Chris Cotton Art

May 8, 2020
, 3:48 pm

Forums and Functionality

The Following Reading is a requirement of the BA Degree in photography that I am doing in a module Called “Forums and Functionality”.

In a few words in this module, we have to show how we promote our selves and what tools we use as photographers, so we can be ready for the market.
Additionally, we have to present where our work has been published during this course but also if we have participated in any photography competitions.

So to start this module I will copy the brief we have to follow in terms to meet the Criteria and hopefully achieve a good grade.

Learning Outcomes Assessed in this assignment

1. Recognise and make appropriate use of opportunities available for contemporary photography, including a range of media output methodologies

2. Utilise a variety of platforms for the purpose of self-promotion and networking

3. Predict the career opportunities that could be provided by your own specialist practice

4. Critically evaluate own and others work in relation to others already working within the sector

1. Learning Outcome One

In this Learning outcome, we have to recognise and make appropriate use of opportunities available for contemporary photography, including a range of media output methodologies.

Since this course started, there have been many opportunities in my path which have helped me.

Below we can see some examples of my work, during my studies in the current course, where public figures from the music industry but also from the stand-up comedy industry used my photographs for various applications such as self-promotion and interviews in magazines.

1. Sergio Castello Lopez

Hallé Orchestra principal clarinettist

Below is one of the links where my photo has been used

https://www.thestar.co.uk/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/halle-orchestra-back-sheffield-city-hall-new-concert-season-568943

Sergio Castelló López was born in Xàtiva, Spain, in 1994. At the age of 5, he began his clarinet studies with Juan Carlos González at his hometown.
He continued his studies at Conservatorio Superior de Música Joaquín Rodrigo and Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía with professors Michel Arrignon and Enrique Pérez.
While Sergio was a student, he participated in Young musical talents competitions, where he was awarded several first prizes, and also started at that point his orchestral journey becoming part of youth orchestras like the European Union Youth Orchestra, Joven Orquesta Nacional de España,
and mainly the Gustav Mahler Jugendorkester, where he performed around Europe under the baton of Jonathan Nott, Kent Nagano and Christoph Eschenbach amongst others. Sergio has also worked as a guest player with other orchestras such as Orquesta Nacional de España, Royal Northern Sinfonia, BBC Philharmonic, and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. In 2015 Sergio left college to become principal clarinet at l’Opéra de Limoges, in France, a position that he left in 2016 to join the Hallé Orchestra as their principal clarinet.

The Halle – Sergio Castelló López on Mozart Clarinet Concerto

It was an amazing day as Sergio was very easy to work with so the whole session was a pleasure. I was really happy when he called me and said to me that he wanted to use my pictures in different venues to promote his concerts. Straight away I agreed with that as it is an honour for me that artists like Sergio Castello Lopez want to use my photographs.

On the left, we can see the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the right, we can see some backstage photographs from that day. Along with the Make up artist Julianna Ivar.

What a big surprise for me it was when I went to work at the Halle Saint’s Peter where I saw my pictures on the digital board where they advertise future concerts of the Halle Orchestra. I just grabbed my mobile phone to capture this moment.

I was even more surprised when I saw a program from the Cambridge University Orchestra for a concert where Sir Mark Elder would Conduct Sergio Castello Lopez and my picture was there too.

I made some screenshots below but you can see the whole program by clicking here.

2. Katherine Baker

(ex-principal flute of The Halle Orchestra and now principal flute of the Royal Opera House)

Below are the links where my photo has been used

1. https://allevents.in/macclesfield/northern-chamber-orchestra-with-katherine-baker-and-lucy-wakeford/1000047549383486?ref=past-event-page
2. https://www.fluteschoollondon.co.uk/kate-grace
3. https://www.evensi.uk/northern-chamber-orchestra-katherine-baker-lucy-wakeford-macclesfield/262717378

Katherine Baker was given the job of Principal Flute with the BBC National Orchestra Wales within two years of graduating from the Royal Academy of Music in 1998. Four years later she moved to the same role with the Hallé Orchestra and in her 14 years in Manchester, Katherine cemented her position as one of the leading flautists in the country. Among many memorable performances in her time there, definite highlights include the fifth Brandenburg Concerto with Angela Hewitt and Paul Barritt, Mozart’s Flute and Harp concerto with harpist, Marie Leenhardt and acclaimed first flute roles in Ravel’s Daphnis and Chloe and Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde.
Katherine has also appeared as principal with many of the country’s leading orchestras, including the LSO, Philharmonia, LPO and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Earlier this year, she performed Mozart’s Flute and Harp concerto with Lucy Wakeford and the Northern Chamber Orchestra.

Last year Katherine was fortunate enough to secure the role of Principal Flute with the Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and in September 2018 she moved from Derbyshire to Kent with her husband, four children, two cats and three grandparents.

After relocating down south Katherine sadly had to give up her professorship at the Royal Northern College of Music but is passionate about passing on the benefit of her experience and love of flute playing and enjoys giving classes or teaching privately whenever possible.

Katherine was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music in 2009.

The Halle – Interview with Katherine Baker: Daphnis et Chloé

On the left, we can see the final pictures that the artist selected.

Below are some publications from the Issuu Magazine

You can read the magazines/Brochures by clicking the links below

1.Here

2.Here

3.Here

3. Rūta Labutytė, Violin

Below is the link where my photo has been used

http://staffordsinfonia.co.uk/ruta-labutyte-violin/

Lithuanian born violinist Rūta is a Manchester-based young professional musician. In 2018 she made her soloist debut with Brahms’ violin concerto with Stafford Sinfonia, as well as being invited to perform the concerto with other amateur orchestras across central England.

Rūta began her musical journey in Stafford, later she was awarded a scholarship to complete her undergraduate studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire under the tutelage of Simon Smith. She then went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma Course at London’s Trinity Laban’s Conservatoire of Music and Dance. Returning to Birmingham to complete her Masters, specialising in Orchestral Performance with the CBSO, she also completed a year-long Erasmus exchange programme at Vienna’s prestigious University of Music and Performing Arts. In 2018, she won a place on the Hallé Orchestra’s Strings Leadership Scheme where she solidified her skills as an orchestral musician. She is now auditioning and working with major orchestras across the UK and Sweden.

