UT - Projects

Let me be the millionth and elevnty person to say that these are indeed strange times, funnily enough that’s the exact number of images that I’ve seen on that subject this week

Let me just say that No, I’m not knocking any sort of creativity, the desire to do something or what people need to do to get through this situation, not at all. I just feel I’ve seen an absolute flood of imagery online and i don’t know how i feel about it

Some of it ok

Some of it good

Some of it terrible

I’m not sure whether in the current climate you can critique anything or have any structured debate on images and what they do, why they do and an area that I think my MA fmp is heading is what an exploration of the question of what makes a good photo, well, good? Nostalgia, Who the auteur is and position all seem to play a part? For instance is a good one from the 60’s better than one from the 80s? Is one that is regarded well now going to look less so next year? What’s the shelf life? What’s the impact?

Oh the questions I can ask..

Overriding thing that I see is that originality is especially curtailed in what we can and can’t do, you can see that in some of the influencer instagrammers content, some are really floundering with this new set of rules, the audience is there but same as with certain celebrities who have completely misread the audience, ther contribution and content is falling flat.

I do feel for anyone going through this with further complications because of lifestyle, kids, home-schooling, lack of space etc, I do feel for anyone going through that, lets at least try not to stick any further pressures out there, shall we?

Funny when I say that as I feel that’s how the (not)govern-ment and it’s supporters are addressing this pandemic situation and asking everyone to behave..

Maybe it’s time for that rethink..

The other thing I’ve (personally) noticed is that single images seem to have to be part of a project, they can’t be seen as singular, they have to be part of something. Life at the moment is full of pressure projects, we must be doing TikTok, health, drink, dance, movement, keep busy, consume, bake, don’t dwell, read, do etc. etc.

Everything seems to have to be part of some huge wider projects, not sure, this may be just me though???

Take the image here, I saw this on a short sanctioned walk and though mm that’s interesting, took it, then proceeded to thinking that I must start take images of things on fences, when things are placed or left on fences…well I seem to have had my one glove project taken over now everyone is doing something like it.

Why do I feel that images must be part of a set and can’t exist in an over explored situation??

Thinking I’ll just stick with the set of images that contain strange things in this time, though they may not look strange in the image but they are reminders of the words and actions outside of the frame. The new normal is the staying in, staying safe and it is all very strange for all of us…

Stay In. Stay Safe. Protect the NHS.