Well well.... where do i begin ??
I will start off by saying that this year has been one of the happiest and most productive i have been in a long time, this course is one of the best things i have done so far and i have enjoyed every minute of it.
I have been interested in photography since i was 18 years old, i started off by traveling around Scotland and to places like Manchester and Liverpool shooting landscapes, I love Architecture, the layout of streets, cars and everything else that exists within the man made world.
My grandmother passed away in January 2010 and she was also a keen photographer, she would travel to places like Hawaii and Canada taking pictures of the city landmarks, she was the main photographer in our family and she had her own mini portrait studio in her Attic, she loved to take pictures of the wildlife in her back garden as well.
So in some respects i am now taking on the role as the family photographer in her memory.
I have struggled a lot with Depression and Anxiety over the last few years, i have also spoke out about having Asperger's Syndrome to the Lecturers and Students. So in a way i see Photography as a means of escaping the dark and difficult times.
Before i started studying NQ Photography, i applied many times through UCAS to study Fine Art Photography at the GSA and Photography at Edinburgh Napier University but i was unsuccessful at gaining a place at ether of them, so i have been very grateful that the City Of Glasgow College offered me a place.
The NQ course has taught me so much, before i used to take landscape photographs and thought that they looked great so they would go on social media for everyone's pleasure and i wouldn't even consider looking at the Aperture or the ISO settings.
I used to have a fear of taking photographs of people, it was always something i used to avoid but since the NQ course included so many portraiture projects, i have now overcame that fear and its now an aspect of photography that i enjoy very much.
The NQ course also introduced me to a whole new bunch of Photographers such as Nadav Kander, Linda Mccartney, Oscar Marzaroli and Albert Watson to name but a few.
I looked at these photographers as inspirations through plenty of research and working towards the production of my final photographs.
I have been introduced to a completely new adobe software which is Lightroom and this was the software that i frequently used to edit and optimize my final images.
I already new a bit about Photoshop but i was very rusty on it so it was great for me to refresh my skills and to learn new Photoshop techniques.
I have had the pleasure to meet and work with so many creative and highly talented people from all different backgrounds and some of them i would now consider to be my best friends, i am so glad that i got the chance to share all of these experiences with them.
This year i agreed to take on the role as a Class Rep, this was an amazing experience for me and i loved making sure that my fellow students opinions were heard not just throughout the Photography department but to the whole College as well it allowed me to get to know my classmate better in some respects and to develop myself as a person, this is also a great thing to have on your CV.
Finally i want to say a big thanks to Heather Richmond, Suzanne Galloway, Laura Liebnitz, Dawn Martin, Iain Campbell, Mark Dunlop and everyone at Student Services for seeing my potential and giving me the opportunity to develop the skills i need in order for me to fulfill my dreams and most importantly i want to thank everyone i have mentioned for all the guidance and support they have given me throughout the year.
So lets raise a few Beers and Rock n Roll to another year or two.
Thank You and God bless you all.
