Moving Forward

December 10, 2020 in Project Development, Final Major Project

Overall I am pleased with where Common Ground is for my Final Major Project submission. Now I find myself looking forward and where I want to go from here. I have gained a lot over the whole MA, but it has been the last six months that have had the most considerable impact on me. I feel like I have more direction, focus and a clear voice as a photographer and artist.

I enthusiastically intended and to continue to explore the different avenues that Common Ground has presented to me personally professionally.

One of my first projects / Collaborations is with Canyon Coffee, where I will be producing product and lifestyle photos of their coffee dyed Sweatshirt developed in a coffee developer that I have made.

This has encouraged me to keep moving forward with Dust + Grit and expand, reach out to other companies that aline with what I am trying to create.

I also intended to keep experimenting with plant-based developers and hope to make them a sustainable and staple part of my process.

As mentioned in project development posts, I see the final book I produced easily being multiple books. I hope to spend some time making those books.

Moving into large format photography has been a long time coming. It has allowed me to be more direct and selective in how I produce my work and continues to push me into creating thoughtful and compelling imagery.

I will be submitting work to PHmuseum, Anti-Bad, Foto Forum Santa Fe, Analog Forever and other opportunities I will also keep seeking out portfolio reviews continue to build my network.

Final Major Project // Final Major Project PDF

December 10, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

My Final Major Project PDF can be found here.

Final Major Project // Project Development // Common Ground The Book

December 08, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

After a few more edits, I finally have a completed book for Common Ground. I cut a few photos from what I had in the dummy book and decided not to go with location title pages, it kept page count down, and I prefer the flow of the book without.

Overall I am pleased with the outcome, but still think that at some point, I will explore the idea of making smaller books from this one.

Figure 1: Photo Book, Stevi McNeill

I ended up printing through Artifact Uprising, as they had the quickest turnaround time and quality.

Softcover

8.25x11 // 62 pg

Interior Paper: Mohawk Options 100% PCW White with matte finish 100% recycled

Cover Stock: Mohawk Superfine Eggshell 120lb.

Figure 2: Common Ground Book Video, Stevi McNeill

The full book can be viewed here

Final Major Project // Project Development // Critical Review of Practice

November 21, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

Figure 1: Green River Utah, Stevi McNeill

My Critical Review of Practice can be found here.

Final Major Project // Project Development // Gallery and Print Page

November 17, 2020 in Falmouth MA Photography, Project Development

Along with the Book, I decided to have a few select prints. I chose to use three made later in the project as I feel it they most represent where I am now with my work. In addition to the book, I think that this extends my audience reach and interaction with my work.

I used a different platform from my website as it is easier for people to order and track their prints. For me, it's easy to manage orders and inventory.

With my chosen three prints, I decided only to have 15 of each available as I want to keep the number of prints released to a minimum.

Link to Print page

Figure 1: Screen Shot, Gallery and Print Page, 2020

Final Major Project // Project Development // My final Image Selection

November 05, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

I was not intending on having as many final images. I was initially hoping to have a place for an exhibition with some large prints.

However, due to the current pandemic that was not realistic for me, so a book with a few select prints seemed to be the way to go for my final public outcome.

As I started going through my work and culling images for the book, I felt that having more of my images in there was the most authentic reflection of not just my work and progression of the past two years, but the first time I have been able to begin to understand how to visually communicate my seeking/explorations of my surroundings for myself, not just the audience.

So, for now, I am happy that I can offer this selection to an audience and use it for myself as a reflective piece that I can edit down as needed when I feel the time is right, as I do feel moving forward after the MA I many avenues to explore.

Figure 1: Finding the right layout, 2020, Mae Frances

Final Major Project // Project Development // Instagram

November 04, 2020 in Falmouth MA Photography, Project Development

For the past few weeks, I have gone through my prints and negatives, slowly narrowing down what my final book will be. I made a dummy book, which helped refine my selection to clearly portray my journey with this project. Below are screenshots from my Common Ground and Plant-based Developers highlights on Instagram where the audience can see more of how the project was developed.

Figure 1: instagram screenshots of book development, Stevi McNeill

Final Major Project // Project Development // Book Layout

October 31, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

I have spent a day with some of my prints, getting started on my book layout. It has given me a lot of clarity on my project overall. I have been putting this off because I have waiting to be done with specific shoots and felt that I would be more focused and ready to give this proper consideration and time that it needs, and that was the case.