Aside from playing, she is passionate about music education. She has recently completed her Leverhulme Scholarship at Pro Corda, where she trained as a chamber music mentor and continues to work there as a full staff member.

Rūta enjoys an active lifestyle whenever time allows it. In the summer of 2019, she completed a 120km pilgrimage across eastern Latvia, and hopes to complete another one in the summer of 2020 in central Europe.

On the right, we can see the final pictures that the artist selected.

4. Laurence Perkins

Manchester Camerata principal bassoonist but also the organiser of the International Bassoon Festival where I was the Photographer

I am thrilled I have worked with Laurence Perkins as not only he is considered as one of the best Bassonist in the UK but he has also an amazing personality. When I typed his name on the web I realised that he used almost all of the photos that we made that day. On his websites, on other articles, on interviews, on magazines, on his projects and on his concerts.

It is such an honour artists like Laurence to be part of my portfolio!

Below are the links where my photos have been used

Laurence Perkins was born in Lancashire in 1954, and studied at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester between 1970-76 with Charles Cracknell, principal bassoonist in the Hallé Orchestra.. He joined Manchester Camerata as their principal bassoonist in October 1974, finally leaving in June 2017 to pursue more chamber music and solo playing, alongside his on-going work promoting the bassoon. During his 43 years with Camerata he performed in concerts throughout the UK (including the BBC Proms) and on overseas tours including France, Germany, Portugal, Norway, the Azores Islands, Hong Kong, Macau, Australia and Japan.

Laurence has given many solo concert performances throughout the UK and Europe, including recitals at the Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London, concertos with the English Chamber Orchestra (at St. John’s, Smith Square) and with Manchester Camerata, and numerous overseas concerts including France, Portugal and Prague.

Laurence’s solo CDs for the Hyperion label include a disc of concertos with conductor Douglas Boyd which received a five-star rating in the BBC Music Magazine, with the Mozart Concerto being a top selection in Building a Library on the BBC Radio 3 Record Review programme. A CD of shorter, lighter pieces “The Playful Pachyderm” with the New London Orchestra conducted by Ronald Corp received outstanding reviews in the national and international media. His latest recording is of music by Beethoven, Glinka and Richard Strauss, where he is joined by clarinettist Sarah Watts, pianist Martin Roscoe and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra conducted by Sian Edwards, scheduled for release in Autumn 2018.

Laurence is bassoon tutor at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, and at York and Nottingham Universities. He has also been a regular bassoon and chamber music tutor at many summer schools and courses in the UK and overseas, including Aberystwyth, Malvern, Sherborne, Dartington, Alston Hall in Lancashire, Kammermusik in Oxford, and Cubertou in the south of France.

On the right, we can see the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the Left, we can see some backstage photographs from that day.

Below are some publications from the Double Reed News

You can read the magazines/Brochures by clicking the links below

1.Here

2.Here

3.Here

Below are some of his posters where my potos were used

All Music Label Company where I was credited for Laurence Perkins CD

You can see the Credit by Clicking Here

5. EIRA LYNN JONES

Eira, one of the most well-known Harpists not only in the UK but globally as well, who plays for some of the most reputable orchestras, is also the organiser of the Harp International Festival.

Below are the links where my photos have been used

Welsh harpist EIRA LYNN JONES is a versatile musician, who has a passion for creativity and originality. Her eclectic career ranges from orchestral work, recordings and commissions to chamber music collaborations. She is known equally for her committed, dynamic playing and her innovative, dedicated teaching.

While a student at the Royal Northern College of Music, Eira won numerous awards, including a Guinness Foundation Scholarship and an I.S.M. Performer Award, resulting in her BBC Radio 3 debut on the ‘Young Musicians’ series. Further studies with Kathleen Bride at the Manhattan School of Music in New York led to a Masters Degree. Invited to join the Manhattan Contemporary Music Ensemble, she premiered new works for harp, which ignited her interest in researching unusual and varied repertoire. She did indeed take her harp to the party; to Carnegie Hall, the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre of Performing Arts and Creativity, and even to the top of the Empire State Building!
On returning to the UK she was appointed Principal Harp with Northern Ballet Theatre. She now regularly freelances with the UK’s leading orchestras, including Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Opera North, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and the Royal Northern Sinfonia. As soloist, she has performed Debussy Danses with Manchester Camerata and Ravel’s Introduction and Allegro with Northern Chamber Orchestra.

Eira is also widely recognised as one of the UK’s leading harp teachers. As Head of Harp at the RNCM she loves inspiring young musicians, receiving many invitations to run workshops worldwide, including USA, Denmark, Greece, Ireland, Sweden and Iceland.

She achieved notable success with her solo album ‘… from within’, which is a mix of classical and folk pieces on both pedal harp and clarsach: “I love the album … a diversity of music, a very accomplished technique, and your heart coming through”(Alan Stivell).

From performing at the Hollywood Bowl to under the much loved “Dippy” dinosaur at the Natural History Museum; from appearing in Coronation Street to playing for HRH Prince of Wales in Spain; from recording with the heavy metal band “Venom” to accompanying Kiri te Kanawa; from directing the music of John Cage for 20 harps to leading the RNCM Young Harps Project, Eira approaches each project with passion, and is a true ambassador for this most magical of instruments.

On the right, we can see the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the Left, we can see some backstage photographs from that day.

Below are some of the posters where the artist used my photos.

6. Anna-Rosa-Mari

Anna-Rosa-Mari is a very well-known freelance Flutist who plays for major orchestras such as the BBC, the Halle Orchestra, Raymond Gubbay, Royal Opera House etc.

Below are the links where some of my photos have been used

Anna Rosa is a vibrant performer, sought after as a recitalist, chamber and orchestral musician. Based in the United Kingdom, her performance schedule has taken her to venues around the world; from concert halls across Europe, and Asia, to her recent debut in Latin America.

