Evaluation

Throughout the summer I had to overcome a variety of things, a lack of confidence, motivation and nerves. After enduring one of (if not the most!) stressful years in education, I was relieved to have the time off and relax. Once university was over for the year, I was scheduled to do full time hours at work from May to July; I found it hard to juggle both work and blogging every week. However, once I discovered people were actually posting on their blogs every week, it gave me the motivation I needed to focus on my work. Most of the shoots I undertook were just for fun but I behaved in a professional manner by taking it seriously to give me a taste of life after university.

One of the things I learnt this summer was that you have to start somewhere, so I decided to hit the ground running and put myself out there by organising shoots. To be completely honest I wasn't too bothered about the money I made from the shoots because I was determined to prove to myself that I can take professional photographs; I just need to believe in myself more. It was only recently that I discovered how much confidence I truly lacked in my own ability as a Photographer. However, once the word got around I found myself being contacted by multiple people asking for photographs. These shoots gave me the experience I needed to help me lose the unnecessary nerves.

Another contributing factor that helped me gain confidence was receiving a 1:1 on results day. It made me realise that although I may lack years of experience compared to other students, my hard work and determination paid off. This really motivated me throughout the summer, as well as motivating me for the upcoming year too.

The highlight of my summer was definitely being given the opportunity to be involved in the London Fashion Weekend. During my time there I went through a mixture of emotions (from being a bag of nerves to excited to get going). Thankfully once the show started I was in the zone, relaxed and managed to get some good photos. I am proud of what I managed to achieve over the course of the day. I hope in the very near future I get an opportunity like this again. I love the fashion side of photography and I believe London Fashion Weekend was a real eye opener for me.

Although I already learnt this, picking models is key! It became apparent to me that people volunteer to help but do have a tendency to let you down at the last minute. The main disappointment during the summer was my perfume advertisement idea because my model kept asking to take a rain check. This surprised me considering she was reliable for one of my previous shoots earlier this year. So I soon discovered the joys of being a photographer and how irritating and time consuming it is when cancellations occur. At the end of the day, I have learnt to take it on the chin and know not to bother with certain people again. Next time, I will put more time into creating more shoots for those who will be more reliable and worthwhile.

Next time, I think I will take on less work and try and concentrate on getting myself out there and organising photo shoots. Personally, I believe the most experience I gain, the better photographer I will become. Additionally, I think I will try and keep blogging on a weekly basis, as I believe it is a good habit to get into and another way to gain more interest in my work.

On the whole, I think it has been a rather productive and successful summer. At first I was worried that I hadn't really got much to show for my work. However, as the months have gone by, I got more determined to organise a variety of different shoots. The opportunities that have arisen have truly helped in giving me the confidence boost I needed. Although the majority of them have been for friends or people I know, I still think the experience has improved my confidence grow dramatically throughout the summer, which I shall now bring to my next year of university.