Evaluation

I enjoyed this module as I felt that it challenged me a little more in terms of photography and the subject I chose to capture. I find wildlife photography really interesting, so when I learned that I could incorporate it into my course I became more engaged with my work and spent more leisure time over the holidays doing work that I might otherwise have not done if I didn't find the subject so interesting. Although, I think that I could have started shooting some imaged sooner, rather than waiting until week 5, as this would have meant that I had more photos in my portfolio, and a possible wider range of images and subjects to choose from.

Although I had most of my images, I waited until I had just a week left to begin posting them, thinking that if I posted 3-4 images a day rather than 1, then my project may stay in circulation via social media platforms for longer. This may be a good idea, but I should have begun posting images earlier to avoid a mad rush with my last few photographs. Also, if I had begun earlier, I would maybe have needed a few more images to begin posting so many and so frequently.

I could have researched more into how best to circulate and distribute my images via social media, such as which outlets/apps to use and how many hashtags is the best amount to use. But I think that the project went quite successfully, with quite a few people viewing and liking my images and posts, as well as reading my blog documenting my ongoing project.

I did begin this project by stating that I was going to focus mainly on marine wildlife conservation, but also included some images of the Exmoor ponies that were recently introduced into the Forest of Dean to prevent the overgrowth of pasture areas. This is because I thought that these images had a good response on social media, and since they were related to my project through wildlife conservation I included them. This also meant that I could compare the response I got to marine wildlife conservation, and just the broad range of wildlife conservation, as well as seeing if the locality and news presence of the story had anything to do with its popularity, especially on Facebook. Also, since I find this subject particularly fascinating, I felt that if I began with a broader range of wildlife conservation then that would give me the option to continue posting after the module had finished, depending on the interest it garners on social media.

Obviously capturing the images was my favourite and most enjoyable part of the module, and by researching other wildlife photographers and their techniques, it helped me when taking my own photos. I honed my camera skills during this project, especially when using a 300mm with manual focus, just stood around waiting for the perfect moment for hours, so it's just as well I have quite a bit of patience. But not only has this project taught me new techniques, but it may have also helped me decide what kind of photographer I would like to be when I eventually graduate from university. When I first came to university for an interview for my course, one of the questions I was asked was "what sort of photography do you like and what sort of photographer would you like to be" and I was stuck on what to answer. Well, I think I may finally know.