliness

  
Image Ideas

Juxtapose a homeless person with a person carrying lots of goods (two images or single image).
A homeless person in front of a bank, or food establishment.
A debt advice sign next to someone handing over cash or card.
Packaging strewn on the floor, next to neatly packaged or presented goods.
A single person sitting on a bench (perhaps from behind in silhouette) juxtaposed with an image of a happy family.
A shut-down church.
A sequence of images.
Alcohol (offers to buy in bulk in supermarkets etc).

• Street Performers (Buskers).

• Light in Birmingham.

• Birmingham changing over the course of a day (even early hours).

• A city coming to life.