FMP Bad day (marks and feedback)

Today I got my marks and feedback from the IC module. To say I was disappointed is an understatement. I didn't have 70 or higher for the first time. I feel murph and put down and very sad. I don't feel like picking up a camera for the next few month or so.

Strangest feedback:

"Moving forwards you can now afford to take more risks and use more research to apply greater experimentation in your practice, to further enhance your own interpretation of your concept".

I told this one to others and everybody was more than surprised and James started to laugh in disbelieving. With LO2 it states that I have experimented well with various approaches to my images what seems a bit of contradictory.

With some others on the course we came to the conclusion that we didn't want to repeat what we had done and experimented with in the modules before but that people who did and just alternate the same things over and over every module got higher scores this time. I did loads of different experimentations before and also in this module but it wasn't enough? Something to change on the course for sure, in my opinion; check where people come from and have done before. That way the real progression shows.

The feedback I got:

LO1: Technical and Visual Skills: (Work in Progress Portfolio) Demonstrate an awareness of a range of photographic and image-making processes, and display accomplishment of skills relevant to your practice specialism. Your work shows a good command of your technical skills and you have applied appropriate techniques to give a feeling of the surreal. There is good use of focus and depth of field to achieve your intent. Your use of colour is managed well, which is important in the interpretation of your work. 

LO2: Visual Communication and Decision-Making: (Work in Progress Portfolio) Exercise discernment in the making, resolution and presentation of practical work, and an ability to communicate ideas through creative visual strategies. There is a good sense of controlled methodology to your work and you have been careful in both the choice and sequencing of your submission. You have shown a good level of insight in your construct, and have experimented well with various approaches to your images.

LO3: Critical Contextualization of Practice: (Work in Progress Portfolio, Critical Research Journal & Critical Review of Practice) Apply a critical awareness of the diversity of contemporary photographic practice to the development of your own work, and inform your practice through historical, philosophical, ethical and economic contextualization. There are good references here to Jan Dibbets, Mishka Henner, Uta Barth, etc. as well as to critical theory, with the inclusion of Vilém Flusser. You have certainly shown us through your work, and your references, to alter and even enlarge our notions of what to look at and appreciate. Your images have forced us to see the unseen within cloud formations that we have formerly taken for granted.

LO4: Professional Location of Practice: (Critical Research Journal & Critical Review of Practice) Establish an understanding of the range of professional contexts for the dissemination and consumption of contemporary photographic practice, and identify opportunities to engage with audiences and markets. There is good reference here to the dissemination of your work, through an installation or cloud atlas. We also enjoyed your reference to Flusser with his thoughts on how text arose from the destruction of images. However, do think about displaying your prints through alternate means as well, by the possibility of placing your images at the locations they feature, through an outside installation for example? I wanted to use the FMP to have everything come together. There are limitations at the moment because of Covid19.

LO5: Critical Analysis: (Critical Research Journal & Critical Review of Practice) Make personal observations and form critical opinions to analyse and appraise your own work, as well as the work of your peers and other practitioners. We enjoyed reading your journal and critical review. Your reflections are well informed, and you have shown such a positive engagement with your research on an ongoing basis and you have demonstrated how this research has driven the progress of your own practice. You have also, importantly, criticality appraised your work by comparing and examining the images that are less successful for you, and shown how you would improve these. This is an important exercise, moving forwards, because it makes the links more explicit in the relationship between your own practice and the other visionary ideas which inform it.

LO6: Written and Oral Communication Skills: (Critical Research Journal & Critical Review of Practice) Articulate ideas in a range of formats and contexts, and be able to communicate with different audiences. You have communicated your thoughts and processes well. Your work shows real potential and it would be of benefit now to move beyond this format and into another area to widen your knowledge of photographic practice. Well done, and good luck in your FMP Module.