caitlinchanphotography

[caitlinchanphotography]

Calculations

To evaluate my productivity, I have calculated the time I spent on this project. 

In every week, there have been 2 full days in college. Through each college day, I spent 5 hours working.

2 days x 5 hours = 10 hours

This continued on for about 12 weeks.

10 hours x 12 weeks = 120 hours 

I have also done an estimate of 15 hours in my own time every week.

15 hours x 12 weeks = 180 hours

120 hours + 180 hours = 300 hours 

Researching - 52 hours [ 17.3% ]

Reflecting - 48 hours [ 16% ]

Planning - 51 hours [ 17% ]

Testing - 45 hours [ 15% ]

Taking Pictures - 50 hours [ 16.7% ]

Editing - 54 hours [ 18% ]

Throughout my other projects, I have always struggled with the same difficulty. Which was to complete my project evenly towards different parts of the assignment. In this final major project, I believe I have finally achieved my goal and was able to complete each task with an even amount of hours. 

Above I have calculated the percentage of my productivity and put it into a pie chart. All the tasks are done between 45-55 hours which seems to be quite constant and steady.

[caitlinchanphotography]

Final Evaluation

Research

At the start of the project, it was harder to get ideas and inspiration compare to other projects as this does not have a set topic. I was quite lost since this assignment is self-directed and I was too used to following the brief given to me. To help myself gain ideas, I created a detailed mind map of all the ideas I had that could possibly be my topic for this final major project which included the use of photo manipulation to portray abstract topics such as natural disasters, or a fashion related theme. I then converted those ideas into a mood board to help myself narrow down what I would like to do for this project. However, through a group discussion, my peers have stated that my idea is ambitious and interesting, however, it may be better if I did a topic based on my passion rather than just a topic that many other artists have done before. Based on this reaction and feedback, I have changed my thoughts towards the theme of my project and changed it into something that I am passionate about. 

My main research would most definitely be Ren Hang’s work. Without his art inspiring me along the way, there wouldn’t be meaning towards the project. I have done many research based on him, such as article research on his death, a secondary research on primary research interview, and a lot of image analysis. However, to complement this research, I have also looked into other artists that did similar work compared to Ren. This includes research on artists such as Staudinger+Franke, Elena Kalis, Guido, Marc Laroche etc. 

I also gained ideas and inspiration from the world around me. Exhibitions were one of the most influential ways I got inspired, especially when the exhibition is about culture as I was able to understand how other cultural art was like while I was studying about Chinese cultural art. I have gone to a total of 3 during this project. I also did research outside of the art field of photography and looked into the similarity of Chinese painting with Ren Hang’s images. These are a few ideas on how other things around the world has inspired me.

I believe that I had to do a lot of research to be able to communicate well behind the ideas of my project. Through each concept, I had to do a large amount of research and analysis followed up after that. I do believe that my concepts are solid due to the fact that I have done a wide variety of research that includes enough depth.

Concept

For this self-directed project, I have decided to base my project on Chinese photographer, Ren Hang, that recently committed suicide. He has been my inspiration for many years and has encouraged me to pursue my passion towards photography. It was a truly devastating event and was extremely unfortunate. Many artists have expressed their gratitude towards Ren and stated online how much he meant to them. Ren was not just an ordinary photographer, he moved people with his images and inspired many around him. 

By using Ren Hang as a core inspiration for my project, I was able to stay motivated throughout the whole project. The concept of my project was to understand Ren as an artist and a person through analysing his images and trying to portray the same concept using the same techniques through my own images. However, my idea was changed and narrowed down to the concept towards relating his images to Chinese culture and values. Through this, I would still be able to connect with Ren Hang as well as create the art that he once did. Since his culture was a major part of his life, it reflected through his images deeply which allowed me to use this as a core concept for understanding Ren as an artist and a person. 

Throughout the whole assignment, I have produced 3 mini projects. Each project was based on the analysis of Ren’s image and using his concepts to portray towards my own images. The first mini project, I have analysed was Ren’s portrait of a man in a bathtub with goldfishes surrounding him. I used the Chinese symbolism of goldfishes and water as the main concept of this shoot, which was described as luck fortune and the will to survive. 

The second mini-project was based on hair movement. Ren did a series of images of women in both outdoors and indoors of hair movement portraits. I related these towards Chinese idioms rather than symbolism. Since it’s quite artistic, it relates well to Chinese expressions and the way that it is described. The few Chinese idioms related towards hair expressed relationships and connections, the feel of being carefree and without stress, and also an over exaggeration that could be used towards fear. I believe that all 3 of these can apply towards my images for this project, however, is more related towards the carefree aspect as a form of letting go which was then expressed through the movement of the hair. 

