Evaluation of materials and processes

After experimenting with different styles of photography using film and digital, I conclude the following; 


Digital 
Although a digital camera produces satisfactory images, I feel the photographs produced can sometimes look too clinical, this is something I feel is not suitable for my documentary photographs. I prefer the softer, subtler tones that are produced on film. 

Film
After producing images that look at the life of a single mum (see sketch book), I found that black and white images verses colour can alter the perception of the personality with whom you are documenting. I found that the black and white images gave a false representation of Kim (the single mum). What added to this was the lack of light I had to work with inside the house. I understand that lack of light will produce darker images, even in colour, and I am not suggesting that black and white images produce a negative narrative when describing a persons life, but I did feel her personality and outlook on life would have been documented more accurately if she was photographed in colour. 

Other considerations when using film is the processing time in the time scale given for the final task. I would also need to scan and re-edit photographs to remove dust etc. This is all time demanding, at this stage I feel I do not have the ability to work quickly in the dark room, a skill I will hopefully develop in time.

Polaroid on Hasselblad
Currently my favorable and preferred method of photography. Unfortunately Polaroid is very expensive film and I can not finance this at this time. 

There is a possibility of using a Hasselblad camera with a digital back. This means I will still be able achieve the soft tones produced when shooting film, with the convenience of uploading the images straight to the computer as with digital. I plan to experiment with this camera over the next week and hope to use this method of capturing images in my final piece. I will make my final desion 

Other considerations for the final piece

Audio - I will be recording on my phone. I will also attempt to use an online dictation site to try and save time by having to listen to all the audio and type it all out. This may not be successful as it doesn't always understand words and interprets them incorrectly, but is worth considering when interviewing.

Recording audio in advance may be something to consider. This will give me the freedom to concentrate solely on the shoot. Listening to the audio in advance will help visualise exactly how I would like the photographs to look and make notes so I am prepared on the day. 

I predict the slide show being no more than 3-4 minutes long.I will consider producing a written photo essay to run along side the slide show. Creating a specific account On Tumblr or something similar to present the whole piece. I will print a selection of images that best reflect the feelings and personality of the person who's story is being told.