She regularly gives solo recitals and collaborates with award winning chamber groups in festivals and series throughout the country, including at the King’s Lynn Festival, to high critical acclaim. With a flair for contemporary music, Anna Rosa has performed with Manchester’s Psappha, and has received invitations to perform as soloist at the International Stockhausen Festival, the Onassis Cultural Centre, and the Minimalist(s) Festival in Athens. Memorable solo concerto performances include a concert tour with the European Union Chamber Orchestra in Egypt.

As an orchestral player, Anna Rosa has played with orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, The Hallé, Manchester Camerata, Opera North, and Ulster Orchestra among others. She has also held the position of Principal Flute with the Chamber Orchestra of the Greek National Opera. Her interests span multiple musical genres, which has prompted Anna Rosa to embrace exciting experiences; from performing on baroque flute with period ensembles, to playing for West End tours, and featuring in recordings for popular artists.

With a commitment to chamber music, Anna Rosa works closely with harpist Eira Lynn Jones as joint founder of The Juniper Project. The ensemble has a busy performing schedule, often enriched by collaborations with other instruments and educational work. The Juniper Project recently released their debut CD album Fragments under Divine Art Records. It has been reviewed as ‘superb playing’, ‘gorgeous’, and ‘ravishing sound”, and it has been featured in the Top 50 playlist of Apple Music ‘Classical AM’.

Anna Rosa is known for her inspiring teaching, for which she displays infinite passion and dedication. She teaches flute at Salford University and has worked closely with the Education Programme of the Hallé Orchestra for many years.
Anna Rosa graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music (MMus, BMus) with Distinction. A full scholarship from the Onassis Foundation and the RNCM supported her studies. She is currently a cohort member of The Global Leaders Program, curated by Harvard and McGill Universities.

Connect with Anna Rosa on twitter for more updates about upcoming projects!

On the right, we can see the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the Left, we can see some backstage photographs from that day.

7. The Juniper Project

Flute, Harp & much more…

Below are the links where some of my photos have been used

The Manchester based The Juniper Project is a unique collaboration between the harpist Eira Lynn Jones and the flautist Anna Rosa Mari.

Creating, engaging, innovative; The Juniper Project have a busy performing schedule in venues throughout the country, often enriched by collaborations with other instruments and educational work in universities and festivals.

The duo are thrilled to welcome their CD album Fragments with Divine Art Records. The album upon release has received great critical acclaim, being reviewed by the BBC Music Magazine, Fanfare Magazine, PAN, British Music Society, American Record Guide and Music Web International, and it has been featured on Apple Music ‘Classical AM’ Top 50 playlist.

The Juniper Project Play Ibert

On the left, we can see the final pictures that the artists selected.

Below are some screenshots from a publication of the Juniper Project on the Spring/Summer LPAC Brochure 2020 from the Issuu Magazine.

You can read the Brochure by clicking Here

Below are some screenshots from the brochure of the CD they recorded which is available to the public.

You can read the whole Brochure by clicking here

8. The Pleyel Ensemble

The members are famous musicians from the UK who play in well known orchestras such as BBC, Halle, etc. One of the members is the leader of the Halle Orchestra

Below is the link where some of my photos have been used on their weibsite

https://www.pleyelensemble.com/

The Pleyels bring together some of the UK’s leading instrumentalists who share a passion for chamber music past and present.
The group was formed in Manchester in January 2011. We are friends and colleagues who draw on a wealth of experience gained through many years of music-making. Since our formation, we have given over 200 concerts, and have an enormous and varied repertoire of chamber music. The Pleyel Ensemble is delighted to be chosen again as Making Music Recommended Artists for the 2019/’20 season and has appeared at Music Societies and Festivals all over the UK.

We take our name from the Classical composer Ignaz Pleyel (1757-1831), a brilliant musician and businessman, who, in addition to writing a large body of accessible chamber music, helped increase the popularity of this wonderful kind of music-making amongst amateurs and professionals as both music publisher and piano manufacturer in the early nineteenth century.

As an ensemble comprising wind, strings and piano we are able to offer a diverse repertoire with many instrumental combinations available. From a Trout to a Bumblebee or an Archduke to a Gypsy, anything is possible!

We make British music a priority. Between us we have commissioned or premiered more than a hundred works and recognise both the importance and necessity of continuing this work.

‘The (Middlewich & District) Society enjoyed a performance by the Pleyel Ensemble that members said was both ‘enthralling and exciting”. Crewe Chronicle

On the right, we can see the final pictures that the artists selected.

8. Chrysa Katsarini

The number one female Greek stand-up comedian

Below are some links where some of my photos have been used

Chrysa Katsarini is one of Greece’s premier female stand-up comics. She started her career in 2003 and has performed countless shows throughout Greece. She has also hosted 2 YouTube shows (“Hiccup” and “Ouch”) as well as been a panellist on a daytime Greek TV show (“In The Coocoo’s Nest). Her European tour included shows in Amsterdam, Berlin, London, Brussels and Manchester.

On the right, we can see some of the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the Left, we can see some backstage photographs from that day.

Additionally, the artist used the same picture to create her poster for a tour she had in Greece.

The best photos of the day though, in my opinion, are the images below as these pictures reached thousands of views on Instagram but also one of them was used in an article in one of the most popular newspapers in Greece.

8. Giorgos Hadjipavlou

One of the best male Greek stand-up comedians.

Below are some links where some of my photos have been used on the web.

Giorgos Hadjipavlou is one of the biggest names of the Greek stand-up comedy scene. With a career spanning over 25 years, he has thousands of shows under his belt – including a number of charity fundraisers for UNICEF. In addition to his comedy work, he has also appeared of Greek TV sketch shows as well as the narrator for Greece’s version of “Come Dine With Me”. As part of his extensive touring schedule, Giorgos has undertaken a World Tour and 2 European Tours which saw him perform in Manchester amongst other UK cities as well as most European capitals

On the right, we can see some of the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the Left, we can see some backstage photographs from that day.

Additionally, the artist used two of my pictures to create two of his posters for a tour he had in Europe.

Also for the purpose of this module, I asked the comedian if he could write a few words about why he choose to use my picture for his poster. We can see below the original reference on the left which is in Greek and the translated reference on the right.