The last mini-project was based on the Chinese symbolism of butterflies. In Chinese culture, butterflies represent love, beauty, appreciate and a happy social life. Using this concept, I did a portrait shoot with the subject covered in butterflies as to express the overwhelming feeling of the positivity of life wrapping one’s life. 

I do believe that the work I produced communicates the ideas behind my project well. I have done a lot of research and testing to be able to portray the meaning behind it. My ideas did not change throughout the project, however, I did make a lot of adjustments before I finalised the project proposal. Since it was self-directed, I did not fully understand what I wanted to do for this project at the very start, therefore, I believe that it is normal for me to change ideas during that period of time. 

Core Skills

In terms of English skills and literature, I believe that I have applied this a lot towards my project through constant analysis and annotations.

I have applied a lot of Math skills during this project. I have done so for the 4D element side as I had to edit videos and change some of the speed, which I had to apply some math skills. I also provided a lot of visual aid such as gifs. To create a gif, I would put the speed to either 700 or 800 milliseconds, I do believe that the frame and the speed of the gif did improve my math skills and would definitely be easier for me to create gifs in the future. 

I also have done a lot of primary research resulting in some data that I had to put into pie charts or bar charts. This was incredibly useful as I was able to express my data in a fast and efficient way. A lot of calculating went behind understanding how much I should charge a client if I were to do a commercial shoot. This would definitely be helpful in the future and has improved my math skills in terms of calculating prices and time. 

One of the most important math skills that I apply in every project, is the camera settings. I did a lot of studio shoot, therefore, calculating and balancing the light sources was important and I had the help of a light meter to make things easier for me. 

Technique

I have advanced some of my techniques and skills during this assignment. For example, I did a lot of 4D work, such as time lapses and the day in the life video. This was not something new for me to discover, however, I do believe I improved in terms of editing and visual aspects. I also was able to experiment with different photography techniques I learnt from the artists' research. This was solely based on the visual aspects of images, and it was quite ambitious to try out different things. For technical skills, I learnt more techniques for studio shoots that either taught in the studio refresh workshop or my own studio shooting experience. I also got to advance my skills in using film cameras and scanning them onto the computer which is something very exciting to me. 

Character Development

I believe that I developed a lot as a photographer and a person. Throughout this assignment, I understood to respect others, especially my peers and tutors. I was open to others opinions, which was shown through group discussions. I communicated well through peer reviews and group activities that allowed me to get the best of workshops through working together with others. 

Due to the fact that this is a self-directed project, I was able to choose a topic that I was passionate about. This lead me to stay motivated and was extremely engaged towards this project. With this drive, I was able to overcome barriers and problems that occurred during the assignment. Examples include the SD card problem from the goldfish bath photo shoot, or when the butterflies stickers did not work during the studio shoot. 

I believe I have been a responsible student and photographer throughout this whole project. When borrowing equipment, I made sure that I was on time to collect as well as return them. I also arrived to class on time to avoid disturbing the tutors and my peers. By doing this, it has helped me receive and share a different point of views and certainly has helped develop as a person and my own thoughts. In my assignment, I had to work with others a lot. Whether it is through workshops and group activities or for my own project, I still kept professional manner and was able to achieve goals by working with others. 

I think I managed my stress level quite well as I kept my blog the week up to date to help me make sure I have done what I needed to do and sort out what needs to be done in the coming week. This acted as a quick time plan each week and allowed me to stay on track. It helped keep me up to date with deadlines and goals, therefore I did not experience much stress or pressure. I believe that I was more punctual in this project compared to the previous ones. With the blog the week system, I was able to keep my blog more up to date, whereas the previous projects there were many times that I did not post my work and kept things in my drafts. 

I definitely did put much more effort into my work in this final major project and was shown through all my research, reflection, editing, planning, testing, 3D and 4D work. I believe that I was doing a tough topic for this project, therefore resulted in me working and putting a lot of effort into it. This was also a topic that I was passionate about, therefore I take pride in the presentation of my work as the different stages of my work helped me succeed an amazing final product. 

