16th - 23rd December

This week is the hand in week for my Technical workshops and my DISP project. I think I will be able to hand them both in on time but I do think that I could have made more of an effort on my DISP project. I have changed my mind so many times for the DISP project but ultimately my final idea that I have used is my best in my opinion because it has a strong concept.

I spent most of this week doing the DISP Project and I printed the finals for it and for the fill in flash part of the brief on the wednesday afternoon. I found it difficult to know all the settings for the printers and the paper settings but had help from a third year and from the technicians.

I shot all the images for DISP this week also, I was not very organised for the DISP project but I think the final image is good and I have a good research file.

8th - 15th December

I spent most of this week in the colour darkrooms printing my medium format finals and my 5x4 finals. I am really happy with my printing and I am enjoying it. When out of university I concentrated on getting my book work finished and made sure that I had written everything up that needed to be written. I also annotated my contact prints.

30th -07th December

This week I spent most of my time printing in the darkroom ready for the next week. I also helped out some class mates who were shooting 5x4 on location. I drove harry, faith and matt to different locations in Bournemouth and assisted with setting up the camera on to the tripod.

23rd - 29th

Monday I had my digital imaging lesson and I learnt how to extract images with accuracy and without a rubbish result.
Tuesday I had a free day but came in to develop my 5x4 film. Whilst waiting for my film to develop I sat in with some uni friends in the studio and watched them shoot their films for high key and low key. When my film had developed I managed to get some 10x8 paper for the colour darkrooms and I contact printed my medium format high key and low key negs and also my 5x4 negatives. I showed the contact prints to Paul and worked out what I need to do next. I think I may have to reshoot my high key prints because they aren't high key enough.
Here's one of the 5x4 negs, its a picture of the neg on a screen so its not great quality but you get the idea.



















Wednesday we had a guest speaker come into the uni who told us all about how we should protect ourselves and our images when going into work. It was very useful to find out all of that information and I have a handout which I can refer to when I need to.

Thursday was a day off but I spent it doing research for my technical workshops unit and looking through the essay questions in the PVC Unit.
Friday I used the studio to create a seperation of light set up and I shot 5x4 transparency film using a class mate as a model. I will be processing the film next week. I also collected a metz flashgun and a hot shoe from stores at uni friday afternoon to use at the weekend.
Saturday I experimented with the metz flashgun so that I would be used to it for when I shot the digital part of my brief.
Sunday I took some pictures of an elderly gentlemen at the canal for my portrait brief.

PPRD week 1 16th 22nd

Monday was my lesson for digital imaging and studio practice, I am unsure about how well I can carry out my initial idea and I am thinking that I will need to hurry up and decide what it is I want to do for this project!

Tuesday we had a lecture, I think I was ill so did not attend.

Wednesday I had a presentation with Aaron who told us all about this new Personal Planning Reflection and Development Unit. In the morning I had the studio booked with Kat and I shot my high key and low key images with my Dad as a model because he is very photogenic. Kat also modelled for me. I processed the negatives the same day and thankfully they all came out OK. I attempted to print at around 5pm but was losing patience so decided to go home and print another time.

Thursday I spent at home doing sketchbook work and then finally Friday I had studio practice but managed to loan two darkslides from stores and some colour negative film to shoot my 5x4 over the weekend. I then left uni early to go prepare for the shoot but by the time I got to the location it was very dark and the weather was terrible.

Saturday was my planned day for the location shoot but the rain and the dark clouds didn't cease and so I ended up shooting on the sunday when it was a little less cloudy and not raining as much.

Throughout this week I planned for the photoshoot that I did on sunday which involved figure in the landscape for the unit technical workshops. I organised the use of a 5x4 Toyo Large Format Camera and a tripod from a friend in East Devon, we met on the Sunday in Tiverton and then went to a piece of land owned by my friends neighbour. We shot four 5x4 films in bad weather conditions and kept our fingers crossed that they were exposed properly. I thought of a few ideas for this shoot prior to actually taking the photographs and I decided to model myself as the figure after setting up the camera and everything else that needed doing. I wore a white dress that matches my cool skin tone and the cloudy skies that were present that day.

