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The day before yesterday I finally sent Assignment Five to my tutor, and to say I’m worried about it is an understatement. I like what I did, and I really enjoyed doing it, but I don’t know whether it will appeal to other people, or is even what the assessors are looking for in terms of the final assignment.
So…..now the nervous wait begins for another two weeks or so, and this is the part I like the least. Still, at least I have plenty to be getting on with in the meantime, having a load of books that I haven’t blogged yet, and thinking about how to present it all for assessment.
In this post you’ll find the assignment itself, but the layout has obviously been changed a little to the PDF that went to my tutor. I’ve put the page breaks in below just as a guide.
I also sent a Companion to Assignment 5 to my tutor which included camera settings, and a general report on how I found doing the assignment; challenges, any extra background info, my thoughts and reasons for doing something or not etc. This companion will be in the next post, so I won’t write anything else here as you can probably find it there.
Below is the assignment, beginning with the cover image which was full page in the original assignment:
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Japan, a country which treasures its past, is facing a dilemma; whether to embrace a technological future, or to try and preserve its unique history and culture.
The shinkansen (Bullet train) is symbolic of how Japan is being forced to adapt to the much faster pace of modern life.
Centuries old traditions like the green tea ceremony are being replaced by faster and more convenient ways of living; kaiten sushi being one example of how the once important ceremony has been taken out of meal times:
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(Kaiten sushi (rotary sushi)
(A green tea ceremony in progress)
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Keeping at the forefront of the technological race may be having a detrimental effect on traditional learning activities such as the soroban, (abacus- pictured above), and shodo, (Japanese calligraphy – pictured left) as smartphones, tablets, and computers are all being offered at discount prices at electronic superstores such as Yamada Denki, pictured below. People of all generations may be relying so much on computers that they could forget how to write kanji.
———————————————————————Schools and universities are trying to reignite interest in cultural hobbies such as shodo, soroban, the Japanese board game Igo, and Taiko drumming (both pictured below), by creating clubs for students to join.
However, more and more people are taking to more modern pursuits such as pachinko and karaoke to fill their free time:
(A karaoke venue in Kumamoto’s entertainment district)
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(Above- pachinko has now become one of Japan’s most popular pastimes.)
Considering the rate at which modern life progresses, is it possible for Japan to maintain its ancient traditions, but also remain a leader in regards to modern industry and technology? Can it protect its own unique culture and identity, but also adapt to modernization?
At the moment, Japan is a country torn between two different paths; I wonder which one it will take?
You’ve chosen some excellent contrasts here Barry and it’s almost like an introduction to a book about this dilemma that Japan is going through. There is so much here to build upon as you go into People & Place. I also like the way you’ve incorporated previous learning in terms of lines, angles, shapes and colour. A great way to complete TAOP.
Thanks Catherine,
I’m glad you mentioned about it being like the introduction to a book, as that was kind of what I was going for. An introduction to a much larger piece of work.
I agree that this idea can also be carried over into People and Place, and that also was part of my thinking, as was trying to include previous learning from TAOP.
I was very nervous posting it though, and almost didn’t this time as I was worried about the response to it.
Never worry about the response—it is all part of the learning curve—be it positive or negative. You’ve stated very clearly what you want to achieve—the response will show whether or not you did—and how it can be expanded upon for P&P. Well done on getting it finished!
Thanks very much, Vicki.
My intention from the beginning has been to find something that I can continue through the modules. I may change my mind a a later date, but this is something that I can keep working on.
Bari-san, it’s been too long. Just popped over to see how you’re getting on only to find you’ve completed Assignment 5. Congratulations! Looking at your photos takes me back. I’ll be in Japan this summer, but probably only in Kansai.
As for your images, what strikes me most is the lack of unity. The text helps pull it together a bit, but just looking at the photos I don’t see them coming together, either thematically or stylistically.
How did you decide on vignette? I thought at first it was used for images of traditional Japan, but this doesn’t seem to be the case with go or taiko.
How can anyone not from Japan or not reading Japanese know that the building in the photo is a karaoke bar or a pachinko parlor? These two exterior night photos seem odd in relation to the rest of the set, especially paired with the closeups of sushi, go, and the soroban. Why not photos of people playing pachinko, or singing?
Do you have a set of outtakes from this series that you can share with us? My tutor suggested a useful exercise is to post and discuss images you thought didn’t quite make it. (Unfortunately, I haven’t yet gotten around to doing this myself, but it sure sounds like a good idea.)
All the best,
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for the comments – I read and reread them and, with hindsight as regards the assignment, agree with them.
I think I went the wrong way about this assignment, perhaps using too wide a topic instead of breaking it down into more manageable chunks and working on it that way. If only I’d read ‘On being a photographer’ by David Hurn and Bill Jay before attempting the assignment, I would probably have gone about it in different way.
I was worried from the start that it may be too big for me at this stage, especially when work and family are commitments are taken into account, but my tutor encouraged he to go ahead with it, (although he too would have preferred me to have broken it down and used perhaps more sensitive issues and not so stereotypical).
Anyway, my thinking throughout the whole assignment was that it was an introduction to a larger body of work. An overview to a piece of work where the elements can be broken down and focused on individually in more detail.
That was how I approached it, and my tutor agreed, when that’s taken into account, it serves its purpose reasonably successfully.
Still, with hindsight, perhaps I should have gone with a simpler theme, and not taken the risks I did. I’ve taken a few risks during TAOP, and while most have paid off, this one didn’t so much.
Also, I think not coming from any kind of artistic background at all hindered me here. In regards to that though, from doing this assignment the way I did, and from my tutor feedback and other people’s comments whether on the blog on in e-mails , I now know where I went wrong, can understand why people have said what they did, and can hopefully apply it next time.
For assessment, I’ve already done some reworking including changing the cover image, and improving the layout, and that will sent as amendments with the rest of it.
As for the vignetting, I processed the images as individual images to create the look I wanted for each one. That was perhaps another places where I should have focused on keeping it in a theme. You live and learn!
If you can make it down here the summer, let me know!
I understand the choices that are often necessary when juggling a course, family, and work. Image foolish me – I am working on two degree programs simultaneously! Sometimes I want to do more, explore here, redo this, or touch up that, but also realize there are several other things that need my attention and that at some point I just have to let go and see how it flies. The important thing, I suppose, is to remain open to falling and seeing what you can learn from it. Where do you go now? Are you continuing on the photography degree?
I’m hoping to get TAOP finished before summer. I’m working now on Assignment 3, Color. I’ve got a draft selection of images up at the link below, if you’d care to have a look. Comments would be most welcome. I’m looking for ideas on which images might be stronger or weaker, those to include or exclude. I’ve got 38 images up and need to whittle down to 16. Anyone else reading who’d like to have offer a few comments, you are most welcome. The images come from Dubai Mall and the assignment is demonstrating color relationships.
http://norealities.blogspot.com/2013/02/color-assignment-draft.html
Cheers.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
I’ve had a look at your colour images and there are some really good ones. I especially like some of the blue and orange combinations. I added a general comment as I have a lesson in a minute and am a bit pushed for time, but will go back and have a closer look later.
I’ve already started P&P, see http:bmhanapeopleandplace.wordpress.com
and am enjoying it. As with you, time is limited, (I don’t know how you do 2 degree courses!!), so it’s slow going, but I’m working on it gradually.
As always, thanks for your input!
Barry