I have faced many challenges throughout this project. There were many technical issues, which included an SD card problem in the middle of the shoot, which was a large inconvenience. However, was solved through exchanging for another one. I did not fully understand how the problem came to be before asking a tutor. After understanding the fact that I had to format my card first minimised the chances of mistakes in the next shoots. Another example was when I did not have enough money to buy all the goldfishes for the first shoot to completely gather the full concept of Ren Hang's image. However, I was able to overcome this by thinking smart and using the technology to my advantage to create an image digitally. There were also other challenges, such as the lighting problem of using flash studio lights in both the hair movement shoot and the butterfly shoot. Eventually, all problems were solved and were able to get decent images out of the shoots.

Professionalism

Through this assignment, I learnt a lot on how to work professionally in the creative industries. Since I looked for models in a photography group on Facebook, this means I would be working with others that are not my peers and not familiar with my work. The utmost professional behaviour is needed in terms of working with others, especially with a crew or a model. I did get to experience with others that were familiar with photography work which is great to build connections in the art industry. I also learnt how to properly take images for a client through the Mount Edgcumbe shoot. Other than properly taking images and matching the client brief, I understood how to calculate my hours and the worth of my work which lead me to figure out how much I would charge the client if this were a real commercial work. 

I also did a survey on my professionalism which was aimed to question the models and subjects that I have worked with. This helped me find out what I need improving and what I did well in terms of professionalism judging from the time that I spent working with them. I found out that I need to be professional through communication and be more engaging. It was stated that I was incredibly respectful and responsible, however, through the communicative and engaging side, there still needs improvement. 

Enjoyment/ Engagement

In this final major project, I enjoyed taking images and working with others the most. I was able to develop more as a photographer and learn how to professional work with others, especially those who are already in the art industry. 

I least enjoyed doing all that research before a shoot. Although it is necessary, I do believe it is sometimes frustrating when one has a solid concept in mind but cannot continue without more research on artists or other people's work.

High Points and Low Points

Overall, I am proud of the amount of effort I put into this project. I am not only just glad that I did a lot of research, I am proud of every aspect that I put into this project and the outcome of it. All the effort I put into this was worth every single bit. However, if I had to choose, it probably would be the images produced as it has allowed me to expand my portfolio and develop my skills as a photographer.

For the 2nd year, I would like to work on my skills as a photographer and try out different techniques. I feel like I came across a lot of technical issues and problems during this project and would definitely like to work on that to improve my professionalism. 

Thoughts of Audience

I have had a lot of positive feedback towards my work which makes me proud of my efforts. Throughout my project, I have always found peer feedback to be very helpful. I was able to find out what I had to improve on, which included more evidence towards experimentation, and more critical analysis. Previously, one of my peers has also stated that I could be more clear towards my project proposal as they were unsure what type of photos I would produce. 

[caitlinchanphotography]

Professionalism Survey

By the end of this project, I have worked with multiple people to be able to achieve the images that I produced. I created a survey to question them on my professionalism and find out what I could improve judging from the time that I spent with them working on this project. 

The first question is to question the rate of the participant's satisfaction. 4 people are satisfied with our shoot, whereas only 1 is pleased. I am quite proud as none is unsatisfied, which is quite positive so far.

The second question is an open-ended question which would help understand specifically what the participant wants me to improve on. 2 stated that I could be more professional whilst setting equipment up, whereas the rest stated that I could communicate and be more engaged. I definitely would say that I am quite shy and sometimes would talk a while before I really communicate well with others. I think this is a problem when it comes to professionalism and I need to learn to become more confident. 

The last question was "Which qualities were shown during the shoot". The participants were allowed to choose more than one, ticking off which they have seen during the shoot. 100% of participant believed that I was respectful and responsible. However, 80% thought that I was communicative and engaging. Just like the answers above, I need to be more communicative and engaging.

[caitlinchanphotography]

Peer Evaluation

My peer assessment for Lauren Luckie:

My peer’s proposal was clear and concise which states her goals in this final major project. She has given a wide variety of examples through mood boards or research on what she is aiming for and how to do it creatively.  

A wider contextual theme, such as books or surveys could be explored further rather than the usual website research. The visual language should be more consistent and descriptive through analysis of both her own work and artist works. Could analyse own’s work more and talk about the strengths or disadvantages of the shoot.

My peer has done a large amount of consistent research, however, it could be improved by incorporating a wider range of primary research and sources. At the moment, the research is continuous and shows great evidence of her thought process within it, but could compare and contrast more or use analytical phrases to describe what she thinks about it.

There is evidence of an understanding of improvements, however, I believe my peer needs to demonstrate more solutions through her practical by doing a few more test shoots. My peer is able to identify goals and autonomously ask others for help and give feedback, but I don’t see a great amount of development in problem-solving in practical skills.

