Work Placement so far..

So far my work placement has got off to a slow start,

after sending out a number of emails containing details of why i would like to complete a work placement at a particular place, what i would bring to their workplace, how it would help me along with personal assets... I have still heard nothing back.

I have only emailed 3 places to do with archiving so far
Including
Tate
Suffolk Records Office
Suffolk Police Deparment

And for the education choice I have emailed 3 places

Kesgrave Sixth Form Photographic Department
Stoke High School Art Depratment
I am also planning on emailing Suffolk One Sixth Form, as my former head tutor of high school is now the head of this sixth form center creating an easier contact but last resort for me.

I will be contiuing to email a number of different places over the next few weeks, and i believe that this work placement project will be an ongoing progession during my time at university and beyond. I have found that experience is the best way to be accepted soemwhere so I aim to get lots of it!

I have found the work placement hard, as I hate having to rely on other people for responses, but I have found in the past that follow up calls always speed up a process and therefore in the next few days I will be ringing all of the above to find out where i stand.

Buisness Cards

I decided that I wanted to create some business cards for professional practice, and also as I seem to be getting on top of web design, and promotion within my photography, business cards would be a nice touch to the final outcome of my work.

I used vista print for my cards,
and overall i spent £16 which included 250 cards of my own design, and a free steel card holder included.

My buisness cards are plain black, with white writing, very simple yet quite attractive.
I have:

Zoe Barrett
Photographer
www.zoedbarrett.com
on the front of the cards

Along with:

www.facebook.com/zoebarrettphotography
On the back of the cards.

At first i did include imagery, but then decided that the more plain and simple they are, the more people might take interest in them.
Also, if i was to have an image on them, it would give away my style of work, therefore just providing a website might intruige people to go and have a look!

Due to the buisness cards being of great value, with a matte finish, they do look fairly cheap, but cheerful.
When I decided to make some more I would invest in a higher quality finish. Mostly because first impressions are everything, and that card could be a very important factor in providing me with jobs in the futrure therefore need to be of a high standard if they are representing me and my work.

The cards can be found inside of my portfolio box once handed in.

Website Update

My website is now complete and can be found at
www.zoedbarrett.com

The website will always be a working progress, as they all are, but for now I have all my images which are relevant to date on there.

I ended up with SquareSpace, and I am happy with my final decison.

I paid a one off fee of $94.. around £65 for a yearly subscription to the sight. Along with a free domain name, and the templates I was given:
- 20 pages, galleries and blogs
- 500GB bandwidth
- 2GB storage
- Mobile website
- custom domian
and 24/7 support from squarespace.
For now I am happy with the amount i paid along with the features which were included.
If at any point I run out of memory I canalways upgrade, there are 2 accounts above my one which offer unlimited images, vidoes and blogs etc.
I have decided that thre cheaper option was the best for me, and 2GB storage is fine as my images are low resolution of no more than 1MB each anyway.

It took me a long while to find a template which I liked, but I eventaully came to a final decison after making a few sacrifices when it came to personal preferences in alinement with what my web creator - SquareSpace offered.
I ended up with a really simple white background, simple black font, and minimal pages to make the whole experience easy, stress free, and enjoyable (hopefully).

I have a running slide show on each gallery page and also on the home page of the website, although the viewer also has the option to click on each thumbnail, or the images itself in order to move quickly to the next one if he/she wants to.

I have included a contact page which features my University email adress. I believe this is the most appropriate at this time, as my personal hotmail one is not a professional enough name.
At some point I will spend more money on making an "info@" email address linking to my website, but for now my uni one, and the website comment/contact section works just fine.

I have an information page which says a little about myself, but more importantly states any upcoming exhibitons my work will be shown in.

My website has a slightly different template layout when shown on a phone, which actually compliments it well with the sizing onf the screen. Although at first I was slightly annoyed by this, I think the way it is shown works in my favour.

I have checked my website on one tablet and it has the same format and teomplate as if you were vieiwng it on a laptop of PC which I am happy with.

I have tried to keep all of my images at the same aspect ratio throughout each gallery, although my portraits vary due to working on a digitial camera, and a
medium format with 6x6 square negatives. I think this isn't to much of a big deal and I am happy with them varying slightly. Other than that they are pretty consistent throughout.

I feel aslthough my website is easy to navigate, fairly quick and aesthetically pleasing also, I am very happy with the overall outcome and although I havent done anything like this before I am pleased how it has turned out.

I believe that as my work progresses, my website will become better and better.

Portfolio box update

I think that I have pretty much finished my portfolio box.

Although I possible made a mistake with both the size and the depth of my box (8x10, 65mm), I am pretty happy with the overall outcome.

