Author: georginie

Evaluation

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I have always been interested in landscape photography. My earliest memories of photography are photographing the local landscapes with my family. It has never occurred to me that it is a male dominated area, but when I was researching for another course I found that there is an overwhelming amount of male photographers. I decided to research the gender inequality in landscape photography for my Contextual Studies and my Body of Work course. Both course link, as they both look at similar areas, one is an extended written project whilst the other is a visual piece of work. For my Body of Work, I have decided to incorporate religion in order to highlight the inequality further. A pilgrimage which was designed for men only is the backdrop to my work. I feel my work highlights the inequality and exclusion of women in religion, landscape photography and in a global sense too. 

I have decided to concentrate on the gender inequality in landscape photography for my written project. It is quite a niche topic, but I have found research that relates from other topics too. 

My first assignment required me to look at where my work would sit in the wider visual culture. I researched each one and wrote down reasons to why my work fitted into each, then I could see the topics better. I felt my work did fit into several but I also went further and looked at postmodern feminism which fitted my work better. It is a sub-category of postmodernism, which was one of the visual cultures listed. 

My second assignment was a literature review. My research I had already done became invaluable here, as I could see the most relevant texts in my topic. My first draft of this assignment, was mainly bringing the ideas together and highlighting the main theories, rather than reviewing several key texts. My rework has remedied this, I have chosen a few key text and have reviewed and analysed them. 

My third assignment was a plan of my written project. I also had to write my first 1000 words. 

My plan explained what direction I would like to take. I spilt my work up into three sections, for the main three chapters. My first chapter would look at how the inequality arose and has spread throughout society. My next chapter looks at the male gaze and how this has affected landscape photography. My last chapter would look at ways in which the inequality can be tackled. 

This then led me to my fourth assignment, which was my first draft. I wrote my work based on my plan. Following feedback there was a lot of work to do. The rework comprised of my fifth assignments, which again following feedback needed work. I decided not to submit for the November assessment and work on producing the best possible work. I feel I have now done this. I have reworked and redrafted several times to improve it and I believe I have now reached the point of being happy with the work I have produced.  

Issues

I have had several issues along the course. One stemmed from the fact that I hadn’t narrowed down my thesis. It was quite open. I found overtime this evolved and with my research I could narrow it down but it did take me time. I also had issues explaining things in my essay, I couldn’t find the right words and had to re-work it several times to get it right.

Positives

I felt my research has been extensive which has helped my massively. I not only research my topic in detail but also took a wider stance. This allowed me to look at it from different angles, which I believe has helped me greatly.  

Outcome

I have taken on board the feedback I have received and have re-worked and improved my essay along the way. I am happy with how it has turned out. 

Learning Outcomes

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I feel I have developed a lot through this course. I have had freedom to develop my ideas and produce an essay that covers a topic that I want. I decided to research the gender inequality in landscape photography. It is quite a niche area, so quite ambitious but I feel through my research and work I have created a comprehensive essay that addresses this topic. I have learnt a lot from my research in to this area but also in the wider scope of photography. I feel my communication skills have been developed as well as my analytical and critical skills. I have become more confident as the course has gone along.

I started the course by writing about where my work in Body of Work sit in the visual culture. I research each one but felt mine would fit better in postmodern feminism. Next I completed a literature review which looked at the most relevant sources for this topic. I did struggle a little bit with this, I have since re-done it following my tutor feedback. I then started on my 5000 word essay. I have done extensive research into it and have developed it each time following advice form my tutor. There were pieces I was unsure of and I knew they needed working on, so I addressed these. I have know brought together my completed essay which I feel is complete.  

Some artists helped influence me in my research as they have aided the points I have been making. For example, Catherine Opie, Terri Lowenthal, Dorothea Lange, and Ansel Adams. I found numerous books, journals, research papers, and websites that have made up my research folder which has been my backbone for my assignments. I printed off each source and made notes on each. Some have been more useful than others. Whilst some have only provided a sentence or two, others have provided a wealth of knowledge for example, Nochlin. I feel I have used my research well and have kept it organised in my research folder, which has helped me greatly.  

Final Assessment

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Note to Assessors

Welcome to my learning log for this course.

Navigation

I have kept separate tabs for each section of the course. 

I have a Final Assessment tab, which contains items for my final assessment, including the final submissions of assignments, my evaluation and notes. Here are links to these items:

Assessment Submission G-Drive – This post details my submission on G-Drive.

Assessment Evaluation – This is a link to the evaluation that accompanies my assessment.