My peer needs to include risk assessments and model release forms. However, there is evidence that she has planned out her shoots well and got a good outcome from it. A good amount of experimentation was shown, but with the amount of research, there could be more examples of taking inspirations from artists.

My peer has evidenced and compared some techniques of her shoot and other artists. She could include more practical work and experimentation after analysing how to improve. There’s a lot of thoughts put into the aesthetic side of the images and should incorporate thoughts on the techniques or lighting beforehand.

My peer was able to experiment and compare her own work with other artists and was definitely effective and beneficial towards her project. Could include more critical analysis of artists and own’s work. After every shoot, she evaluates and reflects on her actions and does speak of what she thinks about the images.

For my peer’s progression work, she has included a clear 5-year plan and a few of her goals. She could explain how she could achieve these goals further, but it seems my peer has a great understanding of her future aspirations and clarify her ambitions.

She has also added all the required aspects needed for Unit 9 but could have more independent work or research. There is evidence of creating an online portfolio but can analyse and explain more on how it came to be and what struggles were there with creating one. My peer could also explain why she chose these certain images to showcase in her portfolio. There is also evidence of creating a LinkedIn but was not included in the progression tags.

According to the character matrix, my peer has done a lot of self-driven practical work and taken responsibility to plan out her research and shoots. However, I believe in terms of professionalism, there is room for improvement.  There could be more evidence of engagement and commitment towards Unit 9.

There is evidence of English skills developing, however, it could improve through more analysis on research and own’s work. Maths skills were shown when evaluating camera technical skills and could be improved through some data on primary research.

Lauren's peer feedback for me:

There has been a lot of consistent work, her production is relevant to her research and the visual language has been used effectively to describe the things she has looked at. I haven’t seen much critical analysis or comparisons - soon to be posted.

Caitlin’s research is very in-depth and she has looked at a wide range of research types such as interviews as well as websites. The research was well analysed and independent.

There was a brief overview of problem-solving, but could possibly be more proof.

Planning is excellent and production is good too. More evidence of time planning could be useful.

Caitlin's practical skills are good and technical skills in Photoshop are good too.

Good evaluations of her own work, long and in depth - could add more comparison.

Excellent Unit 9 work, very clear ambitions and goals and lots of research into what is available to her and how she can achieve it.

There is good evidence of engagement with subjects, I think Caitlin has an excellent commitment to her work and has very clear ambitions.

Excellent use of maths in surveys and charts.

Good use of English in evaluations and reflections.

[caitlinchanphotography]

Studio Shoot Time Lapse

This was the time lapse video of the previous shoot. I found this one quite interesting as I was doing this with a model I found online. I stayed as professional as I can and was able to work efficiently. It was interesting to watch this shoot back on time lapse as it shows the whole process of the photo shoot. I would certainly want to try shooting with a DSLR instead of always using the iphone time lapse effect, however the convenience is truly a life saver. My camera does not have a time lapse setting therefore I would need a different solution if I wanted to shoot another time lapse.

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Model Release Form - Ola Puppet

This is the model release form from the subject in my previous shoot.

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Butterflies - Edited Images

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Butterflies Comparison - my image vs Ren Hang 

Camera Settings:

ISO- 100 Shutter Speed- 1/125 Aperture- f/8 

In terms of technical skills, I was able to accomplish this through using a light meter. I used an ISO of 100 to get the best quality and a shutter speed of 1/125 as it is the fastest I could go when using the flash lighting. I found this out due to my previous studio shoot on hair flip and realised that the flash lighting would not work if I went any faster. 

In my image, it seems to be quite soft and elegant, whereas in Ren's image it's bolder and powerful. I have kept the concept of using warm tones in Ren's image and was able to apply that towards my image. I chose to use black and white butterflies because the subject already had coloured hair to compliment the concept of positive colours. If I have used different coloured butterflies, I believe that the colours would be too vibrant for the image. 

I applied similar body language towards my image as I wanted it to portray a similar concept. I believe the body language of the subject is a big aspect of this topic as there are only two elements in Ren's image that stand out. However, I allowed the subject to move her hands a bit and have it also in the frame as it can capture the Chinese value and idiom of feminity and love. 

[caitlinchanphotography]

Annotated Analysis - Butterflies

I have put my images into a smaller mood board and decided to annotate them to help me analysis them efficiently. 

