Business Card Magnets

I began working in Pages but found the formatting on the images and text boxes really constricting- as well as annoying. I have now moved into a more appropriate program (Photoshop) and it's going much better.

I didn't anticipate the different aspects of designing the cards and how time consuming it really is. The smallest detail matters. I've decided to fit 18 images per page (A4) which does mean the cards will be small, but is more economically viable.

I m currently exploring the positioning of text, whether its all horizontal, vertical or even diagonal. I was unhappy with my previous attempt and felt that the font, colour and size of text was all wrong. I found that by just taking the hyperlink off of the text how much more professional it looked. I have decided to use 'Hoefler Text' font because I like the 'W' and felt that it stood out. As all my images are different I felt that I should keep the text the same throughout in order to keep some consistency.

I have been researching how professional artists/ photographers have done their business cards and came across this really interesting site:
http://content.photojojo.com/tips/12-awesome-photography-business-card-ideas/

Some test sheets that I wanted to try out first. The second image is the most recent with a few changes to the images which I felt were the weakest.

Webshite

In making the business cards I realised that my email address was inappropriate, and felt that using my student email wouldn't be that much better either, so instead of chosing to make a new email account, I bought myself a web domain name and hosting.

In hindsight I didn't quite anticipate how difficult it would actually be to build my own website.

I played around in different website building software such as iWeb and also looked at Wix but felt that I was limited to what I could do and found that the layouts had already been pretty much finished.

I've decided to make a go of it in Adobe Dreamweaver but finiding it incredibly difficult and am constantly referring to tutorials on youtube and other sites. Ive at last managed to get it off of the holding page, but the issue seems to be that I want a image as the background, and due to different screen sizes it affects the size of the image, so its constantly changing. This is something I need to look at and maybe have to look into another way of doing it.

More coming soon on www.lucywestall.com

Business Card Magnets

In preperation for the exhibition I began thinking about ways to try and engage the public, to gain connections and how to publisise myself further. The obvious option was to create business cards which could be distributed during the running of the exhibition. I began thinking about how I could make this card different and appealing and decided to print the card onto magnetic photo paper, in the hope that instead of being discarded or thrown in a drawer somewhere, people may decide to display this card on their fridge or someother magnetic surface.

I now need to decide what image will be printed on the card. I have played around with the idea of using a variety of my photographic work. I hope this will turn the conventionally mundane card into something desirable, even collectable.

Initially I felt that by using one strong image would have more impact, for example just using the 'Through the Window' image due to its repetition in the exhibition, therefore building up an awareness to the public who I am and what my work is. I now feel the use of different imagery would utilise a great opportunity to show more work in a subtle and effective way- I hope.

Internation 3

From A4- A0

As previously mentioned, I went on to explore the scale of the image. I had preconceptions that the image wouldn't work on a larger scale, but once it was printed, it was clear to me that thankfully I was wrong. The vast amount of black in the image creates drama and atmosphere.

I then went on to experiment with the framing. A few weeks ago, I found an old window frame quite by accident in a skip. I wondered whether this frame might work well the image? I really liked the combination of the frame and the image together, although it means that a lot of the black in the image would have to be cut off, thus perhaps losing some of its atmospheric feel.

Something I intend to explore, is the idea of mounting the A0 image, and then suspending the window frame to focus on the central column. I am aware however, that this may cause various issues, such as being able to hang it, as well as the health and safety implications it may have.

Group Critique- 10th February

In the critique, it was discussed that I should look into what it was I wanted to present in the gallery space, (i.e) the darkroom developments or the window series showing the same image repeated, but presented differently.

I found myself torn between the two, as far as the imagery went, there wasn't much correlation and I didn't want it to turn into just a bundle of works.

I then went on to present the thesis that maybe they could work together? One of my favourite darkroom experiments (the landscape which I created through 'negative joinery') has a repetition and a frame theme running through it which relates back to the window series. I think that by presenting a combination of these works together, it will now portray quite an interesting idea.

From here, I want to explore the idea of scale of the negative image, in the hope that as a larger scaled image, the impact of the black may become more atmospheric and moody. One of the things I fear may be lost by translating the image on to a larger scale is that the image is representational of the size of the actual negative, something that is not usually developed and is delicate.

Individual Tutorial- 27th Jan

During the tutorial, it was discussed that I should look into different ways in which to present my ideas.

I decided to explore the idea of combining my imagery with found objects which relate to the image, and encourage the viewer to understand what the image is representing. I really like the idea of combining something 2D with reality and a physical object. For example, I'm thinking of presenting my photograph of the scattered shoes on the staircase with rugs / prayer mats to further emphasise the religious significance of the image and to help explain this to the viewer.

Another aspect of presentation to consider is the name of the image. Do I use something descriptive to help guide the viewer to understand the image, or do I throw the viewer off course? This is something I feel I need to consider over time, and even test out different names amongst my peers to see which works best.

The tutorial was also a chance for me to show my darkroom experiments and to receive critical feedback. Due to technical limitations and time constraints, it wouldn't be viable for me to continue working with manual photography. A way around this would be to experiment digitally and work in programs such as 'Photoshop' where these effects could be achieved and manipulated, although I am more interested in the romance of manually photography, its processes and its spontaneous effects and accidents. Since there is such a vast amount of experiments, it was suggested that I should look at editing them down, and selecting the images I found most interesting for the group critique.