Final Version of Personal Statement

This is my final draft of my Personal Statement. After a few attempts i felt this was the one. 

Personal Statement

Photography has become a key part of documenting the world around us. Through both negative and positive viewpoints, it has shaped the way we think and feel using different forms of imagery. I too want to become part of this community as a photojournalist and feel the best way to do this is to study Photojournalism at University.

I have chosen to pursue a career in photojournalism as I feel it is one of the most important aspects of photography. The images taken have meaning and purpose allowing an outsider to witness events they may of otherwise had never thought about. It is a way to express feeling or emotion about a subject you find fascinating or feel strongly about. The ways in which a photojournalist can use images to tell a story or portray the exact feelings of their subject makes the photographs more fascinating. A photographer that has inspired me personally through my studies is Ansel Adams. Although not completely relevant to photojournalism, after seeing his original work at the Maritime museum seeing the quality of his prints and how travelled the world to take pictures has left me keen to achieve this also.

I decided to study Photography at the City of Bath College as apposed to partaking in A level study as I felt College would give me a professional and specialized approach to the subject, enabling me to be more creative within my own work. Whilst studying the current Extended Diploma, I have gained experience in client based work from photography assignments set through the bath chronicle, and a more confident approach when taking photographs or working with people. One of my most successful projects was Supernatural. Using practical skills learnt in sessions I created a series of ghost like images. I felt these to be some of my most successful images and enjoyed the process of taking them. I am currently completing a work experience placement alongside a professional photographer to get a better understanding of photography as a profession. I hope to gain more understanding when using equipment on a professional level as well as gaining more information about going into freelance photography.

Outside of college I enjoy entering photographic competitions and also enjoy playing the guitar. I currently have a part time job and have found that having a job has helped me develop independence as well as allowing me to become more responsible both inside and outside the work place.

Upon leaving University I hope to work for a newspaper or music magazine as well as raising awareness to issues around the world through my photographs and personal experiences. A place at University will enable me to do this as well as broadening my knowledge and skills as a photographer and gaining a more developed understanding of my chosen career path.

Photography has become a major part when building my future. By studying at University I will be able to gain the skills and knowledge to achieve what I want both in life and in a career. 

Personal Statement Planning

I started my personal statement by writing down all the things i wanted to include in a mind map. I then created my first draft which was a short and un-detailed version which i took parts of to form my final Personal Statement. Underneath i have scanned in my notes and included my first copy of the Personal Statement.

Employability Skills Questionnaire

This is a questionnaire we had to complete about our skill base. It has helped to decipher how employable i am and how good my attitude, behaviour, skills and abilities can effect job opportunities and UNI applications. These scans below are my outcomes.

Portfolios costings and layouts

Portfolios are a very important part of photography work. If laid out wrong potential Uni places and job opportunities can be lost. It is important that your photos are presented nicely to show off your work in a professional light, this doesn't mean stuck an A4 piece of paper with a pritt stick.
I have been researching how much a high quality portfolio can cost and the different types of portfolios.

Inspirational Printed Portfolios

                                                                             

These images are of a box portfolio. They consist of your pictures printed on nice paper all exactly the same size, to make it more authentically pleasing, and then put into a smart box. I particularly like this type of portfolio because it isn't stuck in a specific order. When being looked at the viewer can take the images out and arrange them however they please, i think this can be beneficial in some respect as the images can be more easily viewed. This type of portfolio can cost anything between twenty three pounds up to
one hundred and twenty pounds. The price varies on the size and depth of the box, i personally need and A3 box and am looking at around sixty to eighty pounds for the correct depth.
Box portfolios are not the only option. Other portfolios can be found in the forms of folders or book, although i feel the box portfolio is the most professional option, a folder or book portfolio is a cheap option ranging between ten to thirty pounds. these portfolios still look professional as shown in the picture examples below.


 

University Research

I am interested in Studying Photojournalism at University so have looked at a few UNI's in preparation towards my final choices. The following UNI's have the best Photojournalism courses;

Falmouth - I chose Falmouth as, not only because its my top choice, but because the Photojournalism course is one of the best in the country. I visited Falmouth on there last opening day and found it very useful and somewhat inspiring. I specifically wanted to ensure that the press and editorial course on offer would be the right one for me, to my pleasure it did and i hope to get in.