I decided to put a range of work into my box, the basis being constructing narratives final hang.
Along with that I have a few different portraits, and a few different landscapes also, along with this i have included 2 images from my collaboration from situation practice.

In doing some research I have found out that the best way to present a portfolio box is with minimal images from the same series, this is because this option allows you to include more areas of work, meaning you are showing a diverse range of skills and genres.
I agree with this in a way, as you don't want the person viewing the portfolio box to get bored of similar images, but also because you'd have more room to show a variety of images in one place.

The negatives to this include the fact that many jobs in photography are dedicated to specific areas, meaning if you show a series of images based on the same subject, and that subject is based on the kind of photography the person viewing the images wants you to work on, then it would be more benefical to fill a portfolio with work in that area to show your full range. Whereas if you were going to work in a photography studio who focus on family portraits, weddings, animals etc, it is best that you show lots of different work to show that you can be creative and skilled in different areas.

A portfolio box would be the most important thing in an interview.
It has to be well presented and easily read you you won'e always be there to talk someone through each image or set.
This is why I have decided to group my portraits together, my landscapes together and order the projects one after each other so that it is obvious and ther eis a clear definition between the different genres.
I concidered the idea of putting title pages inbetween each area photographed or series shown, but i thought this may look ameture, and slightly unprofessional so decided to just let them flow nicely from the box.

If i were to do anything differently with my box I would have ordered one bigger, due to my work always being of a bigger scale. I have found the smaller 8x10 box doesnt do my images much justice compared to when they were big on the wall.
I would also reconsider the depth of the box. I originally thought it would be best to mount my images in the box, therefore picked the thicker depth of 65mm, over the thinner one of 35mm.
Now i realise that portfolio archive sleeves are much better presentation wise than the images being mounted, and therefore if the box was to be moved quickly there is a lot of space above the photographs for them to fly around. Rather than being tightly compacted if i were to chose the 35mm box.

I think that my portfolio box looks clean, tidy and is nice and simple so wouldn't put someone off looking at it if they had the option. I am pleased with the overall out come and i would be comfortable to let someone look through it without my being there, which i think is the most important factor. It has also been a learning curve for me and has helped me find out what people would prefer or not like when looking at a box containing my photography.

Work Placement

I have began to research a lot about the two areas I am focusing on when it comes to my work placement. The areas are education and Archiving.

Below is different parts of research so far (some coming from Group 2s task based on education)


Education

PGCE
PGCE courses are available to do after your degree at some universities and colleges in the UK.
You also need grade C at english and maths at GCSE level.
One year full-time, two part-time.
You can apply for funding while you're studying.
Ypu can apply for help with tuition fees, with grants and student loans.
Sometimes a training bursary you don't pay back.
Course consists of written tasks, key skills tests, and teaching practice (placement).
If you wish to teach in any state primary or secondary school you'll need to have achieved Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) which you can get from a PGCE. However, you do not need this to teach in independent schools.
Types of PGCE;
primary
secondary
further/adult education

MA Study
To study an MA (which is needed to become a university lecturer) you will need at least a 2:2 at degree level, or in some cases a 2:1. The course usually takes 1 year full time and 2 years part time. Funding is a huge issue when considering post graduate study.
Information on Post Grad funding:
https://www.gov.uk/funding-for-postgraduate-study
http://www.findamasters.com/students/studyguide/masters-funding-guide.aspx
http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2012/apr/13/funding-postgrad-studies

University Lecturer
It has become clear that to become a lecturer you will need to carry through education after a graduate qualification. More specifically it seems that the grade most desired by university employers is a 2.1 and above at degree level as well as the further continuation into a phd level and / or a masters. Though this is something that can by different for different universities it appears the majority look for these qualities.
It is also a great advantage to have some general experience in the subject, such as evidence of projects, exhibitions and how well they have ranked.

Teaching Workshops:
You could either start your own workshop business or be employed to do so. If you are employed to do so it would be, in most cases, necessary to have a degree in the area and some industry experience. If working for yourself you would need to register yourself as self employed http://www.artsjobs.org.uk/index.php?id=25&ne_post_id=96413
http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/report/2197437/the-new-economics-of-photojournalism-online-photography-workshops

Further
After having completed a graduate teaching course like the PGCE you can then move on to an NQT stage. This stands for Newly Qualified Teacher and results in an observed year in a school environment.
Induction is assessed across the equivalent of three full school terms, with assessment at the end of each term. It can be completed full or part-time.
Towards the end of each term of your induction period, you should meet your induction tutor or head teacher for a formal assessment. The main focus is your progress towards meeting the core professional standards.After each of the first two meetings, the head teacher should make a report to the local authority (LA) or the Independent Schools Council Teacher Induction Panel (ISCtip), recording your progress towards meeting the core professional standards. Following the assessment at the end of your third term, your head teacher will make a recommendation to the LA or ISCtip about whether you have met the core professional standards.

