A time to reflect.

So as the first term of my photography MA draws to a close, I thought a little reflection might be in order regarding my experience as a student.

In its early beginnings the thoughts of freedom and being able to swan around and make some nice imagery was most appealing. Some may already think that is what I have been doing for the last fifteen years, but those people obviously do not realize the pressures that come with being a gallery based fine art photographer.

What has probably been my mine gripe is what I consider to be the over conceptualizing and theorizing of photography. Now I can talk about my Own work all day, and love to do so. But I have never considered myself to be, and never will, be any kind of theorist. My images are nice to look at and have story and reason, but I never set out with a detailed plan. However, the MA project has indeed been approached with a detailed plan of what I wanted to photograph, why I wanted to photograph it, and what I wanted to achieve from it. Although it could be said that this approach works for many, for me it always creates a sense of longing for something else, something from the gut, something exciting. That feeling of discovering a hidden door, or an unexpected beam of light. To photograph a moment that can never be repeated. These are the things people have always written about.
I am certainly happy with the work I have produced which can only be a good thing. Hopefully this will continue and I can put my gripes, (age, unwillingness to do anything different, thinking I don't need to be here, no time with anything that's not landscape or place) to one side and come away wiser and perhaps better than before.