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The opening event for ’17 Fountain took place on the 4th of June at Hull School of Art&Design, right next to the “Lasting Impressions” .

I have heard about the project few weeks ago, so on Saturday I had a chance to speak with the team, have a look at some souvenir urinals, representing/celebrating 200 years anniversary of Armitage Shanks and Marcel Duchamp submitting a urinal to the New York Society of Independent Artists for exhibition.

You can read more information and get all the application forms to submit your own project proposal:

’17 Fountain

I have looked at Marcel Duchamp’s in the past as one of the most fascinating moves from an artist to challenge the viewer.
When I was researching about Pop Art and Kitsch for my dissertation, I had a sense that Marcel Duchamp has stated to raise questions first – what is art.

I also appreciate that the celebration of this anniversary is taking place and new emerging artists can make their mark in the world of arts.

I am currently considering to apply for the project and write a proposal, but I am not quite sure what exactly I can offer.

I would like to connect this to my “death” themed project, but I have to sit down and look at the options.

On Saturday I also had a chance to visit Hull International Photography Gallery and exhibition by Oshami “Close To Abstract”

First things first – the new gallery space looks amazing, all done by amazing volunteers at POP and HIP Galleries. Love the carpet.

The exhibition itself at first doesn’t seem anything that I haven’t seen previously, but when taking my second circle around the gallery, images seem to change, the content looks different..By the end I was almost playing a guessing game with the photographs.

It is important that photograph gives the space for imagination and the artist has definitely achieved that.
Also exhibition is beautifully presented.

If you are interested, visit here for more info:
Close To Abstract by Oshami, HIP gallery, Princess Quay

On Friday, the big day for all Hull School of Art&Design Year 3 students finally came in a shape of a Degree Show. So did BA (Hons) Photography course exhibition “Lasting Impressions”.

For those who need a bit of a clarity – the Degree Show is our exam. The big task [sounds like an easy task, but hey – ask everyone – not as easy] is to have an idea/project free of choice and using skills gained in previous years, create a body of work that must be exhibited at the end of the year.

My thoughts, ideas and projects have been open to public throughout the year, as I frequently use “da blog” to share my research, projects, photographs and most important factor  – I have shared my journey through struggles, ups and downs, success and failures.

The end of the degree course has come to an end, but I am not ending my photographers journey.

I have grown in to a confident and highly-skilled photographer thanks to the Hull School of Art&Design, teachers [I’m definitely naming them] – Nathan Pidd, Alison Field, Matt Winterlich, Andrew Gillatt, Mark Terry, Anna Bean and Jane Jones. Off course, it has always been me – I have “miked the cow” as much as I possibly could and have climbed my way up driven by passion and hunger for success. I have joined ridiculous projects, written a dissertation, worked up to 30 hrs a week [bill money], moved house and taken care of my life.
I have also tried many different photography genres, so I have plenty of skills to choose from, when looking at my future.

And here I am, finishing my “official project documentation” for two modules, editing images and planning my future.

Ohh, did I mentioned the Degree Show??  haha…

Sorry..

We had our struggles as a group to compromise so many different photographer and personality needs, but got there at the end.

All week before the show we were there, hung up the prints and finished all the “little” jobs.
We also invited people that supported us, hired us and showed their interest..

The Degree is really important part of the third year, so the expectation was high, nerves and butterflies in tummy …

People started to arrive before 6 pm and the small reception area filled up quickly with members of public, teachers, staff and students.

For the Degree Show I had a dilemma – be a photographer or just enjoy the night and celebrate the fact that I have been a photographer for three years. As you can imagine, I struggled to make my mind up, so I took the camera “just in case”. When I was approached by Rachel from Sowdens-Sowdens  in question regards some photographs from the night, I quickly turned the camera on and tried to capture the moments, people and the mood of the opening night.
Although I am the master of multitasking, I must admit that it was difficult to photograph when you have to make sure that the show is going well, everyone who has come to see “Lasting Impressions” are greeted properly and that I get a chance to mingle with everyone…
I also only left the “Lasting Impressions” around 8:30 pm to have a quick look at the Fine Art “Fabricate and Form” exhibition, so I didn’t had the full coverage of the whole Degree Show..
Felt like I have let myself down a bit, but maybe I just gave myself a task that is just too big considering the circumstances.

For the official part, the poet Douglass Dunn had a little speech and we had a chance to hear his poems about lost communities in Hull.

When the official part finished, I was starting to feel the buzz, the happiness and sadness.

Throughout the night, I must’ve been in the autopilot, because a lot of these images are taken with my camera, but clearly not by me…it was a storm of people, conversations, gatherings, mingling and posing.

This is BA (Hons) Photography 2016 graduates and their teachers Mark and Andy, missing Aimee and Anna Bean…Oh Kate and Laura, Erin’s interpreters should be in the group photograph too. Kate and Laura been beside Erin, helped to blossom in to a confident photographer and been really awesome people to meet.
Oh, here they are:

As we invited quite a few people, we had to keep an eye for them to come.

My biggest supporters this year have been eskimosoup and John Gilbert.
I was really to pleased to see them at the show and hear more inspiring words.

I also invited David Burns, as I was on his show BBC Radio Humberside David Burns Show and shared my project “End Of Life” and Funeral Photography with his listeners.

He was really lovely and encouraged me to come on the show again when I get my project going with Dove House Hospice.