The following screenshots are from his website where he is using some of my photographs.

Giorgos Hadjipavlou

These are the screenshots from the original file from my Library as proof that the copyrights of the photo belong to me.

9. Jason Kaldis

The tour manager of the Greek Stand-up Comedy Abroad. He has chosen me as his main photographer for all his events in the UK, and we are in discussion about his next tour around Europe.

Below are links where some of my photos have been used on the web.

Jason Kaldis is a comedy promoter. He started his career in the music industry in Greece in 1999 and has worked with major artists such as Iron Maiden, Sting, Placebo, Joss Stone, David Byrne, Nick Cave and many others. In 2015 he switched to promoting Greek stand-up comedy abroad and since then has put on shows in Manchester, London, Zurich, Berlin, Malta, Luxembourg, Copenhagen, Oslo, Stockholm, Vienna and Dubai amongst others.

Because Jason is the tour manager for Greek stand-up comedy abroad he was invited to give an interview on one of the most popular newspapers in Greece, for which he asked me if I can take the pictures. See the screenshot from the email below.

Below we can see some of these pictures along with some photos of the newspaper where they have been published.

On the right, we can see some of the final pictures that Jason selected.

In one of Jason’s shows in Manchester, I had the honour to photograph Angelo Tsarouchas who is one of the biggest Greek-Canadian stand-up comedians .

Angelo Tsarouchas was born in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He is an actor and writer, known for The Recruit (2003), Harold & Kumar Get the Munchies (2004) and The Prince & Me (2004).

He’s taken his in-your-face style comedy all around the world, cracking up audiences everywhere he goes! A freight train that isn’t stopping lil’ Tsarouchas is headlining all over the world.

Below we can see some of my pictures which have been used on Argonaught’s (company) website to promote the shows

Angelo was born in Montreal and raised in Ottawa. Tsarouchas is recognized as one of Canada’s top stand-up comedians and has taken his in-your-face style all across the world.

Angelo Tsarouchas has seen much success on the international comedy circuit. On the road, Tsarouchas has performed in North America’s top comedy clubs and also has had success with his own one-man show, It’s All Greek to Me. His work on Showtime’s Comics Without Borders has attracted interest from the cable network for Tsarouchas to tape his own one-hour show. He also continues to write and produce his Fat Boy Food Review show in Canada.

In 2008, Angelo Tsarouchas joined fellow Canadian comedian Russell Peters on a world tour. He was a special guest on Vince Vaughn’s Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights – Hollywood to the Heartland. His hour Showtime special Angelo Tsarouchas, Bigger Is Better, received rave reviews and has 14 million viewers and counting! Tsarouchas is currently starring in the award-winning hit comedy Fred & Vinnie, and is featured in the comedy documentary Just like Us which has opened all across the United States.

Angelo Tsarouchas has worked hard in his career and has progressed from doing stand-up comedy to roles in TV and films, and is now writing and producing shows. The larger-than-life Montreal native’s acting resumé is highlighted with roles in 10 feature films in the past few years. Angelo has worked with a number of Hollywood’s biggest stars, including Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Robert DeNiro, Marlon Brando, Edward Norton, Sylvester Stallone and Chris Rock. His most recent high-profile film credit was in Cinderella Man, starring Russell Crowe and Renee Zelwegger. He has also appeared in John Q, The Score, The Prince and Me, and the teen cult flick, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle.

Angelo’s material appeals to an incredibly wide range of audiences. From the start you like Angelo Tsarouchas, everyone knows him, everyone wants to be his friend, and that’s why he is in high demand year round. His ability to connect with audiences everywhere keeps this generously proportioned funnyman in demand.

Works Well in this Type of Event: Private Events, Comedy Festivals, Comedy Clubs, Corporate Events, Sports Events, Casino Events, Charity Events, Celebrity Speaking Events, Conventions, and Trade Shows.

Angelo Tsarouchas – It’s all Greek

Angelo Tsarouchas Live at the World Famous Comedy and Magic Club in Hermosa Beach, CA.

On the Right, we can see a backstage photograph from that day.

Angelo Tsarouchas

These are the screenshots from the original file from my Library as proof that the copyrights of the photo belong to me.

Mikeius

Another Great Greek Comedian. I photographed Mikeius in Manchester and the following year we did a tour in the UK (Edinburgh, Leicester and Manchester) as not only was I selected as his main photographer but also we have recorded the whole show on video so it can be used for promotional material and a potential DVD.

Mikeius is a Greek Comedian…

On the right, we can see some of the final pictures that the artist selected.

On the Left, we can see a backstage photograph from that day but also a photo we took in Leicester for Social Media use.

2. Learning Outcome Two

In this Learning Outcome, we have to utilise a variety of platforms for the purpose of self-promotion by our own specialist practice.

There are many great platforms out there which are especially for photographers and are very useful such as being a member of AOP (The Association
of Photographers), the Magnum Photographers Society, the British journal of photography, Red Eye, Lens Culture, Life Framer, Flickr and many others. Undeniably, two of the strongest platforms for photographers are also Instagram and facebook.

Being in one of these societies or groups or even in all of them means more possibilities, to be seen or even to be asked for our service, as these groups are specifically for photographers, they are recognised and all they do is working in the photography industry for years.

In my opinion, creating networks is the key and platforms like the ones mentioned above give us all we need to have or try to create one. The only downside is that not all of them are free but we have to think of it as an investment and not like spending money for nothing. Considering that being a member of these societies/group is a chance to be seen by more people/companies that potentially could become our clients.

Another great way to be published is by participating in photography competitions which most of these platforms also offer.

There are many ways that we can self-promote our selves but my question is whether it is better to use one of the established platforms, that already have a wide network or try to promote our selves through Facebook and Instagram from scratch?

I believe the best path to success in the industry is to make photographs and work hard in combination with the above mentioned.