University of The Art London - This University stood out as another contender after reading about the photojournalism course on offer, i felt that it would also be a good place to study. I'm hoping to visit before applying to see if the course and campus are the right ones for me and my future career.

Newport (University of South Wales) - I have looked at the photojournalism course on the website and have heard god reviews about that particular course so hope to look into this further.

This is just the starting point of selecting UNI and obviously have many more to look at however the University i most definitely want to go to is Falmouth.

UNI LINKS:

Falmouth - http://www.falmouth.ac.uk/pressphotography

University of The Arts London - http://www.arts.ac.uk/lcc/courses/undergraduate/ba-hons-photojournalism-and-documentary-photogra/

Newport - http://courses.glam.ac.uk/courses/962-ba-hons-photojournalism

Photojournalism

Whether it be for a music magazine or a newspaper, photojournalism is used to express emotion and/or tell a story through images. Commonly associated with portraiture, documentary photography is the aspect im most keen to venture into. This involves taking pictures that are interesting and meaningful. Documentary photography can cover news stories as well as magazine and media based work. I myself want to look both into interesting portraits, portraying a person's job or hobby through an image and also writing about music e.g. concerts and band interviews.

Year One of College

This year i have learnt a lot of interesting techniques in photography and it has really helped me understand what career path i want to go down as well as helping me decipher my favorite types of photography and experiment with them more. I have also done small jobs for the Bath chronicle where by i had to go to a primary school and take photos of the children dressed in pajamas for Red Nose Day. My favorite shoots by far this year was definitely for the Supernatural project. These shoots included taking portraits of people using a slow shutter speed while the walked or moved, this then created a ghost like image. I lied this shoot because my images i felt were very effective and interesting also because it was a new technique that i really enjoyed learning about.

The images below are the unedited versions of my Ghostly images. I used a long shutter speed to capture the movement of the people, the slow movements created a transparent effect making my images effective as ghostly images. I thought the setting was important also, the tiled bathroom is very old looking and also the steps to the graveyard set a good gloomy scary scene.

  

My CV (Up to date)

Lauren Williams

About Myself

Excellent communication skills, Team Player, Able to multitask, Adaptable, Reliable and Organized

I am an aspiring Editorial Photographer currently studying Photography at the City of Bath College.



Personal Details

Address 4 The Ley Box

Email Camper44@hotmail.com

Telephone 01225742383



Education

The Corsham School

Subjects taken

- English
- Science
- Maths
- Art
- Photography
- ICT
- Product Design

Currently Studying Photography at the City of Bath College



Employment

Job Title: Waitress at The Number One Coffee Shop (Chippenham)

Responsibilities
- Cleaning Tables
- Serving Customers
- Keeping the workplace tidy


Job Title: Crew Member at McDonalds (Bath)

Responsibilities
- Interacting with and Serving Customers
- Keeping the workplace clean
- Working responsibly as a team

References

McDonalds - Bath (Southgate)

The Number One Coffee Shop - Chippenham

Goals and Aspirations for the future

I really hope to study Editorial Photography at Falmouth University to begin with, i then want to write and take photos for a music magazine although more recently i have been inspired to write for the National Geographic. Later on in life when i have had my share of experience i want to go into teaching photography.

Myself

I am Lauren Williams, I am 18 years old and currently studying photography at the City of Bath College. I hope to attend university next school year, Falmouth being my top choice and study an editorial photography course. I have decided to pursue a career in editorial photography as I really enjoy taking pictures that are meaningful and can make the viewer feel enlightened in some way and/or feel emotion towards my images . I also enjoy writing about my pictures and so think that editorial photography would be perfect for me. I mainly take portrait, landscape and abstract photographs however enjoy trying different techniques and styles such as long exposure and night photography. In my spare time I work and like to go places and explore my surroundings. More recently i have found a liking for sky photographs as i feel emotions can almost be portrayed through the colour of the sky and think of it as a very good metaphor when trying to express emotion through photography. I have also taken a liking for reflective photography as i thin it shows an unusual and different perspective from sometimes a somewhat boring picture. This year i hope to develop my photography to a more professional quality this year at college before attending University.