Portfolio Box Update

My porfolio box has come a long way in the past few days.
I have scanned in and printed almost half of the photographs which are going to be in it.
So far I have included an edited version of my narritives series, and also a collection of my situated practice collaboration.

My portfolio box is 8x10, and although it may be a little bit small for the the style of work I produce, I am still using this module as an experience and I know now that when I want to buy my next portfolio box I will go bigger with a thinner depth in order to compact my work a little bit more.

Over the next few weeks I will be includng more images into the box and also playing with the idea of putting in different aspect ratios. I have a lot of square format prints which I would like to display in my work. I have thought about displaying two images on one sheet to fill it, although my box is only 8x10 which means the images would be tiny.
This is the next thing I need to figure out.

Website Update

My wesbite has been going well so far, and I am happy with how it looks at this stage.
I have been scanning in different images I want to include in my website, and testing out loads of different templates to see which ones fits my style of work best, and asethically pleases my target audience.
I have decided so far to have a white background, with simple black text with a simple font which doesn't domiante the page to much.
I am goin to include a contact and information page on my website with a number of diffeerent galleries containing different series of work.

I am still using squarespace to design my website. It is going to cost me around £63 yearly, that cost includes a free domain.
I browsed different web designs to try and find the best one and I decided on squarespace as it seemed simple to use and not to costly.

The website will constantly be a working progress and I will try to update it as often as possible woth new work and information.

Work Placement Progress

For my work placement, the only decision I have made is that I would liket to focus on two areas and try and get a few weeks experience for both.
The two areas I want to focus on are:
Teaching/Eduction
Archieves

Although i enjoy photography and want it to be a big part of career I don't think that means I have to constantly be making work. I feel that I need to make a good living and that just taking photographs won't do that. I would love to teach and share what I know about photography to other students whether it be undergraduates, high school children or maybe even younger.
The other option I want to explore, archiving, is mostly due to my interest in history, I would love to gain experience in a records office where they hzave documents dating back 100's of years. Along side this I would also love some experience in a gallery archieve.

I am in the process of emailing around to try and arrange some work experience. So far I have had no replies although there are still alot of places which I need to contact.

My Website Development So Far

What I consider to be a successful website
-Meeting the target audience needs
- Simple yet effective template and layout
- Simple font and font colour (black or white)
- Simple background colour (black or white)
- No over powering distractions (bright colours, dominating images, different font types)
- Informative content
- Quick processing
Put yourself in the viewers shoes, what would they want to see if they were entering the site to look specifically at your work?


Cost
- I have't thought much about cost of a website yet. Although I have researched many different websites where you pay monthly or yearly, I am yet to find one in the UK which gives me the responsibility I want over my website, which allows me to make all the decisions, and start the who thing from scratch so I can make it exactly how I want.


Appropriate Design
-The biggest thing I want from my website is for it to be simple with relevant content and effective templating.


Links to social networking
- I would link my website to my blog so people can also navigate there and see other works and posts.

Website Analysis 3 - Bettina Von Zwehl

 

 

The third website I decided to analyse was Bettina Von Zwehls, mainly due to me not knowing her work as well as I could, therefore it will be easier and more insightful for me to break down the aspects of the website.

The introduction page is one of the most simplistic I have come across so far in my research, it has a list of links on a white background in black simple font. I think is a great way of inviting people onto a website without putting them off with an overpowering amount of text and imagery.

The links are very easy to naviagte to and work quickly.

I then decided to move onto the 'Information' tab to see what that included. When i first clicked on the page i thought there was a lot of writing, which might put some people off, although the way it is layed out in blocks with black writing and the continuous white background makes the whole page look easier on the eye. The information is writtren by someone else, not Bettina her self which makes the text seem less personal, but more informative and interesting.

I then decided to look at one of her links which lead to one of her bodies of work. Again it is easy to naviagte too and the link works quickly. When the page loads there is a few lines of text but a dominating images right in the middle of the page, this factor helps the audience to engage with the page as its the first time an image has come up on the photographers whole website. You almost have to go searching for one as its not included on the first page.

The text on the page is informative information relating to the photograph we see, and underneath is the same list of options we can see on the front and first page, this again proves that you can access all areas of the sight with ease.
There is a simple back and forth arrow to go through the collection of the images in that particular set which allows us to take control of the website and look through them at our own pace. A great positive.

