During this project I had an option to photograph different artist in their environment. I have set a goal for myself to photograph young female artists with which I might be able to associate but also I would like to support them in their work and advertisement. I have contacted some people that I knew but also just addressed girls from other departments as I wanted to have variety of different professions. Here are final photographs for the magazine of artistic students but also artists out in the real world.

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“Networking is one of the most important things you can do for the success of your business as a photographer. The perks of a successful network range from learning from your peers, gaining referrals, collaborating to build portfolios, and even getting discounts on new gear.”

Networking is major in photography. There are many ways to network for example online through social media, collaborations, volunteering etc. One of the options network events for example as we had in our Ulster University in which you meet with different artists and photographers which tell you about their background or options you have as a student but also might offer you something interesting. However just putting yourself out there as a photographer and talking about work can make an impact on someone or otherwise people start remembering you as a photographer. More people know you, the bigger chance that people start spreading your name and basically advertise you to other people which might be looking for photographers.

Networking in the Belfast:

-Belfast Exposed

-Late Night Art ( first Thursday of every month)

-Events for Creatives such as Blick Studios (check their social media to keep yourself updated)

-Extracurricular activities

-Photography clubs/societies

-Exhibitions

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During our networking event I had a chance to talk and introduce myself to different artists/curators. After talking about my work Chad Alexander had mentioned to contact him later on because he was interested in my work as he works with the community a lot as well. So as a part of this module I decided to take action and contact him through his email which I found on his website https://www.chadalexander.info/.

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Another photo studio that I decided to contact are more closer to my house in the town that I live in with a hope they would need some volunteers or part-time workers where I wanted to experiment with online CVs that I have created during this module and see if they are successful.  

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My last photoshoot is with fine art student Fatima Hussain in the ulster university where she studies and specialises on realistic family background portraiture. This time the photoshoot with Fatima was very different to others in which I knew before hand what to expect as I visited artist’s environment/ studios before the actual photoshoot where this time the artist was very busy and students’ studios are normally locked up so I had to arrive at certain time and improvise. As I wasn’t sure what to expect I brought more technical equipment with me than I would normally do to be prepared for any occasion or needs. The studio was quite busy, but Fatima’s space was quite large, and she had a lot of final pieces to show of with which we were able to full fill the backwall behind her and show of the type of work she does. Overall, I believe that the outcome is more than successful as Fatima is beautiful young artist that worked in modelling so the photoshoot was very smooth and professional. Now I know how to control the lighting so everything was about testing the pest angles and positions but the studio has a lot of fine art equipment through which I could play with framing the photographs.

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“What is LinkedIn and how does it work?LinkedIn is a social media platform geared to professionals. It enables you to network and to build your professional portfolio, but you can also go out into the world and look for a new job. … It is also used by employers and recruiters who are looking for job candidates“

“What is the purpose of LinkedIn?That’s because LinkedIn is a professional social media network, where users create profiles highlighting current and prior work experience. You can upload resumes, connect with colleagues and classmates and build a network that can help you advance in your career”

As a part of promoting myself but also finding job opportunities I have created a LinkedIn profile which will notify me all job opportunities in my location and profession.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/adela-puterkova-5b33a6198/ (My profile)

LinkedIn is very straight and forward app that is really good for networking and making connections with people. In my eyes I see Linked in as an online CV with education and work experience. The only unusual thing that was needed was video CV which was harder to do that I would expect.

Another online gallery that I have created in www.nehance.net where I posted collages of several projects that I worked on through school but also personal projects but also experimentations with portraiture. Here is my profile on behance website: https://www.behance.net/adelaputerkova Having online gallery is another way to create a thread in networking but also it’s good to have portfolio easily accessible to be able to present yourself as a photographer in any occasion.

Therefore I decided to make another online CV which is in video form that I posted on https://vimeo.com/377172942 that is another good and easily acceptable way of being able to communicate online or show anywhere at any stage if needed.

I have contacted another artist called Lucy Craig which specifies on textile design. Lucy is local artist from Ballymena with very specific style based mostly in vintage aesthetic and mostly her work is inspired by history and archive. From speaking to Lucy, I discovered that she loves research and discovery which is why she loves to work with archive so much. She is also a teacher but her main studio is in her family house in antic which will be very limited in space especially with flashlights I am planning to bring as the light is limited but also there are no windows and natural light.

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Before the photoshoot we have had moved some things away that I didn’t feel they wouldn’t represent her style well as her work is very vintage style and she had some frames that were very modern, and it was disturbing the photographs. Her new sewing machine we swapped with her old one that she no longer uses but it perfectly describes her style of work. We were quite limited with space because of low ceiling so that is why most of the photographs we have taken as she was sitting down. Lucy was very friendly and helpful she had a lot of materials that she works with and gave my tips for promotion and professional practice in real world.

