Our display day had finally arrived. I prepared my prints (the majority of them in A4 sizes) despite the fact that I wasn’t sure how much space I would have for my exhibition. But, I soon discovered my prints were unsuitable. The project’s overarching goal was to honour them. The primary goal of the initiative was lost in the fine print. I didn’t have the correct prints with me and it was 12 o’clock. I hurried over to the photography workshop to redo each print. Because the DMW was still not functioning and I didn’t have enough time to experiment, I could only go as high as A2.

Test prints weren’t something I had time to do. I had to print 9 fresh A2 prints, which was the second surprise. I didn’t anticipate that this would cost about 54 pounds. I had to draw from my savings to earn some cash for the prints. After I had finished downsizing my photos, I proceeded to get them printed. Nevertheless, the workshop staff have already left for lunch. To get my prints completed, I had to wait until 2 PM. At about 3 PM, after the majority of them had finished hanging it, I arrived with my prints.

At six o’clock in the evening, I had finished hanging all of my work.

My time in London has been a rollercoaster over the past 10 months filled with highs and lows, largely shaped by the amazing people I’ve met. While challenging at times, I’m grateful for the experiences that helped me grow. Living in various places pushed me outside my comfort zone and motivated me to take on more work.

As I prepare to return to India, I’m eager to pursue a photography project back home in Chennai, my hometown. I want to spotlight workers to reveal the harsh conditions many face there, contrasting them with my prior London photos. Capturing their realities, especially in the sweltering summer heat, will be difficult but rewarding. Using off-camera flash will help capture compelling images to share.

Before beginning this project, I look forward to attending my sister’s wedding in August. It will be a joyful homecoming with family and friends. This next chapter brings excitement for creating impactful art and reconnecting with my roots.

I received an email from Sean indicating that the National Film Awards Association is inviting all student photographers from Kingston and LCC to capture moments at their 2023 Awards event at Porchester Hall.

I have a compelling story related to Porchester Hall. In December 2022, I was facing financial challenges, working as a waiter for an event company. My first assignment was at Porchester Hall, and at that time, I felt lost about my life direction. Despite having worked as a photographer for over 5 years, I was disheartened, feeling like I had failed as an artist.

Fast forward six months, I returned to the same venue as their photographer, capturing striking images of celebrities from Netflix TV shows like “The Queen Charlotte Bridgerton Story” and “You,” as well as other artists like Dizzie Rascal, Sean Cronin, and more. The photos I took were shared by numerous celebrities on their Instagram, bringing me immense joy to see them receiving appreciation.

The exhibition exceeded my expectations. We had a great turnout, and it was fulfilling to finally present something I had been working on for months. The audience responded positively to the pictures, successfully highlighting the project’s purpose by showcasing the workers’ hard work.

I proposed the idea of displaying my project across four campuses of our university to Mr. Shane O’Sullivan, the Head of the Department of Film and Photography. This proposal will be discussed in a meeting with other officials, and I am optimistic about the outcome, especially with Sean’s assistance.

Sue Rhodes, a stranger I met upon arriving in London, attended the exhibition with her 90-year-old mother. It was a heartwarming moment for me, and Sue turned out to be incredibly sweet. Meeting her was a highlight of the event.

I want to express my gratitude for the support I received from my fellow classmates and my partner Elliot throughout the exhibition. With their help, the event concluded successfully.

Now, it’s time to embark on new creative endeavours. Let’s get started! Also, the boys came to give my exhibition a happy ending!

I informed my mother that I would be making the last prints for my Monday Show this week. She instantly began criticizing me for being irresponsible and waiting until the very last minute. I handled this with calm. On Thursday, I was going to make my last set of prints. Because of the crop, I had to make some adjustments to the Photoshop files. So, by Wednesday, I had finished my last table edit. I had planned to finish the prints from the Digital Media Workshop by Thursday. The strike news appeared out of nowhere when I arrived at the university. Due to a strike by DMW employees, I was unable to get my prints done. I am unable to print outdoors due to financial constraints. Afterwards, I discovered I could order some prints from Photography Workshop as a backup. The restriction was that at the DMW, you could print up to A0, whereas the most printable size was A2. After that, though, Bruce and Will from the Photography Workshop were gracious enough to assist us in receiving our prints on schedule.