Now let me elaborate on the above. Pursuing a career in photography takes passion, practice and continuous learning. As a professional photographer, I appreciate all three dimensions, focusing on constant improvement of my skills, to exhilarate my passion for photography.
Aiming, always, to maximize my knowledge and my exposure to the industry, I try to make the most out of all sources (photography focused) available in the market of a digital world that rapidly evolves while trends set art’s march.
For me personally, one of the best ways to achieve that extra knowledge, exposure, inspiration and trends spotting was to enroll myself in as many relevant photography focus channels and associations as possible. Obviously, there are some intermediate benefits to joining all these bodies and communication/ social platforms as: members’ discounts, access to resources, exposure of your work to the public eye, create followers and long term your own audience. However, there are also secondary considerations of having an active membership with photography related associations and social platforms such as getting: industry news and updates, exhibition and events notifications, networking, critique and opportunities to participate to competitions that could turn out to be of even greater value.
Determining what professional body, association or social media you will choose to become a member at, depends on what kind of photographer you are, and your reasons for joining. If you wish to join an internationally recognized body and aim for prestigious distinctions, your preferred membership / professional group maybe different to those looking for solely attract followers and potential clients.
Saying above that I try to maximise getting the benefits of what is available for photographers out there, I have personally chosen the path of becoming a member in both accredited bodies and multiple social platforms to gain insights from everywhere possible.
For me becoming a member of a photography association is:

Learning from the best in the market or peers with a significant experience
Networking; meet like-minded people, educational series, events, members initiatives, workshops, work-share, joined projects
Exposure in the industry
Being a member of a community you can contribute to growth.
On the other hand, I enjoy the benefits of using photographers friendly social media (after I have secured my uploaded work) such us:
Having a free online venue where I can showcase my work
Achieving International exposure, as your work can be shared and travel all over the net, means also all over the world
Join groups and communities that are photography focused, either from entertainment perspective (helps to get insights about the trends) or have been created to bring photographers together where amazing synergies and delightful projects can happen
Get real-time feedback from your work by comments and reactions
Boost posts (fee-based on your desired results) and choose your target audience.

My active memberships/ accounts :

1. British Journal of Photography

BJP & 1854 Media is a multi-award-winning digital media organisation with a global community including millions of photographers, arts lovers and international brands.
BJP’s mission is to be the essential platform for photographers, giving them the tools they need to succeed and at the same time to identify and showcase the most talented photographers of today and the future, connecting them to international brands.

Their portfolio includes: British Journal of Photography, the world’s oldest photography title (est. 1854),
Their awards include: Female in Focus, a platform for under-represented female photographers, Portrait of Britain and Portrait of Humanity focusing on diversity and are among the most viewed photographic exhibitions in history, seen by tens of millions and garnering international media attention. These days, BJP takes an international perspective on contemporary photography, focusing on fine art and documentary, and the cutting edge of editorial and commercial practices.
BJP-online, publishes new stories daily, reaching 200,000 visitors per month, and more than 3.8 million through their social channels.
BJP is great source of inspiration for me as the fact that they are aiming to feature and promote new talents make me feel a proud member. Additionally their competitions can give a photographer a sound exposure in both national and international level and a winner prize will be a real career changer, which give me a vital motive.

2. Lens Culture

LensCulture is one of the most comprehensive and far-reaching resources for discovering contemporary photography talent around the world. The organization believes in “talent” and the right for all level photographers to enjoy the recognition and exposure their work deserves. Therefore they constantly work to share, celebrate and reward great photography.
Lens Culture operates and engages in global scale with a community of more than three million photography makers, lovers and thinkers. The organization offers great opportunities for all photographers to gain a reputation in the industry, win photography awards, travel in leading cities to participate to exhibitions, broadcast international festival screenings, and share valuable material and books on line. Their library and on line resources (guides, advice, trends, recommendations) can be a source of inspiration for any photographer who wants to be successful.

I personally actively participate regularly to LC’s Photo competitions since they are one of the best ways for established photographers to show their new work and for new photographers to demonstrate their potential and talent -which the organization advocates. Winning a prize in LC competition, allows photographers and highly-rated projects to get international visibility through the global reach of LC magazine and social media platforms.

3. Life Framer

Life Framer is a platform for discovering and celebrating contemporary photography for all level artists around the globe. From beginner to professional, LF gives to those who love to make a career in photography the opportunity to have their work promoted in LF’s group shows and get published in their annual photo-book. It hosts an independent award, supported by world-class photographers, agency directors and editors who are part of the jury and they provide all member-participants joins constructive personal feedback on their Series Award entry.

4. AOP

Another association that helps photographers to elevate their careers and develop their photography capabilities. The association advantage is that is offering various memberships supporting photographers in differed stages of their career by offering discounts on goods and services, useful advise, guides and documentation that are essential for making a photography business commercially successful. Joining the association you can get recognised by those that commission photography as well as from peers in the industry. AOP support and share the values of professional photography and help a photographer associate with those who share same values and make you be seen as part of that community. AOP can also be at help when a photographer wants to make sure that when his work is used from external parties his best interests are protected.

5. REDEYE

Redeye, is essentially a Photography Network, a not-for-profit Community Benefit Society set up to support photographers at every level, and build networks across photography with members, subscribers and users across the UK and globally. It aims to form a clear picture of the ways photographers and photographic artists are working now, and give them access to events, opportunities, advice and information that are relevant to their work. Alongside this it works to bring photographic and other organisations together, to encourage ethical and best practice, and to build a voice for photography, which will help the industry grow in the right direction. I personally have benefited from this membership as I have access to industry latest news, invitations to events, exhibitions, and visibility of work opportunities. Red Eye membership also offers generous discounts on all Redeye activities, up to 25% off equipment rental, studio hire and other services. Creating a profile page to showcase my work gives me exposure in an international on line community.

6. Flickr

In a social networking driven era creating a profile in social platforms is one of the best ways for photographers to promote their work. Lately, many photographers built their portfolio through the help of connections gained from posting their works on image websites like Flickr.

Flickr has been rated as one of the best online photo management and sharing application in the world. Flickr has achieved their mission to a. Help people make their photos available to the people who matter to them b. Allow the users new ways of organizing photos and video.