The lase page i decided to analyse was the contact part of the wesbite. With most websites I have seen there has been numerous links to different email adresses which can sometime be annoying and take more time than needed to contact someone about certian information.
Bettina's Contact information simply includes one email, which doesn't state limitations of questions you can ask etc. This makes the whole process seem really quick and easy which means people will more than likley email as it is not a significant amount of hassel you would often come across.

Overall Bettina's website is one of the most interesting I have come across (even though I have only looked at some in depth) I found it the most simple, and easiest to navigate around. I only takes a few seconds to find what you want. Along with this I have always found websites based around black and white backgrounds and font colours the best, there are less colour distractions so you can focus on the information instead of dominating features like bright colours.

Website Analysis 1 - Taryn Simons

I decided to take Taryn Simons as one of the photographers websites I would analyse, mainly because so far with in my year and a half of studying at UCS, she has been mentioned in almost every module of mine and been a great influence throughout.http://www.tarynsimon.com

The first thing I done was look at the first page, the one which tells you whether or not you want to continue to look at the site, or divert off of it due to the unpleasing aesthetics.

Taryn Simons introduction page at first glance looks pretty confusing, and full of information. Saying this, the background is plain black, and the writing is white which i think it a great way to keep something looking professional and simple. I think that lots of bold bright mixes of colours is to much and can sometimes misslead and put people off your website.
Her first page contains links on the left hand side which lead you to different areas of her work in a separate page, after a drop down menu gives you options of what you want to look at. Very quick, easy and efficent.

She also has photographs of her recent collaboration on the first page, styled in a grid format showing a ride range of the collection. This is good as it gives the viewer a varied taster of her work, but it also look quite overpowering and chaotic in contrast to the plain text and background colours. This part of her page gets updated regularly.

Further down the page there is a long list of all of her instillation views and where they were held. This gives us a great idea of the popularity ofTaryns work and alos allows us the correct information to research different areas. I think its great that this is included in her website, and its an important part, but I am not sure that it has to be shown on the very first page. Although there is a drop down menu titled "insillation views" i dont feel that it is needed twice on the website.

 

 

I deicded to then click on 'Works' and look at how she has presented her famous series 'A living man declared dead and other chapters'. The link worked really quickly and with one click I was directed to a page full pf writing, with a page number at the bottom and arrows each side. Daughting at first site seeing a few paragraphs but i began to realise it was a c lever way of allowing people to read into the work, before they view the photographs. You can self-direct the photographs and move along the collection as quickly or as slowly as you want. The worst thing on a website is when they have a set up slideshow which cannot be viewed at your own pace!

The images when viewing them are nice and big, and i think that not having 10 all on the same page, where you click each image to enlarge it is very effective and allows you to concentrate on each photograph individually. It also allows you to be suprised with each image to come, as you have not seen them all on the popular grid before hand.

Her biography is very simple and allows a quick read, which is what everyone is looking for, it also has very simple font and colours keeping it minimal and bareable.
The contact page on Taryn Simons website is easily accessible and allows you to write to her information services via email to ask any questions.

Overall I think although the website seems to be packed full of stuff, it still seems to hold simplicity well due to the colours and fonts used. The links to get to each required destination on the page afre very easy to see, and the fact that the drop down menu text is the biggest on the page helps us to navigate around easier.

I think its a great pleasure to look at Taryn Simons work online, and read all about her due to the 'everyone friendly' layout and content.

Website Analysis 2 - Alec Soth

 

The second photographers website i decided to study was Alec Soths. Mainly because I am familair with his business blog 'Little Brown Mushroom'. His blog posts in my eyes are constantly pushing people to buy his work and this seems the only time its ever updated, therefore I wanted to see what his website was like in comparison.

The first time I went onto Soth's website I instantly thought it was trying to be quite humerous, and I didn't take it very seriously. Although this factor did make me want to look at more.

The layout of the website is very simple, with only blues whites and blacks used the first page doesn't put you off with a chaotic feel at all. We are given a very brief introduction and simply 6 drop down menus to the left hand side of the page. Easy to navigate to and effectivly quick.

The font Alec Soth has used for his introductory 3 sentences as ther most dominating part of the entery page fits in well with the content. Compared to other websites it is a slightly different less simle and professional font, but works well with what he has written nevertheless.

I decided to click on the Project tab along the side, where i was then confronted with 6 different bodies of work to look at. When clicking on one it simple comes up with 2 photographs. One being an image containing text which informs us of the project we are looking at (most of them being a book he has made), and the other is an exhibition of the work I want to look at. Although when I click on the photo it comes up slightly bigger, I still want to see each images big and individually instead. I found this quite dissapointing.

\The layout is fairly simple which is good, meaning its easy to navigate and know where to go back or forth on the page.