It has allowed me to see more of the missing pieces. I need to add in more environmental still-life and a few of the 4x5 prints from my last trip and a few more portraits.

Along with the book, I want to have a few selected images printed. I think that expands the connection with the audience; it allows for more of a relationship with chosen images that I want to highlight.

As I reflect on the work I have produced so far, I release that I have been trying to find my place here (in America) for a long time, but now, as I spend time with my work and I am able to reflect on what that means to me more so than ever these past few weeks. I am learning to be okay with not having to fit into a particular way of life or question my place here. Instead, I have let go ( at least started to ) of holding on to a specific idea of how my life should play out. This has kept me at a distance, I have not truly allowed my self to embrace being here.

Now, I am allowing my self to be here and allowing life to unfold and settling into it until the next adventure comes around.

Looking at my work laid out like this, I feel that it reflects that. I start with shooting very much at a distance, more landscape, fewer people- trying to figure out and connect with my space, still feeling much like a visitor. Towards the end, I am embracing my surrounds and the people within them. Something I want to continue to do.

Figure 2: Book layout, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Figure 3: Digital Book layout, 2020 Stevi McNeill

I have also started to get digital mock-ups and layout going. I have started to play around with cropping a lot more. I notice the design changed a bit when I started cropping. Will be making more edits in the next few days when I have more film developed.

Inspirations:

Parts of Piraha-Zine by Jose Houdini inspires me. The flow of the first two spreads is very intriguing to me.

Pretty girls Wander by Raymond Meeks. I'm drawn to most of Meeks works. His hand made journal esque style books are in tune with what I want to produce. Though I don't think I have allowed myself enough time to execute this in the way, I hoped. In pretty girl wander, he introduces colour images alongside his black and white. I have also done this and thinks is brakes up the dense black and white images at times. It also adds in a slightly different mood and intrigue.

Figure 5: Pretty girls Wander, 2011 Raymond Meeks

Figure 7: oxbow, Raymond Meeks — Figure 7: *oxbow,* Raymond Meeks

Figure 6: Pretty girls Wander, 2011 Raymond Meeks

Figure 8: Pretty girls Wander, 2011 Raymond Meek

References :

Jose Houdini, Piraha-Zine https://www.behance.net/gallery/57010211/Piraha-Zine-Plata-Collection

Raymond Meeks http://www.raymondmeeks.com/archive/oxbow

Final Major Project // Project Development // The Green River

October 30, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

Mid October I was able to spend some time on the Green River in Utah.

I spent five incredible days with four others. As I have never made this trip before, I was not sure what to expect, but as I have been to Utah many times, I had an idea of what to expect from the landscape. Though with this trip, I wanted to focus on creating images of people and their experience during this trip.

Overall I feel like I was able to achieve how we experienced the trip and the beauty of the land and river we spent time on.

Figure 1: Green River, UT 2020, Stevi McNeill

Figure 2: Green River, UT 2020, Stevi McNeill

Figure 8: Green River, UT 2020, Stevi McNeill

Figure 9: Green River, UT 2020, Stevi McNeill

Figure 10: Green River, UT 2020, Stevi McNeill // 40 years expired E6 film

I was mostly shooting black and white 35mm and 4x5 Black and white, but I also took some expired kodak Ektachrome 400 and was not expecting much, but I think that the muted colours and distortion of the film fit perfectly with the black and white images. I have wanted to add more colour to my work but felt the images I made in colour previously have not fitted with my black and whites. However with these photos I think the colours muted enough to fit nicely alongside my black and white images. I am excited to possibly try another roll of the film and see what comes of it, as I would like to have more colour options to add into the final cut of my book.

Figure 11: Green River, UT 2020, Stevi McNeill // 40 year expired E6 film

Final Major Project // Project Development // Michigan

October 26, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

Figure 1: Lake Superior, Michigan, Stevi McNeill 2020

Mid-September we spent some time in the upper peninsula of Michigan on the property of family friends. I have never been up there before and found it to be absolutely beautiful. The land has been in the family since the early 1900s and comes with a rich history. It was a girls camp that opened in 1914. It was owned and ran by Helen and J.B. Ross, two sisters that wanted to empower young women in a time when that was not encouraged. They wanted to create a space where they could learn and grow into capable, confident women.

