Overall, i feel the work i have produced and how i have responded to the themes is successful and thorough. By firstly being able to give myself a proper understanding regarding the theme: Observe, Seek and Challenge i was able to allow myself to be creative and almost quite flexible with the theme. As id say the theme could be interpreted in almost anyway which usually i would find quite challenging however in this case i gave myself plenty of time to plan and prepare for the exam. By doing careful research surrounding female stereotypes and The Male Gaze i was able to pick out two artist references: Nancy Honey and Cindy Sherman. Unlike past projects i decided to try my best to recreate Sherman’s images as i could get technical with it and creative. Sherman’s aim when taking her photographs was that it was performative – linking to Judith Butlers theory of gender performativity. This meant over exaggerated makeup, props, ect.. i found this interesting so my response to her was trying to identically recreate some of her most famous images which after assessing my final outcomes (in my photobook) id say have successfully done. My overall response to Cindy Sherman’s work is displayed in the photobook rather than being mounted up as i think it looks more interesting being able to take time to open the book and not only see my images but re visit Sherman’s ones herself, and to see how it can influence other photographers such as myself to carry on her work. if the images were on their own without any context i don’t think they would have as much meaning to them. My response to Nancy Honeys work was quite vague however thoroughly done, i took careful time and really analysed her work technically, visually, contextually and conceptually. Although points were challenging such as gathering loads of images i found it rewarding and gave me more ambition seeing my pictures come together naturally. To create my own response specifically around the theme Observe, Seek and Challenge i decided to delve into what i used to enjoy, ballet, and linked it with femininity… as my other images had been of people i chose to do more of a object shoot and focused on the ballet shoes. This fits with the theme as i have observed carefully and seeked a specific area. I really enjoyed doing this photoshoot with the ballet shoes as i could get very creative with it, the ribbons, the worn out soles of the shoe (which made the images quite interesting – represents how it was in the past due to the shoes being small and clearly used however not presently used).

I managed to get most my pictures completed early on as I’ve learnt from past projects that leaving it too late or without a proper plan resulted in poor responses to the project. I was able to give myself time and gain more knowledge about what my intentions for this final project was. This made the process enjoyable id say as i gave myself a chance to be creative. I also focused on the technical, visual, contextual and conceptual factors a lot more for this project compared to past ones where I’ve found myself going off course. By focusing on those factors i was able to understand my artist reference (Cindy Sherman) work way more and recreate her work to a good standard.

If i could change anything it would be that i could’ve captured more photographs surrounding dance/ ballet (rather than just the shoes) as it would’ve made my intentions with the project more clear, however, this would have been difficult due to finding models who can dance and can demonstrate the specific conventions that i would’ve needed to create successful images regarding this style. Although, with the time given i think i have demonstrated thorough understanding on the theme and both artists Nancy honey and Cindy Sherman, I’ve also shown my ability to gather various different images and have presented my outcomes differently and suitably. This is the strongest piece of work i have done out of my photography course and i had a passion and ambition when completing it.