PPRD AUCB

I have to keep a new record every week for my uni course of what I am doing photographically, so basically the same as this blog already just more detailed and regular. This is my pre post for the project. My next post will cover the week beginning 16th to the 22nd and I will say what I did throughout that week.

I just noted the counter at the bottom of my blog almost 12,000 views! crazy times! :D

Thanks for reading

Two Days Until University Starts!

I have moved house now all ready for uni! I live in Bournemouth now and I have my own little studio set up in one of the rooms at my dad's house which is handy! I have used it a few times and find it quite cosy =] Here's a picture I did there when doing a self portrait session.





I can't wait to start uni! It will be the start of the next three years of my life I look foward to it.

I have arranged to meet with a few models from this area all ready but I have been let down by 90% of them so far which is a little annoying but oh well!

I have just finished working on a major paid piece of work for the colleges in Devon. I was asked to provide the images for the prospectuses and other publications for the colleges rebranding. The final results are in two prospectuses and on banners in the different colleges which I am really happy with =] This experience gave me more confidence to work with people in the future and taught me how to work freelance with major businesses which is useful.

Croatia!

At the moment I am on holiday in Croatia and the weather is great, I have taken lots of photographs but not had time to upload them yet. I plan to post some images on here and write a little about what I am doing here.

edit: here is an image from croatia

Thats it for now
Thanks for reading =]

Moving on.

It has been a long time since I have had time to post anything. I have been very busy concentrating on my college work which has just been handed in for marking. Now all I have to do for college is choose images for my exhibition! I will post the dates of the exhibition up here when I find out more about it! 

I worked out the total amount of UCAS Points I have got for all of my work that has been marked so far which does not include 5 units which are spread across 3 projects including my final major piece and another two.

I calculated I have gained 388 UCAS points so far and when I compared it to the grade sheet I saw that 360 UCAS points is a triple distinction!! This means I have a triple distinction and I'm going to get more UCAS Points when my other projects have been marked! RESULT! My hard work has paid off! :D 

Also, I got into the University that I wanted to get into! Bournemouth Arts Institute! I start in September and I can't wait! Yay.

Next I plan to sort through my images and delete any I will not use and create a folder of my best work from all the folders on my external hard drive. 

I am dreading the end of college because I am going to have to say goodbye to all of the new friends I have made, and we are really close! :[ Yesterday I went to Exmouth with my friend Martin, we went in the arcade and walked along the beach with ice cream. Then last night we had a poker night which was fun with Ali, Leigh, Martin, Jonny and I, with Beckie in the room but not playing poker and it was great fun :D

About a month ago I went on a trip to London and took lots and lots of photographs, it was great to experience a new place and I managed to get alot of images to help me with my Final Major Piece which was based on shadows and silhouettes. 

My next big step is moving to Bournemouth and starting University which should be great fun :D

That's all for today.

Thanks for reading.

Crazy Times

Alot has been happening in the last couple of months, I have found myself in a new state of 'singleness', probably not a word but hey! I have also had to think hard about university and getting all my work done for college and printing my portfolio which is going to cost me so much money that I'm going to be in debt to the bank! rubbish!

I've also spent alot of time socialising and making new friends. I have also made new contacts who have asked me to photograph them which is good to add to my portfolio! :)

A couple of weeks ago I spent some time in a forensics lesson at college and I got to photograph a pretend dead body and all the blood spatter patterns, it was really great and now I have forensic photography to add to my portfolio! I was planning on photographing Holiday on Ice today because my Aunt and I went to see it in Exeter, but they didn't allow photography, which was the main reason I wanted to go, however the show was awesome!

Here's a forensic image that I took (not for the feint hearted)

At this forensics event there was some really old horses blood placed in a petri dish and left out so that the smell of death and decomposition was present. It took me ages in the shower to get rid of the stench!

I have to get on with my final piece now.

Thanks for reading!

also, Check this out: www.flickr.com/photos/gemmiev

Photoshoots and Photosorting

I have been very busy yesterday and today. I've done four photoshoots in the space of 24 hours with 4 different people! 