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I chose the top four photos that in my opinion were the most successful of Lucy. The lighting was bit of a challenge because there was no space to place flashlights around the room, so I expected the light being much sharper than it turned out. The space was very cosy effective on photographs. I am well satisfied with the outcome and the quality is really good and I managed to capture some good shots. I have used once again only one flashlight and reflector which is easier to balance but also to carry it. I tried different angles and positions as all we could shoot is Lucy sitting down. Personally I like the mid shots here she is closer to camera and subtly gives the idea of the background.

“Annie Leibovitz, original name Anna-Lou Leibovitz, (born October 2, 1949, Waterbury, Connecticut, U.S.), American photographer renowned for her dramatic, quirky, and iconic portraits of a great variety of celebrities.”- https://www.britannica.com/biography/Annie-Leibovitz

Lebovitz wanted to become a painter and after a night photography class she was attracter to the camera and after a while she started with commercial world already in her student era with rolling stones and many other famous stars. Later she used to produce the best selling work and work herself to the top.

Lebovitz explained that she is never tired of going to work she loves to take photographs and adventures. She is constantly working with no stop which makes her so amazing with what she does. She explains her photobooks and projects as something to show of what she has been doing which doesn’t mean she has finished the work.

Personally looking at her other work it is so surprising how opened she is about her work and how much she shows from her personal life which nobody would actually do for example photographs of her labour, her father’s death etc. where her work and books remind me of family photo albums but I guess that just represents Leibovitz passion for her work and character. Then her work shifted and she started to work in studios, celebrities Hollywood stars , comedians, presidents queen etc. She created a lot of portfolios for Hollywood which were directed by stars with her. She explained that when you are working with people you have to understand how these people want to be presented and she said that “these are planned photo sessions  so usually subject is engaged but certainly you wouldn’t do what the subject doesn’t want” which should be pretty obvious to every person no matter if it is a photographer or not. It is important for her to create photographs that last for a time and become a part of history same as the photographs she is looking up to from the history but believes the body of work over all tied together lasts longer as individual photograph.

In the book there is a whole part of artists in their studios which caught my eye as that is ties with our brief and obviously Leibovitz has done it in whole different level with all these famous people but I founded it very inspiring which brought me many ideas.

I found it so interesting that Leibovitz says she is not interested in technical part of photography as the context in her portraits which is mind-blowing as the quality and lighting is always on point but she has been doing this for years so of course she knows technically how to reach certain quality but she isn’t trying to be a technical expert. Likes to mainly focus on content, the composition and over all the photograph. She admitted that she’s not very good studio photographer as she feels better working in a space she can observe and that means something which also helps her with the meaning she is trying to incorporate into the portrait.  It seems like she is free and open minded and moves on quickly as she said that when ever digital came up it was a time to get started and move on as that was the future with which I would have problem. But she explains that she believes that with digital there is more freedom with adjusting an playing but also brings a lot of limitation of going out of focus very easily. She explained that we know that there are adjustments done on photograph, but we have to focus on if it works or not which I agree with Because mostly portraits are staged and I don’t understand why people attack photographers for removing or adjusting photographs so it is more aesthetically pleasing if it is not a documentary anyway. She usually has contact sheets on digital and she picks them and edit them after. Some artist have their own style witch they lean through commercial work to artistic work where I feel Lebovitz work is so different in every way that sometimes I wouldn’t believe one person has created it because on one side she presents documentary raw photographs standing decide the most staged and glossy work which is mind blowing how one person can do. She explains “everything depends on the subject, I’ve been doing this for so long that it’s wonderful to have vocabulary of different ways to work ” sometimes she works on her own and sometimes in a big set so everything really depends on the situation but then she explained that she doesn’t dislike big sets but she likes to work on her own with the subject as well if possible. She says that all the work is about the light, sometimes it is the inspiration of what she will and how she will photograph taking in mind that light controls the way photograph will look. Leibovitz also mentioned that there is no such thing as natural light; she always uses a small strobe to enhance the light so photographs are sharp which she calls natural light. 

In her working process she said that she always wants to go back and re-photograph the scene for better results and most of the time she actually goes and does that as “it is a process that sometimes takes a while”. Sometimes that she returns several times it helps her to build her foundation which allows her to create all this amazing body of work.

Lecture talk witch Annie Lebovitz about her books, work, work ethic and inspirations. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6L-_88YBjrY

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Looking through Lebovitz work I can see when keeps very similar aesthetics/ style through her photographs even when set up and people are very different, I see sort of a cinematic style also very glossy and sharp. She plays around with angles but the work I have been looking at the most was from book called “Annie Lebovitz Portrait 2005-2016” which has most of her recent work on and work that is closest to our brief of photographing artists in their environment which she has done with many actors, celebrities and presidents which was a big inspiration.

“Promotion is a type of communication between the buyer and the seller. The seller tries to persuade the buyer to purchase their goods or services through promotions. It helps in making the people aware of a product, service or a company. It also helps to improve the public image of a company.”