The CV tab includes a long list of Soth's work, commisions, and exhibitions. Along with this is a more in depth description of him and his work. A great place to go for research!

The Press section is very similar and includes tons of usful infromation which is layed out very simply which is inviting and doesn't seem to much to read due to the way each bit of information is seperate.

The contact section has a few different links to different people who we could contact regarding Soths work or for any information we want to know, this is a crutial and useful option on any website! Its layed out simple and allows us to navigate where we want to simply.

The links section is useful and allows us to visit different areas of LBM. Great marketing!

Overall i think this website it great when it comes to layout due to how simple and easily accessed it is to anyone wanting to view it. The only thing I don't like about the website is the lack of options to view his photographs seperatly. I think this is one of the most important factors, and when you can skip through images at your own pace it helps to satisfy us and keep us engaed with what we are looking at. Soths website could easily be mistaken for boring due to the simlicity, but does give us useful information on the photographer himself.

Website Reviews

1&1 Website Review after my initial research


Unless your business is particularly obscure, most of the work will be done already for you when signing up to this website. You enter your business name and address during sign up and these details appear on the site automatically, along with a Google map of your location. Therefore the first step set up stages are really easy.

The site couldn't be simpler to change and update. Everything is done in a web browser, and you need only click on a page element to edit it, or add a new one. Editing the navigation menu and adding new pages is equally easy, all done with the click of your mouse. You can even change the entire look of your site by selecting a different template from the menu.

You get the choice of over 120 different templates once you have selected which area of business you work in. Once you enter your business type and select the closest match you simply edit the information to match your buisness. Whether you run a restaurant, bakery, photography business or an opticians, you'll find a template to match ranging in colours and layouts.
A main criticism of the original package was the lack of a way to sell products via the site. This has now been rectified, but e-commerce is available only in this Plus package and the Premium version (which costs £36 per month including VAT).
The Plus package also gives you a choice of 30 additional site designs, optimisation of viewing on mobile devices and a newsletter tool for sending out information to customers. You also get Facebook and Twitter integration plus RSS feeds for industry-specific news and a guest book for customer feedback. There's access to an image library with 12,500 free-to-use professional quality photos, plus integration with iStockPhoto's library where images have a one-off fee of £7.

Overall i think 1&1 is a good website for a starting up new business, it has lots of different templates which could suit any business. Saying this I don't think the website is as professional compared to other options I have explored. The primium website seems to be alot more flexiable and professional but very pricey at £36 a month plus VAT. Therefore I think I will pass on 1&1 and keep searching for a better one.



This review is based on my understanding and experiences when singing up to Wix

When typing in website templates and researching different sites to build my website, Wix seemed to pop up everywhere. I soon realised that it was a very popular website and therefore I decided to sign up and give it a test run to see if it was as simple, easy, fast and flexiable as people were claiming it to be on review websites.

The sign up process to Wix was really easy, simply type in an email adress, make up s udername and password and your in within 3 minutes of clicking on the website.

"Wix is the perfect website builder for artists, photographers, models or graphic designers who want one thing for their website: the wow factor. No other builder makes this as easy to achieve. Wix's committed support team was also a plus. They quickly resolved the few queries we couldn't find answers to on the wiki. However, we probably wouldn't recommend Wix if your priority is to attract as many visitors as possible to your website. Search engines are notorious for not liking Flash-based websites."Wix is very simple, and easy. It is very popular because of the word FREE posted everywhere, which is great, except from you only get a very basic website if you stick with this. Constant pop up will try to encoirage you to upgrade to the higher standard website design with the temptation of a free doamin and over £100 worth of advertising vouchers being offered.
The basic wix is a good start, but the URL for your website will not look as professional as it will contain Wix and not just your name and company, for the chance of having your very own domain, again it will be costly each month.

Saying this Wix made it very easy to set up a website, and very easy to delete one also. Although the one i set up and deleted was just a trial, and regardless of the errors which kept occuring on my website page when i wanted to update photographs etc. Wix is the best site i have looked at so far which doesn't have a monthly cost unless you upgrade. Even the upgraded version would be worth a shot.

Web Research Beginning

I've began to look at websites which I might use to create my own,
Although I haven't done much in depth research into each individual one heres a list of the options so far:
.1&1
.Wix
.Weebly
I am also considering Adobes Dreamweaver, but with my lack of knowledge on web design I am tempted to opt out of the hard route!
I want my website to be nice and simple, removing all distractions which don't relate to my work with the main focus being my imagery and content.
Although the above websites can provide this, they also can look less professional overall, and the URL's can sometimes look very tacky and cheap.
My budget is another factor which is setting me back from jumping straight in and starting my website. I want to find an affordable place which will fulfill my requirments, ones which will also give me full rain on when I want to update the website without having to incurr extra costs each time I do.