I was lucky to sit down with Don and Julia (current owners) and went through the beautiful photo albums and videos of the camp and heard more about the history, experiences and the life that Helen and J.B. wanted to create for young women. Something that I value and appreciate very much, as my this project started with a desire and urge to discover more about my history and heritage.

As this project develops, it is more apparent to me that I am documenting my personal journey in finding my connections to the land, my community and how I live my life here. Every trip I make is a way of connecting with myself, the people in my life and gaining a deeper understanding of what it all means to me. All my images are small refections of the moments that contribute to a deeper understanding of what's important to me and is helping me to find a foundation to speak for other things I that matter to me.

Figures 2: Upper Peninsula Michigan, Stevi McNeill, 2020

As I reflect on the images I made during this trip, I am pleased with how they turned out. I have wanted to focus more on human-made structures rather than just the landscape, and I felt I had the perfect opportunity on this trip to do that. I think that by adding in more structures and objects helps balance the narrative that I am trying to convey, I feel that it fills in the gaps I was missing in my work.

Other things I wanted to consider during this trip was shooting in colour.

I have been working mostly in black and white but wanted to see what results and how I would feel about having some colour images in the final outcome. Overall I liked how some of the colour photos came out and will consider shooting more, but prefer the atmosphere of the black and white images.

The other thing I wanted to experiment with was photographing objects ( mostly rock and sticks etc.) at the location I find them - see figure 1 Somewhat inspired by Angela Blažanović as I find myself not always having the time to set up the still lifes back at home. I like the idea of showing the full circle of people, place and object. Unforantly I did not get as many of those images as I wanted, but moving forward I would like to incorporate them more.

Figures 14: The Sauna, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Stevi McNeill, 2020

Figures 15: The Sauna, Upper Peninsula Michigan, Stevi McNeill, 2020

Final Major Project // Project Development // prints

September 13, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

This past week I have started laying out my images and reflecting on what I have done so far, what is working and what I am missing, and considering how I will move forward. Overall I feel like I have been heading in a good direction, but feel I need to start focusing on how I am going to fit everything together which means revisiting my original proposal and intentions as a reference point. At this point, I feel like my intent with this project has not changed, but that I have started to be loose some of the unnecessary layers.

I have also started considering how the still life images of found objects fit with my landscapes and feel that there is room to improve here, each set is a little too different from each other making it hard to find a place for the still lifes among the other images. Maybe I will start to photograph my objects at the location where I find them.

Final Major Project // Project Development // The North Fork Valley

August 12, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

As I consider how I want to include the presents of people more into my work, I have found it a little harder to include portraits, I am still focusing more on artifacts and evidence of the land being used. I want to find a balance of land a person when making my images. I don’t think I need direct portraits, a more candid approach will probably be best. I will continue to think about my approach to this moving forward.

Figure 1: On picking apples, Paonia, Colorado 2020 Stevi McNeill

Figure 2: North Fork Valley, Colorado 2020 Stevi McNeill

I have noticed the path continues to be a large theme in my work. Often these images are a reflection of where I have been, or where I wish to go. As much I like this concept, and I am obviously drawn to creating these images. I do want to not have them so heavily present in my work, again another aspect I feel I need to balance in my work.

Final Major Project // Project Development // Plant Based Developer three

August 10, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

After the first attempt at developing film in a Kale/ foliage based developer, I realized that I underdeveloped my film quite a bit,( 12 min Dev time ) and felt that I get better results with a longer developing time. I also decided to let the Kale/plants found from my walk while taking these photos steep for 24 hrs rather than 12 hrs like I did before. Another difference, I did not have any black and white film, but instead, I had a roll of Ekatr 100 35mm.

Figure 1: Start of Plant-Based Developer, Stevi McNeill

Overall I am very pleased with how the images turned out. I decided to develop the film for just over 2hrs expecting the film to be a little overdeveloped, but feel like it was just the right amount. The contrast and tones throughout the roll are balanced and even. I would use Ektar again, as I think I prefer it developed and processed this way. I am excited to try this process again and keep experimenting.

Figure 2 : Jamestown, CO film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill, 2020

Figure 3: Jamestown, Colorado film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Figure 4: Jamestown, Colorado film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Figure 5: Jamestown, Colorado film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Figure 6: Jamestown, Colorado film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Figure 7: Jamestown, Colorado film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Figure 8: Jamestown, CO film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Figure 9: Jamestown, CO film processed with a plant-based developer. Stevi McNeill

Final Major Project // Project Development // Exploring Trails near Jamestown.