Learning Log Learning Outcomes – Here is the link to my learning log posts I have chosen to met the learning outcomes required for assessment.

I did write a longer Evaluation for this course, which can be found here: Evaluation

Learning Outcomes – This is a post I wrote about The outcomes overall of this course for me.

Critique – Here is a link to my Critique of my work on this course.

Due to the inability to submit physical work, here is a link to images of my Research Folder.

My assignment tab contains each assignment and the work I did in preparation. 

My research tab contains the research I have done throughout this course including on artists, resources, ideas and techniques. 

My tutor feedback tab contains all my feedback forms from my tutor and my thoughts and response. 

My coursework can be found under my coursework tab.  

Links

Below are a few links for easy access to vital areas of my learning log.  

Assignments

Assignment One

Assignment Two

Assignment Two – Rework

Assignment Three

Assignment Four

Assignment Five 

Final Submission for assessment

Tutor Feedback

Here are the links to the feedback I received from my tutor and my write-ups.

Assignment One

Assignment Two

Assignment Three

Assignment Four

Assignment Five

Research

Here are the links to my research categories.

Research Folder

Artists

Resources  

Pilgrimage

Gaze

Coursework

My coursework can be found under the menu and also in the links below.

Part One – Visual Culture in Practice

Part Two – Literature Review  

Assessment Criteria

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Assessment Criteria

Assignment Five

Demonstration of subject based on knowledge and understanding

I believe I have demonstrate my knowledge of my subject. I have researched the topic extensively and have used this research in the formation of my essay. I have brought my knowledge and research together to form my final essay. I have explored various topics within my subject area and have brought these together in a coherent manner and have presented them together in my work. 

Demonstration of research skills

I have done some in-depth research into gender inequality in landscape photography. My research folder in evident for this. I have looked at various primary and secondary sources, in the form of books, journals, research papers, and websites. I have looked at the topic specifically but also looked further a field and have used that knowledge and explained in my work why it is relevant. I believe I had done extensive research for my work. 

Demonstration of critical and evaluation skills

I have presented my ideas and have provided an analysis and an evaluation. I have brought ideas together and analysed them and gave my own reasons. I felt I was critical of what research I would use as I had to analysis each resource and decided what to use and what not to use. I believe my evaluation skills can be seen in my final essay. I have brought my ideas together using my research and have presented complete final essay. 

Communication  

I have written blog post throughout my course, which I believe are clear and explain what I am doing. I believe I have communicated my ideas well. It is something that I have worked on from assignment three and have developed significantly. My tutor has mentioned that my sentences needed changing as they can be too wordy and I need to do a general proof-read, which I have done. I went over my work and changed any sections that didn’t make or could have been said easier. 

Assessment Criteria

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Assessment Criteria

Assignment Two

Demonstration of subject based on knowledge and understanding  

For my second assignment I had to review the most relevant texts in my subject area. I research the topic and found the relevant discussions and sources. I felt I had research the topic well for my first submission of the assignment. I wasn’t completely sure how to write a literature, so I research them. After my tutor feedback I saw where I went wrong. I had provide more of a summery of the topic rather than a review of the most relevant topics. However my tutor found that on my learning log I had actually reviewed the relevant books but I had failed to put that in my work. My rework of this assignment, I feel now meets the brief. Whilst I still have included a summery of the topic, my work now centres around the critical analysis of the main sources. 

Demonstration of research skills

I feel that I have done some in-depth research into my subject area. I have looked at various angles and theories and have brought them together in my work. I looked specifically at my topic but also have taken a wider look at theories and beliefs that may contribute in-directly. I looked for what I felt was the most relevant sources and have researched them and reviewed them. 

Demonstration of critical and evaluation skills

For my first submission, I felt that I did analysis the main theories but I failed to analysis certain sources, which my tutor recommended I do at my tutor review. I then choose the main relevant sources and presented their thrones and then critical analysed them and evaluated their thoughts and my own. 

Communication  

I felt I have communicated my ideas well and concisely. I had laid out my essay methodically. This means my work is clear and flows throughout, but also allows sections to be links and referred to. 

Assessment Criteria

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Assessment Criteria

Assignment One

Demonstration of subject based on knowledge and understanding

I have decided on my topic for my body of work. I read through the course work and decided to research each visual culture, so that way I could see which my work fits into. I made a mind map to keep my ideas together and so I could see the links. In my essay I explained why I felt my work fit into each category and even put forward an idea that my work would fit better into the postmodern feminism category. 

Demonstration of research skills

I researched each visual culture in order to understand them. This allowed me to see in which my work would fit into. I feel my research is evident. 

