Arts Council England - Developing My Creative Practice in Photography
Over the past 10 years I have been working as a community film maker & creative practitioner in north Devon. With a curiosity in people and place, I have used my creative and communication skills to deliver projects connecting people with each other, their environment & their heritage. I am now preparing to make a step change in my creative practice, away from moving image and towards still photography and photographic essays for exhibition, installation and public engagement.
My motivation for this change has been influenced by some my experiences over the years; for Beaford's Hidden Histories project, I facilitated a creative response to the James Ravilious photographic archive, working with a class of primary school children. Together, we reimagined some of Ravilious's images of their village as dramatic tableaux, underscored by interviews which the children had recorded with older members of the community. I loved how the act of holding a camera and looking through the lens affected the way that the children perceived their environment and its people.
Similarly, when working on Get Out in Winter, with the Devon Wildlife Trust, I introduced photography for the participants (aged 4 to 80) to engage with the environment. In response to the experience I was really moved by one child saying how he views the world differently through a camera.
I love how being a photographer pauses the chaos of life and with these experiences to draw on I feel the time is right to make a step change in my practice.
January 2021
My motivation for this change has been influenced by some my experiences over the years; for Beaford's Hidden Histories project, I facilitated a creative response to the James Ravilious photographic archive, working with a class of primary school children. Together, we reimagined some of Ravilious's images of their village as dramatic tableaux, underscored by interviews which the children had recorded with older members of the community. I loved how the act of holding a camera and looking through the lens affected the way that the children perceived their environment and its people.
Similarly, when working on Get Out in Winter, with the Devon Wildlife Trust, I introduced photography for the participants (aged 4 to 80) to engage with the environment. In response to the experience I was really moved by one child saying how he views the world differently through a camera.
I love how being a photographer pauses the chaos of life and with these experiences to draw on I feel the time is right to make a step change in my practice.
January 2021
My Plan: Experiment, Connect, Exhibit
I plan to use my DYCP time for:
EXPERIMENT:
Still photography for exhibition & installation.
Develop technique & style; technically simple, natural light & little/no editing.
Think about innovation for installation, what other elements e.g. audio can be used?
Style; tell an authentic story.
Practice Projects to build portfolio:
Girls Grassroots Football - six months spent with Fremington Youth Football Club Girls
Retirement - explore hobbies, continued use of skills from employment, development of new skills, camaraderie, voluntary work. U3A, WI, Men's Shed, Library activities/groups.
CONNECT:
With artists, curators, audiences & partners to learn & adapt practice & explore ways to build confidence in subjects to achieve authentic picture stories.
Revisit former partners & collaborators for inspiration & learning.
Explore new partnerships for collaboration and exhibition.
Look within north Devon, Devon, South West England and beyond.
EXHIBIT:
Explore ways of engaging audiences with installations, exhibitions & activities.
Visit exhibitions, talk to curators & technicians at public venues in different UK locations for a wider perspective on photography as art & social connection in a variety of communities.
The creative practice element of this plan will lead to a digital exhibition on my website.
- Research and development to explore practice and take risks
- Professional development activities
- Experimenting with new collaborators
- Creating new work
- Building new networks for future development/presentation of work
EXPERIMENT:
Still photography for exhibition & installation.
Develop technique & style; technically simple, natural light & little/no editing.
Think about innovation for installation, what other elements e.g. audio can be used?
Style; tell an authentic story.
Practice Projects to build portfolio:
Girls Grassroots Football - six months spent with Fremington Youth Football Club Girls
Retirement - explore hobbies, continued use of skills from employment, development of new skills, camaraderie, voluntary work. U3A, WI, Men's Shed, Library activities/groups.
CONNECT:
With artists, curators, audiences & partners to learn & adapt practice & explore ways to build confidence in subjects to achieve authentic picture stories.
Revisit former partners & collaborators for inspiration & learning.
Explore new partnerships for collaboration and exhibition.
Look within north Devon, Devon, South West England and beyond.
EXHIBIT:
Explore ways of engaging audiences with installations, exhibitions & activities.
Visit exhibitions, talk to curators & technicians at public venues in different UK locations for a wider perspective on photography as art & social connection in a variety of communities.
The creative practice element of this plan will lead to a digital exhibition on my website.
I feel privileged to have been granted funding from Arts Council England's Developing Your Creative Practice programme. Applying for funding as an artist can be a daunting experience so I am sharing my successful application here in the hope that future applicants may find it useful.
Click here to access my DYCP application.
Click here to access my DYCP application.
Photography & Me: The Early Years
Me in 1969 with my first camera - a Kodak Instamatic
|
I was brought up surrounded by photography. My father worked as a freelance photographer and he had his darkroom in an old bathroom, downstairs in our three storey townhouse in Twickenham, Middlesex. My earliest memories are of creating prints from leaves placed directly onto photographic paper underneath the enlarger. I used to love watching my Dad and helping him develop and print black and white photographs. As a special treat I was allowed to pass the pictures through the glazer to give them a gloss finish. My Dad used to touch up photographs where a speck of dust would have created blemishes, using a fine paint brush and special black paint. I want to go back to the simple days of photography where story, composition and lighting are key. I will explore and refine these skills throughout this period of development and although I will be using a digital camera I intend to do little, if any, digital editing and use only available light.
Amanda McCormack 2021 |