What I found useful in Flickr compared with other social media platforms is that
this website works like a social media platform for photographers. Having an account in Flickr opens up opportunities for photographers to find clients willing to pay for their services. Flickr helps new photographers by boosting their profiles and pages so that potential clients will see them. As pro-user the application also provides me statistics, giving me an understanding of how people are discovering my Flickr Photos, which of my photos are trending now, and which have performed during my total activity on Flickr. Last but not least the Flickr Pro gives access to unlimited uploads, useful tools to manage photos and great discounts to photo editing software.

7. Clickasnap

Clickasnap is the worlds first, paid per view still image hosting site.
Is quite simple to use, all it takes is create an account, upload your photos and everytime someone views them you receive a portion of the overall sites income. CAS is a nice platform that rewards the content of the creator.

Clickasnap’s mission is very approachable and speaks the language of commercial photographers. Clickasnap aims to use its systems in place to sell subscribers (photographers) photos as downloads, physical prints, earn per view, private art galleries, and the ability to licence the uploaded photos with world first licensing systems.

In a world where social media is an extremely dominant force, I find very beneficial (both free and paid) Clickasnap membership, especially due to the fact that it’s one of the few times where an application operates in a way that give back to its users. Clickasnap offers great exposure, feedback opportunity, access to unlimited uploads and in that respect, unlimited earning potential.

Competitions

As mentioned above some of these photography associations give to the photographer the opportunity to participate in awards. Competitions are a great way to be exposed to a wider crowd as these societies are well established and they have a big number of followers.

For example, Lens Culture usually will publish your entrance on social media.

Doesn’t really matters if we will win the competition as the point here is to more and more people to see our work.This is what I did as well; I participate in four different awards on three different societies with more than 30 images in total.

I will provide some screenshots below as evidence of my participation.

The first submission was in the Lens Culture where they had a Street Photography Awards.
They had the option to submit a single image and as many as we wanted where would be judged individually or a series of images which would be judged as series and not individually.
My choice was to submit a series of photographs which we can see below.

Name Of Project
“The Cycle”

“The Cycle”, is a project that took place in Greece and in the United Kingdom, aiming to present modern society consumerism, using the food journey as a metaphor.

The second submission was in the Lens Culture again on the same theme. Street Photography Awards.

My choice this time was to submit a single photograph which we can see below.

The third submission was in the Life Framer where they had an Open Call Theme.
They had the option to submit a single image or as many as we wanted that would be judged individually or a series of images which would be judged as series and not individually.
My choice was to submit a series of photographs which we can see below.

The fourth submission was in the Association of Photographers (AOP) where they had a Student award.
They had the option to submit a single image and as many as we wanted that would be judged individually or a series of images which would be judged as series and not individually.
My choice was to submit a series of photographs which we can see below.
In this association I had five entries but unfortunately, they don’t give the choice to the photography to what previous submitted like the other two Photography bodies.
As evidence, I took a screenshot of my inbox to show you my entries confirmation emails.

3. Learning Outcome Three

In this Learning outcome, we have to predict the career opportunities that could be provided by our own specialist practice.

I always liked photography. Since I was a kid it was my game, in front of the camera posing and behind it setting the scene and capturing happy childhood moments. Time passed but never thought of studying photography, however in my early 20s I found myself working in a local photography shop. I was an assistant with limited knowledge but some practical experience (learning on the job, shadowing the photographer and helping with some secondary tasks) but with strong percipience. One day a lady walked in with a printed old photo of herself with her husband in their youth. She wanted us to fix it and produce a new one with the best quality we could achieve to keep the moment alive. The photographer and owner of the shop asked me if I wanted to try reproducing the photograph (via Photoshop). I accepted the challenge and started working on the photograph with the limited knowledge I had to that point. Two days later, the lady came back to the shop to receive the picture. I was very lucky to be there the moment she opened the envelope and luckier to see the expression on her face. She was shining and started thanking all of us in the store with eyes ready to burst in tears. She had the story of the photograph back and I felt like fulfilling more than my job, I have made another person happy through my work. Having witnessed that scene, I made my decision to embark on the journey to pursue a career in photography. Some months later I bought my camera
(Nikon) and started to experiment. I was tentatively getting some jobs for a small or no fee/pay. The following year I moved to the UK , took the big step and joined the college to begin my studies in photography.

Since then I have started my career in photography while I continue my studying at an academic level. During the last five years I have found myself working on several different kinds of photography, from portrait photography to photojournalism, that has opened various job prospects. Each choice offers different opportunities and requires different skills and some even offer enough compensation to make them viable full-time jobs.
I am always open to opportunities mainly because I enjoy learning, gaining experience and having the opportunity to make evidence-based decisions when it comes to choosing what is my niche.
Based on my current experience I could peruse different photography career options such as:

Commercial and advertising photographer. I have collaborated with big companies to produce images to help them promote and sell products via their marketing campaigns with the relevant exposure of my work into brochures and media.
Fashion photographer. I have worked with clothing fashion brands for their editorials and lookbooks in both studio and outdoors.
Corporate photographer. I have cooperated with professionals to help them promote their work as freelancers and create their photo book or portfolio.
Wedding Photographer. I have covered more than 15 wedding events and worked with couples to capture their wedding ceremony, reception and special moments of their special day.
Portrait photographer. I have taken photographs of individuals and groups, either in a studio or outdoors.
Photograph Editor as well as Digital Imaging Specialist. I am well experienced in editing images after the shoot as I personally hold all the editing process of my photography work and work on correction, retouching, scanning and manipulation of original prints and digital photographs.
Fine art photographer. One of my favourite styles of photography for participating in photography competitions and for building my portfolio. Fine art photography enhances my creativity and gives me the freedom to express my view of the world and situations as well as experiment with different lighting, editing techniques and various cameras and lenses. My future aim in doing fine art photography is to participate in exhibitions and be able to sell my work as a piece of art.
News Photographer. I could also work for magazines newspapers and digital media covering events, people, and incidents. I have published relevant work in well-known newspapers at local and national level such as: ”The Manchester Evening News”, Manchester, United Kingdom, “Evoiki Gnomi”, Chalkida, Greece and “Kathimerini” (nationwide newspaper) Greece, respectively.
Events Photographer. I have very sound experience in covering events. I’ve done over 35 concerts, stand up comedies and music events across the UK and Greece allowing me at the moment to have clients and network to get frequently relevant work. I am positive that this will be a profitable photography root if I choose that direction.

