Foundation Project Phil Brown
Hopes and Fears Many things have drawn me to photographic journalism none more so than the chance to enter an industry where a picture can literally say a thousand words. I feel that there is infinite scope within this medium to explore the world and capture an untold amount of things to experience and so many stories to be told using photographs. I began with a keen interest in journalism whilst in school and always enjoyed writing articles and researching subjects of interested to me. My main areas of interest were history and travel which have continued keep a keen interest in. Upon leaving school I studied media production at college which I chose so that I could explore new area's of the media industry whilst still continuing to write. This is where my passion in photography really became apparent. I was extremely nervous about using dark room equipment at first but once my confidence grew I began to spend almost of my time trying to improve my skills both with the camera and in the dark room. Whilst at college I also became interested in digital photography and print media, I developed an excellent understanding of both multimedia and print, and how digital photography can be used in both. I also enjoyed using moving images in my work to keep my idea's fresh and my work up to date. Overall I feel that my time at college was integral to the skills I have developed and the passion I have in my work. From college I took a few years outs due to a number of circumstance's, one of which was I wanted to gain some life experience and really just find out what I wanted. Over these years I attend some digital photography classes to try and develop my skills further, also meet people with similar interests as me. These classes also helped me critic my work and find ways to that I could improve, this was of key importance to be since I'm a strong believer in everything no matter how good can be improved. I also have volunteered for a number of music magazines and local bands as a photographer to try and enhance my portfolio, this was mainly taking photographs at concerts. My time before I have tried to use my time before university to find out where I wanted to go and what I wanted to get from life, I feel that university is the biggest step I have taken and am both nervous but incredibly excited about the next four years.
When applying for the course it was my only choice because I had made up my mind that this is the career I want and that I will take every opportunity I can to progress and reach my goal. From university I not only want to leave with a degree, I want to get as much experience of the industry as possible and meet as many people within the industry I can learn from. Before my first day I sat and thought to myself what do I expect when I walk through the university gates. I didn't know what to expect but my main thought was I want to take on as many challenges as possible. I am excited about what the course has to offer especially the technical modules because I have a very get up and go mentality, I enjoy being out and about with my camera trying to get the perfect shot and experimenting with different styles, lighting etc. Also using different software to get the best results and experimenting with the different outcomes you can get using these. I'm looking forward to developing my skills in both of these areas. I also am looking forward to the module on the ethics and practice of photography due to in being of such importance in the industry. Out of all the modules of the first year this is the one I am most nervous about since its a completely new subject to be me, however its learning new things is extremely important to me so I am really looking forward to studying that area. As I said in my introduction I am interested in the ability to tell stories through photographs, because of this I am looking forward to the Photo Story module in the second semester. Overall this first year is both exciting but nerve racking but I am extremely excited to see where this journey takes me and what skills I gain from it. Going forward is the only way I want to go and I want to use this mentality throughout the course and throughout my life. At the moment in addition attending university I am still volunteering with magazines and local bands, I am also starting a blog to get my work seen in an online capacity and currently working on some personal projects, along with my coursework. One of my project's is currently “City at Night� in which I'm experimenting with different lighting and exposure techniques whilst taking photographs across Leeds, which I am extremely excited about showing on my blog and getting some feedback from fellow photographers. I also regularly enter photographs in online competitions, including The Guardian's online photography club. Also to keep update with the industry I am always looking for new photography exhibits and I am currently planning a trip to the Veolia Environment Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2010 exhibition at the Museum of Natural History in London.
I am also currently planning a trip around Europe over next summer to get some more experience of travel photography. I hope to travel for around two to three months and experience the culture and get some great photographs along the way whilst documenting it with an online blog of my progress, I feel that this would invaluable enhance my overall portfolio and give me some valuable experience in travel journalism. As well as attending university I am currently looking to take a language course to help me with my prospects of jobs abroad in the future and help me get more from my planned trip. My main interests lie in travel, music and world news and hope my time at university can give me the skills and confidence to enter one of the fields. I hope to work abroad upon leaving university to see and experience other cultures and hopefully meet new people and document what I see and experience to share with the world. My main aim from my career would be to be in an area which is always changing and evolving thus I could evolve with it and develop my current skills and learn new ones where ever possible. As with everyone the future does make me nervous and I hope this never changes, because new challenges will always bring nerves and I want to experience as many new challenges throughout my career. I believe the more challenges I face the more I will learn on the more honed my skills will become.
I closing over the past 9 years since leaving school I have looked at many different creative career options and have put a lot of thought into my future. I feel that photographic journalism is an career that I can always put a 100 percent into in order to get 100 percent out. Its a career that I can always progress and there are always new skills for me to learn. I can travel and share my experiences and knowledge in many forms. So finally all I can say is that the next four years will be a chance to learn new skills, hone existing skills and build a portfolio of for to show myself to future employers so I can realise my career aspirations. Beyond university well all I can say is that I may not know what is coming my way but I know that I will savour every opportunity in front of me.