Demonstration of critical and evaluation skills

In my essay I gave reason to why my work would fit into each visual culture but I also gave my reason as to why I felt that it didn’t fit completely in. I was critical of where my work would ultimately lie. I went a step further and put forward another visual culture which I felt fitted my work better, which is postmodern feminism. It is a sub-category of postmodernism but I felt I couldn’t complete this assignment without bringing it into play. 

Communication  

I felt I communicated my idea plainly and in a methodological way. I spilt my work up into section so I could discuss each part before moving on. I believe I wrote my ideas out clearly and concisely. 

M, K (2015) Gender Inequality in Entertainment. At: https://vocal.media/geeks/gender-inequality-in-entertainment (Accessed on 1st of September 2019).

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M, K (2015) Gender Inequality in Entertainment. At: https://vocal.media/geeks/gender-inequality-in-entertainment (Accessed on 1st of September 2019).  

Kay M says that people don’t recognised a problem with it involves something they are ‘entertained’ by. She looks the cinema and how women are undervalued, stereotyped and underappreicated. She believes a Reason for This may be the disproportionate number of male photographers to women, at a ration of 225 to 1. Women also earn a significantly less than male artists. She does raise the point that every though women have the worse deal, men are treated unfairly due to stereotyping. But the inequality against women is not as noticeable for some. Many women are beginning to speak out about the inequality and their own personal experiences.  

(M, K, 2015; Stewart, G).  

Cooke, A (2017) Is photography overrun by white males? At: https://fstoppers.com/originals/photography-overrun-white-males-160839 (Accessed on 1st of September 2019).

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Cooke, A (2017) Is photography overrun by white males? At: https://fstoppers.com/originals/photography-overrun-white-males-160839 (Accessed on 1st of September 2019).  

In this article, Alex Cooke, starts by stating the photography is “dominated by white males” (Cooke, 2017). He believes that photography is a form of art, and as such own personal experiences come together and influence someones art. But when the majority of images we see are by white men, this has a knock on influence with the rest of society. There is a disproportionate misrepresentation in our society and culture. Society has become self-sustaining by maintaining and renewing these beliefs. Cooke found that people who disagreed with the inequality or even doubted it’s existed where men, who where not affected by the issues. 

(Cooke, 2017; Stewart, G).  

Hernandez, C (2018) LoMo In-Depth: Women Photographer’s on Gender Inequality. At: https://www.lomogallery.com/magazine/336380-lomo-in-depth-women-photographers-on-gender-inequality (Accessed on 8th of September 2019).

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Hernandez, C (2018) LoMo In-Depth: Women Photographer’s on Gender Inequality. At: https://www.lomogallery.com/magazine/336380-lomo-in-depth-women-photographers-on-gender-inequality (Accessed on 8th of September 2019).  

Ciel Hernandez states that in general women earn less than men, and they do not get the same opportunities that men do. She goes on to say that there have been female photographers that were famous, but this could be down to luck, opportunity and life. There are many unheard of photographers, who are good at what they do. Some brands like Nikon, Canon, Fujifilm, and Sony have found to be forcing a gender balance, but it still isn’t balanced. For the majority who are successful, it appears to be backed by gender. Eliza Hatch talks about her experiences as a female street photographer, and the unwanted attention and harassment she received. The public space is a male playgound. Some female artists believe that their gender is an advantage. Meg Hewitt believes by showing vulnerability, it has the power of making someone else comfortable. Hernandez states that progress has been made in galleries and institutions, but many men are also fighting for the cause.  

(Hernandez, 2018; Stewart, G).  

Roller, E. J (2018) My Parents give me $28,000 a year. At: https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/11/12/18057130/money-income-inequality-basic-income-generational-wealth (Accessed on 6th of September 2019).

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Roller, E. J (2018) My Parents give me $28,000 a year. At: https://www.vox.com/first-person/2018/11/12/18057130/money-income-inequality-basic-income-generational-wealth (Accessed on 6th of September 2019).  

This article detailed the financial inequality that hinders many talented artists starting out. The articles detailed how as a student, Roller, was given money by his parents which enormously helped his studies and careers. Whilst his friends struggled to make a living. When he was 33 years old, he was actually making his own living. This demonstrates the inequality that stops genuinely talented artists from being able to compete. They need to earn money for their studies and to live and do not have money given to them by parents. So many have to turn their back on their dreams. Their is a wealth inequality which threatens talent in the art world. 

(Roller, 2018; Stewart, G).