Last but not least, the next challenge I ‘ll involve myself in and hopefully get to the stage to excel my end product and have the opportunity to focus on is Aerial/ Drone Photography. I would like to work with the latest digital technology and high-end camera equipment and be able to get photos with a unique perspective from different heights and angles. Drone photographers undertake big projects from big companies, privately and publicly held, with the respective budgets involved. It is a specialised area and requires a license to be able to pilot the equipment (drones) however, that is definitely one of my next goals!

4. Learning Outcome Four

Manage own learning

All my life, since I can remember myself, I would describe me as a person who is thirsty for learning. Always trying to find ways to become better, to develop, to grow. Since I came across Albert Einstein’s quote “Once you stop learning, you start dying” I have decided that this is a quote that I essentially live by. I truly believe in continuous learning and this how I have decided to follow the high education route to becoming from a hobbyist/self-taught photographer, a professional that owns both experience and academic background to excel in the career path chosen.

Taking an academic course in photography was one of my best life decisions. However, that was only the beginning of the journey. For the last five years, I am constantly investing in my learning around photography. I have found numerous ways that can help me develop my skills and gain experience. Some of the ways I have tried and have benefited me are:

Volunteering; in projects for charities and local organisations to demonstrate their social impact.
Offering my self to help well-known photographers to be their assistant for very basic jobs. My enthusiasm and technical skillset have been noticed and I have been offered the job of the second photographer in their team.
Attending several workshops to refine and advance my skills. Either these have to do with improving my photography techniques or learning new technologies and software like Lightroom and Photoshop.
Enrolling myself into Self Pace Online courses
Researching for University courses, projects and assignments.
Attending University classes and getting Professors Feedback for my work.
Welcoming, clients, classmates and peers constructive feedback for my work.
Reading articles and latest updates for photography trends and equipment
Engaging in conversations in photographers groups and forums I am a member of.
Requesting feedback from the judges of the competitions I have participated.

Learning happens every day and mainly when you have your camera on and practice. However, for me is important I meet my personal goals, thus, I try to gain more and more insights from all the above, put them into action depending on the work/ project and experiment with new items and methods to get closer to build my proficiency in photography.

‘‘Formulate independent judgment”

Evaluating or appraising photographs is about determining whether or not an image is achieving its objective of presenting an idea, communicating a message, inspire heart and mind, inspire feelings or shown an alternative side of reality and normality as we perceive with the eyes, aiming to demonstrate creativity. For me, a photography project has five stages and everything starts with the “Concept”; what is the photograph about.
To take a single photo or create a whole project or work, I am going through a mind process involving the idea, the capture, the process, the final evaluation and the deliverable (end product). This structured approach reminds me to constantly review with every “click” I action by asking myself what is the message of my image? What am I trying to show? What caught my eye? Why? Does the photo clearly show what my subject is or what the feeling I want to share is? Can this picture communicate to the outside (public) my view?
Personally, what I try to achieve through my photography work, is to communicate the ideas and the feelings I have about a situation or subject to the public. Therefore, I enjoy participating in thematic competitions via well-established organisations (as Lens Culture, AOP, Life Framer, BJP and more- mentioned above) to present my perspective of the theme of the competition. When I work with specific clients and their requests, I always try to establish a mutual understanding of what they want to achieve and how I can help. Following that, my deliverable will always be, the photography work to have met its purpose and I have visually pictured the concept and the desired outcome.

Based on feedback from clients, network, peers, followers in social media and my professors I have come to believe that my approach to photography demonstrates a good judgment that gives me the opportunity to critically evaluate my work and the work of other photographers.
I am very honoured when photographers with similar experience and some times professionals with many more years in the industry, ask my opinion about their work, give good feedback for the quality of my work, for both technical and artistic aspects, and offer open cooperation opportunities. I have been fortunate to work with a lot of different photographers for various projects, events, and exhibitions to discover how unique a photographer can be and what can make him/her special in the sector. This is what has led me to appreciate all photographers work.
Working with other photographers and by following well-established names in the sector I come across a lot of content, which I always try to critically examine. What I have learned through that is becoming better to critically evaluate my own work and output. Also, it helps me understand the importance of light, equipment, and the artist’s ability to use his/her imagination and visualize the desired outcome. Other photographers work makes me realise what is my vision, my style and approach to photography.
Is not an easy process to express an opinion about other professionals’ work but objectively or not, having a good understanding and experience on a subject gives you the desire to reflect on what you see and express your views on how this could become better or what is there that I can get to master my photography skills.
To make sure I am in the right direction, in line with my values and following the same process to judge my work, I critically examine other professionals work based on some essential -in my opinion, criteria:

What the idea behind the photograph? What is the photographer trying to say?
The impact the photograph has on me as audience and photographer
The creativity and the composition of the idea or the story
The level of experience and the technical quality
The style of the presentation of the photograph
Whether or not it fulfills/ communicates the “concept”.

Analyse personal strengths/weaknesses in line with personal goals

The reason I joined a Photography course was to acquire the technical and theoretical knowledge around the subject I have decided to follow as a profession. One of my life goals is to become one of the best art- photographers that will leave a trademark in the world of photography by capturing life moments. I have created a structured strategy to achieve this; combining all the skills in my possession and all the skills required to become successful and achieve my goal. One of the steps I took to walk this process was to make a personal SWOT analysis. The purpose of doing that was initially to take a realistic insight of who and where I am and what skills I have to develop and optimise to help me reach my objective. Secondly, the SWOT analysis gave me the power to reflect on how I should position myself in such a loud market; what makes me unique and what different I have to offer the industry and clients.
Having completed the analysis I summed up strengths and weakness as described below:

Strengths

Communication and people skills that give me the ability to contact and engage effectively with potential and existing clients or/and the team that I may work with in a project.
Able to understand the briefing given from clients and explain thoroughly what is possible and what could be realistically depicted.
Ability to adapt to project/job requirements and align my style to the instructions given and the working environment. Eg. Scientific photo shooting, product photo shooting, events photo shooting.
Technology Savvy and ability to understand the newest software and devises required editing and developing the quality of the photography work.
Ability to learn quickly and enjoy new learning. Taking a lot of personal time to invest and further develop my skills from any source available including workshops, online material and videos, webinars, photography trendsetters, photography equipment suppliers, photography communities and professional bodies/ associations.
During the last three year-period studying Photography I also had the opportunity to develop another critical skill for the profession I have chosen and for life. The ability to look at the world through a photographer’s eyes, I have learned to see everything from different angles: the practical and the artistic. I can see the beauty in everything my eye can catch in a particular context as well as how the same thing can be seen through the viewfinder of the camera (used isolated and under a different frame).
Able to inspire people’s emotions as mentioned by clients, people in the industry, and followers feedback.