There are some close up shots and some half body. Many of the images have similar annotations such as overexposed, underexposed, awkward angle or position etc. Previously, I have stated that there were many problems and difficulties that I came across during the shoot. Therefore through annotating my mistakes with my photographs, I would be able to learn from them and understand how did those mistakes come to be. 

I think that most of the negative annotation was based on the problems occurred in the shoot, and some were my lack of experience working with others and directing the subject on her poses. I had a few in mind, however, was not able to direct her throughout the whole shoot. Luckily, the subject understood how to work without direction and freestyle for a period of time. 

[caitlinchanphotography]

Butterflies - Photo Shoot

Above is the full contact sheet of the studio photo shoot. 

The photoshoot didn't really go as planned and I was not able to follow any of my visual sketches. Although the visual planning was based on the placement of the butterflies, I was not able to follow it as they did not stick very well. Especially if I wanted to stick them on the subject's face, it would be almost impossible due to the makeup blocking contact from the skin to the sticker, therefore causing it to not work or stick. This resulted into planning on the spot and not being able to change it afterwards as the butterflies won't stick again after it was used already. This was truly inconvenient for me and the subject. 

During the shoot, I have styled the subject's hair to 2 different hairstyles. However, I most certainly regret not trying to put the subject's hair into a bun. Looking back at the photos now, it seems that the hair was covering the butterflies on the subject's chest and neck, which resulted in very few images revealing them. 

There was also a bit of difficulty with the flash lighting. There were times when the image came out either overexposed or underexposed. Although I used a light meter to help calculate the right settings of the camera, I still was not able to solve this. My only thoughts on this were that the subject and I were constantly moving, causing the calculations to be not as accurate every single shot. I had to constantly change the shutter speed to be able to keep the lighting balanced as well.

The subject was not able to move too much as well due to the delicacy of the butterflies. She may only move to do simple angle poses. However, through this, I was still able to get some good shots that I am proud of. 

Overall, I thought that this photo shoot wasn't as efficient and enjoyable as the others that I have done. There were a lot of problems and difficulties which only made things inconvenient. However, looking at the images, I do believe that there are some shots that are shot well and I will continue to edit them and present my work proudly for my significant effort.

[caitlinchanphotography]

Butterfly Shoot - Mood Board

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Props Search

I decided to search on eBay to see if could purchase any suitable props for the photo shoot. I came across this "18 Pcs 3D Butterfly Shape Decals Fridge Wall Stickers DIY Art Room Decor Charm". It had an ideal price for a simple prop and seemed to deliver quite fast considering that it comes from a different continent. The shipping was free and if I needed more than 1 set, the price wouldn't be too expensive.

After ordering it, it came within a week and I was able to test out the butterflies. It looked quite realistic and detailed. There were some stickers included, which allowed me to stick the butterfly on my skin for a test. It seemed to be a good quality product and stuck quite well. I shook my hand and it did not come off which has proven to be a suitable prop for the photo shoot. 

[caitlinchanphotography]

Blog of the Week 11

May 29th - June 4th

I have done more than expected this week. I've done the overall Mt Edgcumbe evaluation, edited all the images and started on my new image analysis. 

This topic is based on the Chinese symbolism of butterflies. I have done both primary and secondary research and believe that I used my time efficiently.

One of the main difficulties of this week is the lecture on British Values. Since I am familiar with a different cultural background, it was quite hard for me to keep up and understand what the statue of democracy in Britain is currently. There is an upcoming election which I just found out about and was quite hard for me to follow as I did not really understand any of the parties and what they wanted to give out to the society. However, I was able to understand the overall British values and how it relates towards the upcoming elections and the importance of it. 

Next Week's targets:

Research on props

Photo shoot Mood board

Actual photo shoot + Evaluation

[caitlinchanphotography]

Butterfly - Visual Planning

This is my visual plan for the photo shoot that I will organise. Following the research that I have done based on using butterflies as props and the meaning behind it, I have come up with 4 different ideas and sketched it out as my visual plan.

I am planning to use the same composition as Ren's image and have the photoshoot done in a white background in the studio. I would also use a softbox to minimise any shadows. Throughout these 4 different ideas, it's basically trying out different patterns to place the butterflies on the subject. 

In the first sketch, the butterflies are placed right to the left and diagonally to the right. In the second sketch, the butterflies are placed all over the subject's hair. In the third sketch, the butterflies are placed all over the face which is similar to Kirsty Mitchell's image of butterflies. For the fourth, I wanted to try something a bit more editorial and experiment with using a single butterfly instead. 

