One key thing I learnt this semester was I know more than I thought, but also know nothing at all.

I have some experience with photography prior to this class, and had even done gigs as a photographer before, but I think I just knew how a camera worked and the conventions of photography. I’m not necessarily certain I had control over these, though, just I was aware when the universe sort of aligned to give me them. This semester I have a greater appreciation for how to manipulate them, though I’m definitely still not perfect at it. But walking around the streets of Melbourne, I definitely found myself at times going “this should be a good photo, why isn’t it?” and being able to manipulate it more. It did, however, still make me want to buy a Sony A7, and getting to use one in class did not help stem that urge any further.

I think I’d like more time for the Assignment 4 project, but not for the reasons students might normally say that. I think for the nature of the assignment, I wanted to get good observations and really get a pulse for where and when to expect things to occur (and be brave enough to get close enough to photograph it). But I think, doing this over the course of a week or two (and particularly a post-AFL-grand-final week), meant the city wasn’t necessarily brimming with life like it had the weeks prior, but even more so, I think street photography collections are rarely caught in the space of a few outings. People spend weeks and weeks there to get acclimated and really try and find the small details, and I think I’d like to have done this assignment with maybe six or seven weeks to really properly immerse myself and get what I want (and as mentioned, be brave enough to get it). An element of that was almost guaranteed to be learnt for this assessment I think, but now knowing it, I’d definitely like to do it over a longer period (and hopefully catch some meaningful days, like the AFL Grand Final day when a Victorian team wins). I also have a tendency to want to experience those moments myself and not through the lens of a camera, so there is an element of balance to that too which having done this assignment I now believe I have a greater understanding of.

I think my view of photography as a medium as a whole shifted this semester. Between expanded photography, AI, studio and street photography, I found myself a lot more engaged with diversifying from my strengths, and even if my subject matter was comfortable, in my methods I was deliberately challenging myself to go further than what I may have previously. And I think I enjoyed that experience more than I was expecting, even if I was perhaps a little disappointed I didn’t get more “I’d hang this up”-type of photos than I hoped. I definitely feel more confident with a camera, and even though my assessments this semester may not entirely reflect it in my view, I think I am a better photographer than from when I started, and that is largely due to my expanded view of the medium and its capabilities, and the tools I have at my disposal to create them.