To give the image greater depth and contrast, I used semi-gloss paper. Also, it enhances the colour, which helped my work. To have some flexibility while displaying, I made some prints in various sizes and some backup prints as well. Surprisingly, the backup prints are the ones that will go on the wall

I’ve learned that the project title is crucial from some of the exhibitions I’ve visited. Consider visiting an exhibition where many different artists’ works are on display. Even if you don’t have time to read the project description, at least the title will give you a general idea of the project’s nature. Thus, I suppose it’s crucial to have a catchy title.

Someone proposed that “Invincible Workers” may be an excellent title during our class discussion. At first, I really liked it, but later, I thought it didn’t support the concept of my project. The goal of the entire project was to honour the employees and the kind of work they do. The phrase “invincible” thus gave off an offensive feeling. I was seeking alternative, possibly superior, titles. I went by a lot of titles, but I was never ever driven by anything. Afterwards, I chose “SPOTLIGHT,”.

In two weeks, the interim show will air, and I’ve nearly finished editing. I only need to take one more group photo. We made some cheap library prints for an exhibition. Some people said my art would appear better if it were slightly cropped. Afterwards, I thought it would be more coherent to crop all of the photographs into squares. This kind of cropping encourages viewers to focus more intently than in other ways. As I enjoy environmental photography, I didn’t initially think of using a square crop. Yet with this crop, I was able to save some of the atmospheres.

I intended to display every worker’s portrait in the exhibition. I thought it would be unfair to exclude anyone because I had expected the attendance of every worker. I created some mock-up arrangements for the exhibition using the app Miro. I experimented with sequencing it in several ways to see which worked best. I also needed to consider the space that would be assigned to me. The best advice I can provide is to always have a couple templates on hand because you never know how the day will go.

When a stranger approached me and said, “Do you believe in miracles?” I very likely would have responded negatively. Then, later, something in your life causes you to want to doubt all you had previously believed. For me, that day was March 7. I had recently shown 4 images in class when I gave the presentation on March 6. On the day of the exhibition, I intended to display, at the very least, ten images. I was worried. When I chatted with Luke at KUSCO, he invited me to meet his co-workers the following day. I had the chance to meet many of his buddies when I visited there. I brought the prints of the earlier photographs I had taken with Luke. I believed that doing this would make it simpler for me to encourage others. And so, it was. On that day, I created about 7 pictures with 7 different workers. Even better, I got to meet Sandra, the cleaning department supervisor, who introduced me to a few of her co-workers. In addition, she allowed me access to private areas so I could diversify the project. That day, I photographed the majority of my project. I would not be where I am today if I had given up hope on March 6. Thus, have faith in the procedure and do your best. You’ll be blessed with luck and a miracle.

In order to display her piece “Anamnesis Unbroken (Au)” at the Espacio Gallery, artist Laura Noble needed some help. I had the chance to go assist her at her show and also to get her insightful comments on my portfolio and the project I’m currently working on.

The job that Laura did really impressed me. The primary concept was to depict a traumatic event from your life in a picture, crush it, and then destroy it. She added that when the world was in lockdown, she was working on this project. She later turned it into a piece of art. She even worked with a group of schoolchildren, encouraging them to illustrate their darkest experiences. She captured this procedure on film and displayed it in a projection on the gallery wall. I never would have thought that horrific experiences could be transformed into such vibrant works of art.

I knew it will be challenging to convince individuals to participate in your project given my prior experience working on portrait projects. especially if you are interacting with strangers at work. I ultimately found it to be very challenging to convince them to support my proposal. The persuasion process took more time than expected.

About the shooting itself, I was eager to use an off-camera flash system for this assignment. I believed that this would help my photos stand out from the competition. I also enjoyed experimenting with light. It allows you a great deal of control over the environment and the narrative you want to tell. Taking into account the weather at this time of year is an additional reason. You don’t get much sun, do you? I had to travel every day with my lighting system. This limits me because I’m unable to take unplanned photos. I had to organize the shot beforehand.

They are at work all day long. They can’t be made to appear and pose for me when they are at work. They typically work eight-hour shifts. I had to travel at various times to meet various people as a result. I sometimes have to get to the university around six in the morning. Photography is quite easy. 10% of it is skill, 90% of it is being on spot. I believe that for one to show up every day, you need to have the drive and the inspiration.