August 10, 2020 in Project Development, Final Major Project

I have had time this past week to start exploring areas close to home. The National Parks have begun offering a timed entry-permit system, and I was able to book a slot so we could hike to Sky Pond in the Rocky Mountain National Park, which is one of the most visited national parks in the country. This would actually be the first time I have hiked in the park; As we have dogs and the park does not allow them to hike with you, we tend to go elsewhere. However, I have been keen to explore the RMP for a while as it is a large beautiful area close to home with a lot of wilderness to offer.

The sky pond trail is 9 miles round trip with a 1780 Feet elevation gain ( Trailhead Elevation: 9240 Feet ) and a very popular trail.

All the trails are well travelled and maintained, which makes the trial feel very curated and takes away some of the wildness to replace it with a sense that is a human-made experience. For the number of people that visit the park and may not spend much time hiking, camping, I understand why there is a curation of the trials in this way; it makes it easier to navigate and provide a sense of safety and direction. However, I begin to question how much we curate these spaces. I want places such as national parks to be accessible all, but I find I want to question/examine how we treat the landscape by doing this.

As I move forward with these thoughts, I don’t want the negative aspects or thoughts to be the main theme, I want them to be a starting point and look at how we do preserve and use the land, as its inevitable that we will have an impact on it.

Figure 1 : Mae Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

I would also like to reflect on counting to experiment with different types of black and white film. I’m really enjoying using the Fomapan Retro 100 ISO as high contrast and has beautiful mid-tones. It also caters to the mood and aesthetic I wish to continue to develop in with the project.

I am still very interested in experimenting with pant based developers and on this hike, I started to consider how I could use plants I find from my hikes, that will not disrupt or take away from the environment… something to think about more as this project continues.

Figure 2 : Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Figure 3: Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Figure 4: Sky Pond Rocky Mountain National Park, 2020 Stevi McNeill

Final Major Project // Wildlands Restoration Volunteer Work //

August 09, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

For the past couple of weeks, I have been reflecting on why I am so interested in focusing on the land. Looking back at my personal work and volunteer work, it's with and about land management and care.

As someone who has a connection and cares for our environment and people committed to helping better our world. I want to create work that inspires kindness not only for our planted but for each other, and this project is a small reflection of that along with processing and discovering my life here in the US and how I want to tell these stories as a photographer.

Figure 8: Mt Elbert Trail maintenance, 2018 Stevi McNeill

Figure 1: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Figure 6: Mt Elbert Trail maintenance, 2018 Stevi McNeill

Figure 7: Mt Elbert Trail maintenance, 2018 Stevi McNeill

Figure 2: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Figure 3: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Figure 5: Breckenridge buck and rail fence construction, 2017 Stevi McNeill

Final Major Project // Project Development // Still Life

August 03, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

I started delving into still life during my last module, Informing Contexts and wanted to continue into this one. I have been collecting objects I find while on my hikes were I am making most of my images. I have also gathered scrapped stone from a landscaping company in boulder. At first, I was not as excited about these results as I was for the ones I did in the greenhouse a few months ago while I was in the UK, and was not sure if this was something I wanted to continue. However, over the past few days, they have grown on me and will be exploring new ideas here and there when I get more objects to add into the mix.

I have not been using film for these, yet as I wanted to become a little more familiar with what I am doing with this series…though I think in the next few weeks I will try a few setups on 35mm and 120.

Figure 1: Stone & Brush, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 2: Stone & Brush, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 3: Stone & Brush, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 4: Stone, Brush & Glo Coat, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 5: Stone, Brush & Glo Coat, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 6: Stone, Brush, Bullet, Stone, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Figure 7: Stone, Brush, Bullet, Stone, Jamestown, CO, Stevi McNeill 2020

Final Major Project // Project Development // Plant Based Developer // Take one.

August 03, 2020 in Falmouth MA Photography, Project Development, Contextual research

Figure 1: American Lake WA D7, 2011. Brandt, M., 2020. Works • Lakes And Reservoirs

At my last meeting with Wendy, I mentioned my interest in looking into alternative film developing processes, and she mentioned Matthew Brandt. His project Rivers and Lakes where he takes a photograph at a lake or river then he takes some of the water back with him to then soak his chromogenic print in the water.