I will be researching all of the above and more web design sites over the next few days so I can eventually and finally start creating mine!

Making a website

I have taken this information from: http://www.physics.emory.edu/~weeks/misc/webadvice.html

It gives a very informative, and specific view of what to do and not to do when creating a website. Although it may not be to everyones taste, its quite in depth and allows me to think about all the different aspects of creating a website, from content to font size.

Making a Website:

1. Content first. The most important thing for a web page is content, some sort of information, something (hopefully) new. Links to other web pages aren't really content (unless your collection of links is truly unique for some reason). Fancy graphics are not content, unless you made them yourself, in which case they are definitely your content and worth putting on the web.
   Another way to state this is that when you start creating a home page, worry first about content, and last about font formats, cute graphics, and snazzy backgrounds. Content is far more valuable and interesting! Later you can go back and improve the visual appearance. (Which explains why some of my web pages are rather plain...)
   
2. No animated GIFs. And definitely no blinking text, either. The only animated GIFs I've seen that I liked were small little movies, where it is optional for you to look at them ( like on this page). Almost all animated GIFs are content-less, and are distracting and annoying. By the way, when I say "no animated GIFs," I especially mean those animated icons for email, and the animated icons for "under construction." In fact, I'd recommend losing any icon that says under construction -- what does it really add to a web page?
   
3. Don't move your web pages. If you can at all help it, that is. I really dislike it when someone decides to reorganize their web site, and I have to go through my web pages to change the links to their pages. This also messes up search engines which store your page in their database; search engines are how most people find your pages, very few people come in through your home/entrance page. Please, once you make a page, leave it where it is, unless you absolutely have to get rid of it for some reason. If you move your page, nobody can find it.
   
4. Don't steal. This should go without saying, but don't take images (or anything else) from other web pages, unless they give you permission. If you have to steal something, provide credit for what you're stealing. If you have permission to use something, you should still provide credit. I realize that this sort of theft usually will go unpunished, but it's extremely rude.
   
5. Frames are evil. Frames may seem clever, but I find them unhelpful when I'm surfing; also some browsers don't handle them properly (in fact, your pages aren't viewable at all with some browsers). In general, using frames for navigation can be replaced by putting a button-bar of some sort along the top or side of your pages (like the buttons at the top of this page). I just find it annoying to have to keep clicking in various little windows in order to navigate properly; it's also a pain to link to some internal portion of a web site that uses frames. If you still must use frames, allow people to choose a non-frames version of your page.
   
6. Don't mess up the link colors. When you follow a link, then return to a page, the link should be a new color, indicating you visited that link already. It's very frustrating to have a page full of links, and I investigate a few of them, and then I have to remember which ones I've already looked at. Make sure to set "LINK" and "VLINK" differently when you are specifying link colors -- this sets the color for links you haven't visited, and the links you have. Most often, it is the professionally designed pages that do this. Argh!
   
7. Be very careful with font sizes. Another problem with some professional looking web pages is eensey teensy little tiny fonts. Hey, maybe on your 640x480 pixel screen the writing looks huge. For those people out there using 1600x1200 pixels, your small fonts are unreadable. What really annoys me is that everybody can set their own default font size with their browser, yet some pages decide to override this. My advice: most of the text on your website should be the default size, such as the text on this web page. Then, people viewing their web page will always get to view it at whatever size is comfortable for them.

Folio

My portfolio box just arrived from Process Supplies London -  http://www.processuk.net/

I decided to buy an 8x10 portfolio box, and not go for a print box.
I found that from previous experience the print box tends to be more difficult to look at as you have to take the prints out of the box in order to see them, whereas a portfolio box opens to ones side, and you can slide the images into the lid to be viewed.

I will make sure all my prints are printed at 8x10 and no smaller to ensure they do not slide around in the box. I decided on an 8x10 size box as alot of my photographs will be printed from negatives on the digital enlarger, and when printing any bigger than 10x12, the images can start to pixelate.

With the 8x10 box i got the option to have the depth at 37mm or 65mm
I decided on 65mm, which I am now thinking may be to deep, but at the time and now still I am not sure how many prints I will be putting in the box. It was a 'rather be safe than sorry' situation.

The box itself at 8x10 with a depth of 65mm cost £38.50, but after VAT and postage the final cost was close to £50. Pricey!

Although I could have shopped around a bit more when trying to find a print or portfolio box, I am glad that I chose Process Supplies London as I know that the price I paid is for the quality of the product, which is the most important part for me in this case.

Now I just need to start scanning, resizing and printing my photos to go into the box!!

Constructing Narratives

Here are some of the images taken from my Constructing Narrative Module.

