‘Overall I thought this was a good submission –you have taken what you have learned through the course and applied it well to produce a conceptually and technically good series of photographs’.
That was the opening comments in the Assignment Five feedback from my tutor. There were a few issues to be addressed, but my tutor, Dave Wyatt assured me that they were minor.
The first issue to be addressed was the lack of a strong establishing landscape shot to open the article. In preparation for the original assignment shoot, this shot was on my list. However, the orchards at The Irish Seed Savers Association have a layout that makes a wider landscape establishing shot elusive. On a return visit to Seed Savers, following the receipt of feedback from my tutor, this shot still eluded me. I overcame this by using the close-up of the apple, followed by a smaller shot of the orchard to establish the narrative.
Another suggestion in the feedback, was to possibly include a shot of the canker disease on a tree prior to being cut out and treated. This would form a ‘triptych of images’. I was unable to re-shoot this. Below, I’ve included a sample shot which was captured at the original shoot. This shot is not included with the assignment submission as I feel it isn’t strong enough, and I don’t want to include it just for the sake of including it.
Not included in article
‘The only image I wasn’t totally convinced of was the portrait of Eoin with the wheelbarrow on page 5. This would have been a great place to put a strong environmental portrait with good eye contact –Eoin posing within the orchard’.
This was my favourite image in the series. However, I do agree with the fact that a portrait with good eye contact is needed in my series, to allow the viewer to engage with the subject. I had an opportunity to return to Seed Savers following the tutor’s feedback. However, The weather was terrible and the best portrait I managed to capture was of Eoin packaging saplings for collection by courier. The portrait features good eye contact, and a strong engagement with the viewer. On the other hand, the image is a little disconnected from the original series, and is not strong enough as a full page image in the magazine article. I decided to include the image but smaller and on the final page. I believe that the inclusion of this portrait just about addresses the eye contact issue and allows me to keep the original image of Eoin resting on the wheel barrow.
Finally, I followed Dave’s advice regarding the final image. I’ve replaced the rather weak final image of the rows of saplings with the much more definite image of Eoin walking into the distance following a hard day’s work, while a number of apples hang from a tree in the foreground.
Final Image in article
The only changes to the article are on the final page. A ‘before’ and ‘after’ image of the final page can be seen below.
Full Magazine Article PDF can be seen here: Article Amended assign 5
Full Tutor feedback can be seen here: TSAOP5
Overall, I’m really pleased with the feedback from my tutor. Any of the issues that Dave brought up would help create a much stronger narrative. I feel that my series of images finishes much stronger now. I would like to have a really strong and engaging portrait in the series but, unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. I feel that the portrait issue is the biggest learning point of the assignment. My tutor suggested that I start printing my own work, as the challenges involved in mastering the art of printing are best overcome while still a student. The purchase of a good quality photo printer is something I must seriously consider.
Final selection of images for assessment following tutor feedback
Tim's Learning Log 
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