He states;

Representation has always had this subject/object dilemma. It is usually when photography becomes standardized that the veil becomes invisible, and a more direct link to the subject is established…but this notion doesn’t really appeal to me so much. I am really trying to make the veil of photography a little more opaque. - Matthew Brandt

As a photographer, who has always wanted a clear connection between image and viewer so they get the best representation of person or place as I can give, I find this statement interesting. He is masking his images/ subjects to create this very surreal abstract images that take on a life of their own, but I also think that because he is using the water from these lakes and reservoirs, I feel that he is creating an accurate representation of these places, even though the images he has made have been distorted.

Figure 2: Crackling Lake WY 5. Brandt, M., 2020. Works • Lakes And Reservoirs

Though I am not after an abstract aesthetic in my work, I am interested in using organic material from locations I am documenting, so I have considered looking into plant-based developers.

Figure 3 : Kale and Reddish leaf developer. Stevi McNeill 2020

I have wanted to experiment with plant-based developers for a while, so for my first batch, I made, Kale and Reddish leaf developer, as it was on hand and wanted to see if this was going to be a reasonable addition to my project.

recipe:

700ml of tap water
2 handfuls of chopped Kale and Radish leaves each.
Boiled water let steep for 12hrs
1/4 cup Washing soda
5g Vitamin C

Pre soaked film for 1 min
Dev time 12 min
Fix time 7 min

The film was way underdeveloped, so I think with the next roll I will double, possibly triple my developing time, hopefully getting some positive results.

Figure 4 : 35mm film developed Kale and Reddish leaf developer. Stevi McNeill 2020.

I have also come across other organic developers via Dagie Brundert that I want to try and compare over the next few weeks.

Rosemary
Boil 2 little twigs fresh rosemary in water for about 10 mins, steep 1/2 hour)
10 g vitamin C
50 g soda – 22°, 40 min

Beer
500 ml beer
12 g vitamin C
50 g soda – 30°, 15 min
(I tried: Budweiser, Old Speckled Hen, Guinness, Stauder, Oldenburger OLs)

Black Tea
500 ml black tea (strong, 7 ts, steep 15 min)
8 g vitamin C
45 g soda – 22-23°, 30 min

References:

Brandt, M., 2020. Works • Lakes And Reservoirs — Matthew Brandt. [online] Matthew Brandt. Available at: <https://matthewbrandt.com/lakesandreservoirs> [Accessed 1 August 2020].

Museum, G., 2015. [online] YouTube. Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVOqkkxksWE> [Accessed 1 August 2020].

2015. [online] Available at: <https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/english-camp.htm> [Accessed 12 July 2020].

Final Major Project // Project Development // Washington

July 09, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

Figure 1 : English Camp, Friday Harbor, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020.

The week that I was in Washington I able to spend a day on Friday Island and explore parts of the English Camp which Great Britain occupied in 1859. The US also had a camp at the other end of the island. Both counties had an agreement to occupy the island until the water boundary between the two nations could be settled.

Figure 2 : English Camp, Friday Harbor, 1860 National Park Photo.

The marines that settled on the island quickly cleared and built a commissary, Barracks, cooking houses and other vital structures as well as a garden, ( which is still there). By 1867 the camp got a major overhaul and has not changed much since then.

"We may remark here that the neatness, cleanliness and good order observable throughout the entire camp were the subject of general observation." - A visitor to the camp in 1866 - Nantianl park website, 2015

The marines left in 1872 after the Treaty of Washington were the island was declared as an American territory. In 1876 the camp was homesteaded by William Crook, a farmer and carpenter and added little to the property. The wood family owned until the 1950s when the state bought the land and in 1966 turned both the British camp and American camp into a national park.

What interested me about this area was the fact that there has been little done to the land and its buildings since the 1800s. The garden and the formal garden are well kept and the buildings are in almost pristine condition. Due to COVID we were not allowed to enter the buildings, but there was enough space to wander most of the camp and image the life lived my the marines when the camp was first built.

Figure 3 : The Block House, English Camp, Friday Harbor, Stevi McNeill WA 2020.

Figure 4: Lime Kiln Lighthouse, Whale watching, Friday Harbor, Stevi McNeill WA 2020.