They will form the basis to my website when it is designed.

 

 

 

 

The images are based on the Essex Murders which accured in the late 90's. I used a newspaper archieve in Suffolk to dig out the articles realted to these murders. My plan was to hang the whole newspaper pages for my final project, but once I had experimented I found that the images looked much nicer when they were blown up without the text. The images contain detailed patterns from the pixels and grain as they went from being tiny passport size photographs, to 16x20 prints. The patterns then created my project, over the story I was focusing on in the first place.

 

This has been one of my favourite projects so far. I found the project difficult simply because I was not taking any images, just scanning in found imagery and printing them off. Although I was unsure on this idea at first I soon realised that it didn't matter whether the photographs were mine or not, because the idea was.

These images will become a main focus on my website once it is created, not only because I enjoyed the project the most, but because so far out of all of my projects this one has given me the most feeback. 

Photos Labs and Job Roles

Photo Labs UK

http://www.metroimaging.co.uk/home

http://www.theprintspace.co.uk/professional-photo-lab.php

www.dscolourlabs.co.uk/

http://www.genesisimaging.co.uk/news/genesisimaging.co.uk-new-services.html

http://spectrumphoto.co.uk/online-printing.php?source=google&gclid=CPzw1qH0krUCFcbLtAodWXUAOQ

http://www.ag-photolab.co.uk/

http://www.fujifilm.com/

http://www.bayeux.co.uk/

Jobs:

http://photolabhelp.com/forumdisplay.php?62-Employment

 Retouching, Mounting and framing, Developing film, Printing, Film lab services processing and printing

Photo Labs Research - Forensic Photographer

Forensic Photographer

Forensic Photographers are mostly known through detective shows such as CSI. While it may not always be quite as glamorous as depicted on TV, forensic photography is still a fascinating area of photography.
While it is the job of many other photographers to interpret a brief, it is the job of the Forensic Photographer to produce accurate, detailed photographs that faithfully record the location and evidence as clearly and as objectively as possible.
Forensic photographs are used for measurement or analysis, to accompany forensic reports, articles or research papers.
Since the subject matter often relates to accident, injury or criminal investigations, Forensic Photographers will be expected to be able to work efficiently in distressing and challenging environments, without disturbing other evidence or interfering with the work of other investigators.

§  Forensic Photographers produce a permanent visual record of the scenes of accidents and crime scenes for use as evidence in court.

§  They must be able to produce detailed recordings of all the available evidence at the scene, including overview photographs as well as accurate images of tire marks, fingerprints, footprints, blood spatters, bullet holes and other unique evidence at the scene.

§  They must also be able to take detailed photographs of injuries sustained through accidents or assaults and may also be required to photograph dead bodies

§  Many Forensic Photographers are forensic scientists employed directly by the police or a specialist forensic services company.

§  They work pre-defined shifts and enjoy the benefits of a salaried post.

§  There are also other independent Forensic Photographers who provide forensic photo imaging services to lawyers, insurance companies and some police forces.

§  Photographers specialising in forensic imaging are usually expected to work unsociable shifts, and be part of an on-call rota.

Typical career routes
While most Lead Photographers in Forensic Photography Units will usually have a strong background and qualification in photography, most Forensic Photographers start as Crime Scene Investigators or Scene of Crime Officers (SOCOs) before specialising in photography and forensic imaging.

While it is not necessary to have a formal photographic education in order to gain work as a CSI, some photographic qualification (e.g. BTEC National Diploma in Photography) or previous photographic experience will often enhance the chances of selection
.
Vacancies for Forensic Photographers are advertised in the national press and in specialist journals such as New Scientist, Police Review and the British Journal of Photography.

Essential knowledge and skills

§  Forensic Photographers need a thorough grasp of photographic principles, particularly those involving non-standard techniques, such as high-intensity and low level aerial imaging, as well as an appreciation of the importance of their work.

§  They must also pay close attention to detail, and take a meticulous approach to image and data recording.

§  They must be able to select and use the best equipment and techniques for the job in all environments and lighting conditions.Photographs must be correctly lit and exposed, have maximum depth of field, be free from distortion and be in sharp focus. Experience of digital imaging techniques is also desirable.

Training and qualifications
Forensic Photographers usually receive general training in crime scene photography once they have already been selected as a Crime Scene Investigator or a Scene of Crime Officer. The qualifications necessary to gain work as a CSI or SOCO are usually at least good passes at GCSE or Standard Grade, including English and either science (Biology/Chemistry) or Maths, and at least one A level or Higher in a science subject.