I've practiced alot with HDR Images and I'm getting the hang of photomatix which is the program that processes the images :D here are a few images from the shoots that I'm happy with:

 

 

This ones my favourite :D

I'm almost running out of space on my laptop because of all the RAW files I use for my HDR Images, hence why I've been doing alot of photo sorting! 

It's pretty late now so I'm going to end this post here.

Thanks for reading! :D

Another Thing off the list!

My UCAS application has been sent. :] I've just got to wait for the college to add my references and for them to send the form to UCAS again and then to the University. FINGERS CROSSED!!!

Today at college the photography department was asked if there were any pictures that they could let the library use on the walls and I gave them a contact sheet of my work and requested for my name to be displayed with the picture if it was going to be used. So hopefully I will have some work on display there! There's also a chance to do some work experience with the local gazette in tiverton which will be good if I can get a place. :D

I've started playing badminton at college on a wednesday. I used to play when I was younger and I got a trophy at county level but didn't really play much after that. After my game yesterday my body aches from using the muscles I don't usually use! I think I need to stretch more before I play. I'm going to play every week because I enjoy it and I would like to be fitter.

Hopefully, I will be able to finish all my work early so I have extra time to concentrate on my final major piece which is worth three units. I have an idea for what I would like to do, but I need to get more research into the subject.

I entered a competition which is being judged this month and I'm waiting to hear from them to see if I got anywhere in it, hopefully I'll win a prize and my work will become more well known.

This is a picture I drew of my Grandads hand, I thought I would show you something different for a change :D

My name used to be Jefferies but I changed it to Varney.

This is the end of todays post. Thanks for reading! :]

Tutorials and Photoshop

Recently I have been watching photoshop tutorials online which have been very helpful in building my photoshop skills. The website I've been watching is http://revision3.com/pixelperfect/carposter/  and its really good!

I've almost finished my UCAS form just waiting on my BTEC registration number from college before I can send it off. My teacher has told me that my predicted grades are DDD which is good  so hopefully I'll get in to Bournemouth Arts Institute :D

Bed time now!

Thanks for reading!

Uni/College Work

ARGH! I just wrote loads of stuff and Blogger deleted it all instead of posting so now I have to rewrite it all!!! I'm going to be stubborn and not write alot now!

preparing for uni and the last term of college. need to print portfolio and encorporate other work into my sketchbooks. Lots to do and plenty of time. Here's a picture.

Thanks for reading. Bye. :p

University Application So Far

Tomorrow is the start of my last term at college and I am very focused on getting all of my work done. I am doing my best to get a DDD (triple distinction) in my photography class, so I am always busy doing something!

I also have thought about University and plan to apply at The Arts Institute at Bournemouth. My personal statement has been written and I have chosen a few images for my portfolio.

What I plan to do next is to find some film images and print those for my portfolio and also to find any experimental work that would be useful so that I can show I am capable in all aspects of Photography.

I need to write out a plan of all the things that need doing so that I can get them all done when they are needed for. So much to do, but at least I have started early and I have plenty of time to get everything done :]

Today I'm going to concentrate on getting my 'before and after Photoshop' sketchbook completed, I just need to pritt stick all the pictures in and write about them. That will be my retouching side of photography covered. I also need to scan in the images I took with my Instant Camera to show I have used different types of cameras. I have some colour film images that also need to be included in my work somewhere.

When I get back to college I will need to start printing my images as soon as possible because there is usually something wrong with the printers at least once a week and I would like to get the important stuff done first.

Hopefully everything for Uni will be sorted in time so that I have the last few weeks of college to revsie for my Business exam and to finish any coursework for photography tothe highest standard possible. I will have to not do any photography stuff out of college until I have all of my work done. Otherwise, there will be too much to do and I will probably run out of time. I also have my final major piece to worry about but I have an idea for what I'm going to do so I should be OK with that.

Here's an image I have found to be quite popular on Flickr.

That's the end of today's post. Thanks for reading!