Still Life and Landscape Evaluation

When I first seen the brief I was nervous because I wasn't confident with working in the studio and also I did not know how to use a large format camera. I began my first four weeks by researching still life and landscape artists, however, focusing more on my still life work. I began my still life brief by looking for things I could photograph that had some personal significance to myself and that also would look effective as my final 20x24 digital print. I experimented several times in the studio photographing my childhood teddybears, my street photographs, books and an instrument. After getting used to setting up lights and the equipment I finally started feeling more comfortable working in the studio alone. I gained a lot of knowledge by demonstrations and by going in the studio several times. I am happy with my final print of my viola as it was my first time aiming for a big print- however I feel the pixelation of the print has let me down. This has made me aware for the future that I need to plan my time management to ensure I will be able to correct mistakes before deadlines. I preferred the Landscape brief to the Still Life- mainly because I enjoyed being outside and using a new film camera. I also prefer using a film camera to a digital camera because I think that a film camera allows the photographer to be unsure about the end result, because you cannot see the photograph until you have developed the film, which creates a sense of mystery about whether your photograph has come out like you have been imagining it in your head. I personally think the digital camera takes the sense of mystery away as you can see your photograph straight after you have taken it- not that this is a bad thing.
The 5x4 camera really scared me at the start of the brief, It looked really complicated to use, and  although after several weeks and experimenting I really really like the camera and feel comfortable using it - after wasting a lot of money on negatives that I made mistakes on. I have also learnt how to develop 5x4 negatives, I learnt a lot by making mistakes, but it was worth it.  I wanted to create five photographs that portrayed what we see everyday- with elements of the industrial landscapes here and now. To conclude I am happy with my five final photographs although each one could be improved dramatically in different ways- I am satisfied because I have gained inspiration and also learnt how to use and create my own prints by using a large format camera in a short space of time.