A typical route to employment a Forensic Photographer is to complete a recognised course in photography (e.g. City & Guilds or BTEC National Diploma in Photography) and to apply for jobs with police forces or specialist forensic service companies, taking advantage of subsequent on the job training.

There are also some specialist courses that deal with forensic photography and forensic imaging, as well as photo imaging modules on forensic science degree courses. More specialised training in Fingerprints, Footwear, Vehicle Examination, Lighting and Documents is often conducted within the photographic units of the police forces or forensic science companies. Some employers may also support work-based courses, such as NVQ/SVQs.

Employers may support work-based qualifications, such as Apprenticeships and NVQ/SVQs. Photo Imaging NVQ/SVQs are currently available at levels 2, 3 and 4.

Health & Safety
All photographers need to understand Health & Safety legislation, and should be capable of assessing and managing the risks and potential dangers associated with the use of electrical lighting, equipment and props. Forensic Photographers may be subject to physical stresses from carrying heavy camera equipment and lighting, indoors and out, in all seasons and all environmental conditions. They should therefore seek advice about appropriate techniques for lifting and moving equipment. There may also be a range of other risks specific to their area of work and they should seek suitable training in appropriate risk management procedures and best practice.

Photo Labs Research (Lab Manager)

Laboratory Manager

·         The Lab Manager oversees all the work going through the photographic laboratory at any one time, and plans for the work expected in the future.

·         He or she acts as an interface between the clients and the technical staff, and must continually anticipate and resolve potential problems and production bottlenecks to ensure the laboratory runs smoothly.

·         This is a pivotal, multi-tasking role that requires strong leadership skills and the ability to think on your feet. 

·         The Lab Manager must be able to quickly assess situations, find solutions and take decisive action, often under pressure of deadlines. In some establishments, this role is referred to as Production Manager.

What is the job?
The Lab Manager organises and controls all aspects of the laboratory environment. They supervise general workflow, professional customer service and the maintenance of equipment, as well as quality control, pricing, purchasing and the day-to-day running of the lab.

·         The Lab Manager must have excellent customer service skills in order to liaise with photographers and designers.

·         They must negotiate charges and deadlines, monitor output, and respond quickly to breakdowns, bottlenecks or supply problems.

·         They must set up clear communication channels, and develop systems and strategies to deal with a fast-moving and sometimes unpredictable workload.

·         It is also important to keep up with new technological developments and help to improve productivity, profitability and client satisfaction.

The Lab Manager must:

·         Organise and manage the workflow in the laboratory

·         Co-ordinate activities throughout the laboratory

·         Delegate work amongst the various technicians

·         Monitor outputs and keep records of workflow and usage of supplies

·         Supervise the ordering and delivery new supplies

·         Test and calibrate equipment to ensure optimum results, monitor chemistry in equipment

·         Perform quality tests and ensure the company meets it quality assurance standards

·         Oversee customer services to maximise sales

·         Promote the continuing professional development of staff and oversee the training of trainees

·         Make risk assessments for the laboratory and ensure that the company's Health & Safety policy is observed

·         Offer cover for other staff when required

·         Evaluate and assess new equipment

The Lab Manager may also be involved in the development and introduction of new products and services to encourage the growth of the business.

Lab Managers often work long hours; however, they are usually fairly well paid and enjoy the benefits of a regular salary, holidays and a company pension.

Typical career routes
Most Laboratory Managers working today started in a technical position such as film processor or photographic printer before moving into to a management role.
In larger laboratories, Laboratory Managers may have the opportunity to progress into a more specialised management, marketing or product development positions.

Essential knowledge and skills

The Lab Manager must possess excellent colour vision and have an excellent eye for colour, contrast, density and other graphic effects.

They should possess good analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills. They should have a positive, pro-active attitude and pay close attention to detail.

They need first class planning and time-management skills, and must have the ability to motivate staff. They should be a good listener and have the ability to communicate ideas and instructions clearly and concisely.

They should be able to understand graphs and accounts, maintain accurate records, and put together schedules and reports.

They need an excellent all round knowledge of all the equipment and processes used in the laboratory, as well as good IT and Digital Imaging skills. They must be calm and level headed, and be able to make rational decisions even when under time pressure. An experience and interest in photography is also useful in order to help clients and customers achieve the results they are looking for, as well as to help develop new products and services.

Training and qualifications
Since most Lab Managers progress into this position from a technical position within the laboratory, there are no set qualifications for this role. However, employers usually expect the Lab Manager to combine excellent technical and managerial skills with extensive experience of professional laboratory and/or retail minilab work.

Some form of management training course such as an NVQ/SVQ in Management may be useful. However, employers usually place more value on applicants who have training and experience in the operation of most forms of processing, digital imaging and printing equipment, as well as more traditional photographic processes.