Knowledge and Understanding of the Professional and Contextual Location of my Practice

A discussion in class took place where we separated into the photographic genre we are interested in working when we leave college. I decided that I would best suit either Documentary or Fine Art because I document memories for customers by photographing their pets. In addition to this I enjoy working on personal projects where I explore current issues with the intention of raising awareness. It is important for me to understand the skills that are required to be a dog photographer and these were discussed when I was with people in my class who were also interested in documentary photography.

The skills we decided are required to be a documentary photographer was firstly to have a moral standing, because there are times when we are working on a project that could be offensive to other's.  Being culturally and ethically aware is another skill that contributes to having a moral standing. It is also important to be comfortable talking to people. This is most commonly used when your project involves gathering information on a specific place or subject. In my case I find this skill most useful when I am talking to a customer or finding out different viewpoint on an issue I am exploring. A good skill to have is being able to capture the moment and in my opinion is something you can't learn but must come naturally to you. Being familiar to the camera follows the last skill because when you see a moment you want to capture it is important to know how to use your camera fast. There's nothing worse than missing a great photograph because you didn't change the camera setting fast enough. Attention to detail is also a key skill required for a documentary photographer because this can influence how the viewer will interpret your work. Researching is another skill that is needed because this contributes to being culturally and ethically aware, having moral standing, knowing who to talk to, learning as much as possible about your subject or project and to learn skills with your camera.

Skills required within other genres:

Fine Art

• Innovation 
• Current issues
• Having a style
• Understanding other photographers
• Understanding the output's of work. E.g. materials, print and book formats.

Commercial

• Being Reliable
• Organisation skills
• Self promotion
• Professional presentation
• Problem solving
• Being punctual
• Being technically sound

Fashion

• Communication
• Ethical in work
• Reliability
• Knowledge of clothing
• Technical skills
• Organisation
• Problem solving
• Knowledge of others