This is all based on visual elements rather than the concept and the meaning. Hopefully, I would be able to carry this out as planned.

[caitlinchanphotography]

Kirsty Mitchell

From my previous research, the only conclusion I have for achieving a successful shoot is to shoot with fake butterflies as props.

I have done prior research on Kirsty Mitchell in my previous project - CoLab. However, I only analysed the visual representation of her work. For this project, I will be looking into how she does her props. This would help me have a better understanding as to how I could achieve a good image through using props or the process of succeeding. 

Mitchell is widely known for her innovative images that require a lot of planning and time put into it. She uses a lot of props to bring out the image and the concept behind it. In her book, she described and talked about every prop that she used in each series. I definitely would like to learn from her and see the whole process of things. 

The image above is a page from the book featuring a prop for her Wonderland series. The umbrella was made with actual flowers and paper mache. Mitchell had the help of her team to pull off all of these props. I believe in doing these correctly, Mitchell had to plan out everything before hand. 

Through my lack of time, I do not believe that I have time to collab with a fashion or illustration student to create DIY butterflies. I am planning to search online to see if there are any artificial butterflies that I would be able to stick to a subject. 

Visually, in all of Mitchell's images, the props look as if it is a fantasy. The work is impeccable and I believe she keeps it as real as possible, by using real flowers and actual paper to create things. Especially in this image above, it is similar to as what I would like to achieve. The subject is being covered with butterflies through Mitchell's props. By viewing, I now know that the butterflies should be transparent in some areas for it to look realistic. As well as having the wings up in an angle. 

I can learn a lot from Mitchell's expertise in prop making as well as think up amazing concepts for them. It was definitely interesting to see how Mitchell was able to use the same visual idea as mine and use butterflies on a subject. 

[caitlinchanphotography]

British Values

Today we had a talk on British values and it seems to be quite important as there is an upcoming election. Since I am new to Britain, I do not have any prior knowledge towards British values, therefore I found this talk to be quite hard to follow for me. However, I am eager to learn along the way.

British Values:

Democracy

The rule of Law

Individual Liberty

Mutual respect for and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith

Knowing this, it would be incredibly helpful for me as a person and as a student. Although I am not from Britain's cultural background, I do believe I need to understand and respect the civil and criminal law of England. Knowing these values also applies towards the locality and society of England and would allow me to have a better behaviour and understanding for these.

In terms of democracy, the upcoming vote in the general election is on the 8th of June and everyone is encouraged to take part as much as possible and understand the system. 

The pie chart above shows the percentage of registered voters who voted and those who did not. There is a total of 64% in the last 2015 general election that voted and 34% that didn't. Although this may not seem serious since the majority are voting, however, judging by the pie chart above, it obviously shows that there is also a large part of those who did not vote. This shows that most elections are not shown to be a fair vote as there is still a large part of people who choose not to. Since this is a state governed system of democracy. the whole population has a right to vote and does not seem fair if such a large group does not.

Through this, there is about 40% of the 18-24 year-olds vote in the UK, which is the lowest young voters in the whole EU. About 2.5 million of them did not vote in the EU referendum, which expresses how a majority is due to the youngest voters not taking part.

I do believe that everyone should take part and vote for whatever they believe in. Therefore, understanding British values is incredibly important as it teaches self-knowledge and initiative to take part.

[caitlinchanphotography]

Book Research - Chinese painting

I wanted to know more about the Chinese cultural and traditional art forms. I stumbled upon this book, "Chinese Painting - Ideas and Inspiration" by Marguerite Franklin-Carrier in the library of Plymouth College of Art. 

It introduces the different aspects and symbols used in Chinese painting and calligraphy. It explains the symbolism of birds, fishes, insects, landscapes etc. of Chinese painting. This was definitely useful for me to further advance my understanding of Chinese art and be able to truly apply it towards my images. 

These are the two pages that are about insects and butterflies specifically. It is known that Chinese traditional painting is one of the purest art forms and can relate very well towards philosophy and poetry. There is elegance in the simplicity, which is similar towards Ren's images. It was explained that 'the relationship between different elements in a composition is always important.' The symbolic meaning behind these insects all have something special, which I believe I have researched earlier about it. 

Throughout this part of the book, it somewhat mainly describes how to paint these tiny insects. However, it was explained that with every stroke, there is passion and meaning towards the painting. 

This book has allowed me to open up my eyes towards Chinese traditional painting and how it relates towards different art forms and how it has influenced Ren and his culture as well.