A proven 5-step formula to market yourself as a photographer

10 Photography Marketing Ideas

10 Free Photography Marketing Ideas That Work Like Crazy

1. Google Business Pages
2. Automate your Social Media posts
3. Blog as often as you can
4. Start building an email list right away
5. Offer referral bonuses
6. Network with other professionals
7. Run a contest or a promotion
8. Have clients recruit their friends
9. Get featured on photo blogs
10. Give back to the community

I believe that today’s society spend most of their time on social media and  it is the most effective and cheapest way to promote myself as a photographer so I created Instagram account and Facebook page on which I will display/ post my work hopefully everyday to show people that I am active photographer and some work can catch future client’s eye.

• Instagram : https://www.instagram.com/adelaputerkovaphotography/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Adela-Puterkova-Photography-113118096804935/

Another way would be to associate or collaborate with other photographers, become a member of photography associations for example UUB Photography society which is in our campus. Also, I realised that this project helps me to get to know other people from art world which promote my work just by posting it on their social media same with just ordinary portraits of people that post them as their profile pictures.

Business cards, posters and flyers play a role in promotion as well. These papers can be left at reception, waiting area tables or galleries where people go around and wonder can randomly pick up my information and give me a call because my aesthetic or work I do might fit with they work that they produce.

I decided to create a template for my business cards with which I would like to go around photography studios in my town and maybe leave then in waiting areas. Another idea that came up to my mind for self- promotion is to make personal hoodies wild my logo and name on as I believe it would be good advertisement so I created how it would look.

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As I was looking through magazines to see how they write articles about different people. The specific magazine I have looked into was magazines called “Frames” which is well constructed and is based on many types of photography like fashion, interior design, architecture and a lot of others but what caught my attention was the part with environmental portraits and the article about them which is very similar to our brief of producing professional work for magazine.  It is interesting to also see what sort of photographs would be usually selected but also what is written about the bio. The photographs are not always environmental but some are taken in studio that full fill that certain person’s style. These are some of the articles that caught my eye.

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Some are shorter than other same with the number of photographs. Usually they have short description of what the person does and who has worked on it including writer and photographer then it continues with the information about the artist and sometimes they included their prizes they won at the end. Another interesting thing was called “day with” and it is basically an article based of the artist’s day based on different time laps during the day which are written very realistically by the person. Sometimes they are very humorous and light-hearted which brings viewer and personal touch.

Personal I don’t feel that my knowledge about the business is strong enough for real world out there even after my research I feel that good idea for beginners is to take a short course in business studies of princes trust where tutors teach you about the real life situations and guide you as well.

https://www.open.edu/openlearn/money-management/starting-your-small-business

-Free course

– 3 Levels

– Takes up to 31 hrs

– Teaches about

First steps in innovation and entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurial behaviour

Different types of business

Another option that I found is NRC in Ballymena that does Princes Trust course that is Part time and takes only 12weeks. The only requirement that I don’t meet is that I am still employed student where this course wants fully flexible people. I could to this after university as they say that over 70% people end up employed after this course with experience.

https://www.nrc.ac.uk/course/princes-trust-level-1-certificate-in-employment-teamwork-and-community-skil

This course provides students with the chance to:

    Be part of a team and work with others

    Do something positive for their community

    Learn how to write a CV and prepare for interviews

    Gain work experience in a chosen career area through an arranged work placement

    Make new friends and create new opportunities for themselves

    Progress to further education courses

• “The position of a student or trainee who works in an organization, sometimes without pay, in order to gain work experience or satisfy requirements for a qualification.”
• “An internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. Once confined to medical graduates, the term is now used for a wide range of placements in businesses, non-profit organizations and government agencies.”

What qualifies as an internship?

An internship is an opportunity offered by an employer to potential employees, called interns, to work at a firm for a fixed period of time. Interns are usually undergraduates or students, and most internships last between a month and three months. … An internship can be either paid or voluntary.

What is an internship, and do you get paid?

Paid internships offer students a way to gain relevant knowledge and the skills required to succeed in a specific career field while making some money through an hourly wage, weekly salary, or stipend over the course of the internship.

What is the purpose of internship?

The purpose of an internship is to provide real-world experience that enables you to put everything you’ve learned into action. An internship can help you gain skills that can be applied to future jobs. Internships may be paid or unpaid, and they tend to last about the length of a school semester or a summer break.

Is internship paid?

An internship can be paid, unpaid, or partially paid (in the form of a stipend). Internships may be part-time or full-time and are usually flexible with students’ schedules. … The intern is expected to bring ideas and knowledge from school into the company.

Closest internship company that I have found is in the London and this is their offer. I feel the description in not clear enough. But I am guessing that firstly you apply and then they give you options on different categories that suit your work and time.

Personally I like the idea of internship as I see many potentials behind such as traveling but also growing as a photographer. Obviously it really depends on what opportunities I would be given and also the brief of each project but I believe I could build my portfolio during the work on different project same as networking with other photographers or different people in art world. There are limitations of the high competition now days and also traveling on my own far away from family and friends but it is good opportunity to do while I am young and progressing in my career. Also it really reminds me school project where you are given brief and you have to invest yourself with creativity to produce art work for some institute.