Weaknesses

Being honest with my self while I did a self-observation I have identified some weaknesses that I should be working on.

Time management is one of the things I have noticed lacking which can cause me delays in the delivery of work. Despite the fact that this does not apply to situations that I am working in a group (out of respect to my team) I understand that can potentially cause me issues of losing a client or add me stress when multiple works/ projects pile up.
Here comes the route cause of the weakness I have mentioned above or a direct link to it, which after reflection has been identified as procrastination. I always enjoy involving myself in different projects and at the same time learn new things. Everything new makes me excited and I quickly jump into it without necessarily having completed what I have previously started, as a consequence, this can cause delays in delivering work in the initially predicted time.

Articulate ideas in groups (visual, written, oral)

One of my assets, as I have mentioned above, is people skills. The ability to communicate effectively, passing along a message, empathize, listen, understand and been understood. This is something that has helped me through my professional and personal life. For my professional career, I find important to formulate these skills to something that will bring me more exposure and make me being part of a bigger community where shares same values, interests, aspirations and new collaborations may happen.

Networking is a very effective way to build an audience, gain clients, learn and develop, achieve success and this is something I try to do every day by participating in online and offline photography communities, being an active member in photography forums, being a member of photographers commonalities in my local area, across the UK and home country (Greece). By networking and being a member of a wider community I believe I have achieved a lot of things that can help me in my career today and in the future. Networking is about more connections and contacts, use it as a cost-effective marketing strategy: the word of mouth and influence my community and gain insights as well.

This strategy has proven effective in terms of:

Gaining good reputation among other professionals and getting recommended as it brings more clients
Proposing ideas and projects to a group you are a member
Meeting directly potential clients and getting new jobs
Building personal relationships with people for the purpose of doing business together
Invitations to events and competitions
Attracting followers in social media
Brand awareness

Being an active member of communities and groups has given me the opportunity to demonstrate my skills, talent, and my style as a photographer to people that can benefit from my contribution. Either from my initiatives to begin a project (the idea, the briefing the goals as well as the implementation phase) or the duties I undertake as a team member in a wider photography project or for the group administration. I always like to fulfill my role and add value to any social group or team. Also, from my experience there is always value to getting photographers together; I found a lot of knowledge to share. Everything from gear and business tips to editing, can be used to boost your career and professional growth.

Additionally, exchanging perceptions and critiques for each other work creates value for each member to produce better work. Interacting with other photographers, inspiring them and getting inspired, sharing knowledge, collaborating in projects and contributing with each own strengths, helps people with less knowledge and experience. Perhaps even finding a mentor or becoming ones mentor, can be a career and moral accelerator; All the above are some of the reasons I join a group or become a member of a team. I enjoy adding value with my work, my ideas, and my availability to help theoretically, practically as well as ethically. There have been a lot of times when I was working with people who were very new to the photography sector and they were asking how to use the camera, the lights, composition and in general how to take a nice photo. Through help and advice, some of these people have transformed the way they work and developed a new unique style which not only represents the way they work but also their own recognisable branding. One can only feel proud of them because they used advice, enhanced their existing skillset and created a new identity.
Engaging with other professionals in photography communities has also taught me the importance of branding. Many photographers brand themselves to establish their name in the marketplace.

Follow me

Chris Cotton Art

Forums and Functionality

1. Learning Outcome One

1. Sergio Castello Lopez

2. Katherine Baker

Below are some publications from the Issuu Magazine

3. Rūta Labutytė, Violin

4. Laurence Perkins

Below are some publications from the Double Reed News

Below are some of his posters where my potos were used

All Music Label Company where I was credited for Laurence Perkins CD

5. EIRA LYNN JONES

Below are some of the posters where the artist used my photos.

6. Anna-Rosa-Mari

7. The Juniper Project

Below are some screenshots from a publication of the Juniper Project on the Spring/Summer LPAC Brochure 2020 from the Issuu Magazine.

Below are some screenshots from the brochure of the CD they recorded which is available to the public.

8. The Pleyel Ensemble

8. Chrysa Katsarini

Additionally, the artist used the same picture to create her poster for a tour she had in Greece.

The best photos of the day though, in my opinion, are the images below as these pictures reached thousands of views on Instagram but also one of them was used in an article in one of the most popular newspapers in Greece.

8. Giorgos Hadjipavlou

Additionally, the artist used two of my pictures to create two of his posters for a tour he had in Europe.

Also for the purpose of this module, I asked the comedian if he could write a few words about why he choose to use my picture for his poster. We can see below the original reference on the left which is in Greek and the translated reference on the right.

The following screenshots are from his website where he is using some of my photographs.

Giorgos Hadjipavlou

9. Jason Kaldis

Angelo Tsarouchas

Mikeius

2. Learning Outcome Two

My active memberships/ accounts :

1. British Journal of Photography

2. Lens Culture

3. Life Framer

4. AOP

5. REDEYE

6. Flickr

7. Clickasnap

Competitions

3. Learning Outcome Three

4. Learning Outcome Four

Manage own learning

‘‘Formulate independent judgment”

Analyse personal strengths/weaknesses in line with personal goals

Strengths

Weaknesses

Articulate ideas in groups (visual, written, oral)

Last Presentation

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