I also made a stop at the Lime Kiln functioning Lighthouse that was built in 1914, which is on a 36-acre day-use park where people gather to whale watch.

Figure 5: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

During this week, I spent time on about 20 acres on private land. Since I was staying here, I had a lot of time to wander the property and discover how it was used and what for. Compared to the English Camp, it was not that much different... It has formal garden and vegetable gardens, grass has been cleared to make pathways, trees removed and wood used to burn, waterways used for pleasure and maintain the land.

We have not made many changes the way we homestead and use the land for our survival and comfort.

While on this trip, I was also shooting on medium format, and black a white compared to 35mm colour that I have mostly been working with this past year. Overall I think I am getting more comfortable and excited to branch out beyond 35mm. The results and details that come from shooting this format is allowing my work to been seen in a broader sense and allow the images to a little more talking for themselves.

Figure 6: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 7: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 8: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 9: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

Figure 10: Sedro-Woolley, Stevi McNeill, WA 2020

References:

NP - 2015. [online] Available at: <https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/english-camp.htm> [Accessed 9 July 2020].

Final Major Project // Project Proposal

June 29, 2020 in Final Major Project, Contextual research, Project Development

A link to my Proposal for my Final Major Project. Stevi McNeill Final Major Project Proposal.

Final Major Project // Project Development // Utah

June 29, 2020 in Final Major Project, Project Development

This week I spent four days just outside of Moab Utah camping in dispersed campsites. I am always in awe when in such places. The environment can be very harsh and sparse; the beauty and scale of the land are breathtaking and vast. I could have spent a lot of time focusing on the vast landscape around me, but on this trip, I wanted to focus on the small details, like how people mark the Jeep roads (figure 3) and how small amounts of the land are used when camping, such as campfires and tent placement and people set up a temporary place to live in, even if it is for a few days.

On this trip, I also wanted to experiment more with 35mm and black and white. As I was not making the grand landscape my main priority, I felt that 35mm would be the most straightforward format for this, as well as allowing to get a feel and understanding for how I want to approach my project overall.

The questions I wanted to explore where;

Do I want to create images that are more intimate in such a vast and beautiful area rather landscape images portraying the grand landscape?
Will I be able to convey the beauty of these places still?
Will I be able to show how the land is used, show the marks and traces of people?
What will this look like on 35mm film, should I consider using a different format?
Should I include more black and white images in my work overall?

Figure 2: view from our first campsite. / Figure 3: Jeep road marked with rocks / Figure 4: Jeep road / Figure 5: Campfire.

Answers:

1/2. Yes, I enjoyed paying attention to my immediate surroundings, and I felt I was able to represent the beautiful landscape, just as well.

3. I was able to show how people used the land, especially in areas that have structures built near campsites (figures 8 and 9) as well as campsites, where people have left a lot behind (figures 6 and 7). However, I feel I need to figure out how to represent more subtle marks that are found, such as areas flattened tents and trials used to explore.

4. I think for the first exploration 35mm was the right choice. It helped me explore freely and more compared to using 120 or a larger format. I was also able to start to understand how to approach these spaces and how to photograph them, and seeing the results I do think that larger formats will convey my intentions more directly and will have more of an impact. So moving forward, I will start to experiment with 120, and 4x5 images on areas that I know will benefit from these formats. I will also continue to use 35mm throughout the project.

5.I am very pleased with the black and white images. I think its helping move more towards the aesthetic I want. I also believe that mixing colour, along with black and white images, will also advance the overall aesthetic of my project, something I wish to experiment within the coming weeks. I did take two rolls of colour film with me, but when I came to develop them, I had a light leak in my changing bag all those photos were lost.

Other thoughts:

I am Not super happy with the scan quality of the images and will try and figure out a different method moving forward.

Since I started my MA I have named my project High Desert as I was focusing on areas in the high desert; however, as I enter my final module, I realize that my project is more about land use and people, in more areas than just the high desert. So moving forward I will be using the working tile Common Grond.

Overall I am happy with the results from this trip and excited to apply what I have learnt from it to work moving forward.

Figure 6: found campsite / Figure 7: Swing bench at found campsite

Figure 8: Public bathrooms near the second campsite. / Figure 9: Public bathrooms near the second campsite. / Figure 10: Petroglyphs opposite second campsite. / Figure 11: Tent spot.