Regards to the Dove House Hospice – Linda and her sister from the hospice came to greet and congratulate me. I was surprised and happy to see their lovely faces there.

Laura Senior invited Peter Levy to “Lasting Impressions” and she succeeded. he came and it was really lovely to see that he was interested in Laura’s work, story and spent some time with her.

The group and I were not missing an opportunity for a group photo and show him other student achievements.

He seemed to love AJR Photographs panoramas covering subject of revisiting Constable paintings and the locations where they were painted.

Here’s other student creations:

A. Firth Photography

Natalie Hill and her awesome ideas about how the body image of women are perceived in this decade.

Gina Watts and her surreal photographs themed around hallucinations and alzheimer’s.

Erin Ridsdale and her obscure long exposure “star-eyed” photographs.

And me – celebrating “End Of Life”

When looking at my final three photographs, I can see effort, struggles and success, but I don’t feel like “Final Best” have been displayed. I try to keep in mind my journey and how I have developed the idea and what my future plans are, but it feel’s like if I just had more guts and time…if…

I don’t have Walter Schels-like images up on the wall, I haven’t changed world with these photographs and haven’t fully discovered my Latvian heritage through the medium…

The good news – this kind of torture gives my project big future and heartbeat, but the patience and dedication will give me the result eventually.

 

Around 8:30 pm I tolled down the Fine Art “Fabricate and Form” exhibition and took a few snaps, congratulated girls.

Also I had a little look at the hand made frames that Shauna have done herself.

And than the kind security of Hull College asked us to leave…

It was an amazing night, overwhelming is the most popular word of how to describe it.

The next day I had no time to recover as I had to have a look at the full exhibition and two other Exhibition Openings at the Princess Quay Shopping Centre.

Evaluation – good quality, high standard and some rally interesting new artists hopefully will impress potential clients.

This probably is not the only blog post about the exhibition, as I attend to refer back to great things, but for now a one big THANKYOU to everyone and I hope that this post will encourage you to go and have a look at the exhibition within next two weeks!!!

Today is probably one of the most happiest and saddest days of the whole three years of the course.

I have changed and evolved as a person through all three years and today I feel sad. I am ready to go out in the “real world” but I am not ready to say goodbye to those fantastic people hat been alongside me, seen my ups and downs and given me the strength to become a PHOTOGRAPHER.
At the beginning of my second year, I told one of my tutors that I want to change the world with my talent via photographs. Really cheesy and naive goal to have at this decade.
And now at the end of my third year I have publicly announced that I am a photographer – LIVE/LOVE/CHANGE LIFE.
And I will. Eventually.

My Final Major Project has been a challenge from the start, but with a bit of a laugh and piss take and than with a few serious considerations, I have travelled around different areas of End Of Life celebrations, worked on different subjects, even been to Latvia.

It feels like should have a conclusion by today, I have to be finished with the project. But I can’t close this chapter just yet.

The “End Of Life” project will carry me through summer and I have big plans for the future.

Today Hull School of Art&Design Degree Show Opens at 6 pm.

BA (Hons) Photography “Lasting Impressions” Exhibition is big part of the degree show.

Hope to see you there!

BETTER LATER THAN NEVER – ANETE SOODA PHOTOGRAPHY FACEBOOK PAGE

How many times I have heard phrases: “have you got a Facebook page” “You should get a Facebook Page”
I am not someone who likes to maintain social life within social networking platforms – life is to short to be sat on the computer and phone.

But I guess Facebook page is not going to harm my photography business. Also I feel like this is the time when I have a good reason to have a official page on the worlds most popular social network – Facebook.
My postcard says: Find me on Facebook. It could be my personal profile, which by the way is decent and my timeline attends to be photographically relevant anyway, but according to some sources – not good for business.

OK.

I did a bit of a research first, more looking for profile picture and cover photograph inspirations and what photographers/artists usually combine together to make their professional “face” look attractive and interesting.

50 Creative Facebook Covers to Inspire You

I also looked up photographers/artists that I follow on Facebook

Also I come across 7 reasons why it is suggested to have a Facebook Page for your business:

#1: Your Clients Are Not Your “Friends”

Using our personal profile requires us to be “friends” with those we wish to market to. The implications and meaning of the term “Facebook friend” cover a wide spectrum to different people, with some people reluctant to become a friend of what appears to be a business. “Friend” somehow seems too strong a relationship to some people for what is, after all, a business connection.

In contrast, the act of becoming a “fan” of a business page is generally less threatening to users; “fan” is simply less personal a connection than being a “friend”. Further down the road, if they decide they no longer wish to be a fan, it feels easier to “unlike” the page, rather than to “unfriend” someone.

#2: Don’t Hit The Ceiling!

There is a ceiling of 5000 friends for personal profiles, meaning that we’re limited to interacting with only a finite number of people. While 5000 might seem like a lot at first, it’s only about 1% of the population of a medium-sized city. I do know of several people who, having reached the 5000 friend limit, have gone to the lengths of creating a second personal profile, again something that’s in contradiction to Facebook’s terms of service, and which runs the risk of them being disabled by Facebook.

Business pages, on the other hand, don’t have any limits on the number of fans they can have.

#3: Keeping Friends, Family, And Business Separate

We really need to keep our personal family & friends separate from clients and other business associates. While we can do some of this through the use of friend lists, it can become cumbersome and prone to human error.

With a business page, your fans are just that, fans, even if some of them happen to be friends and family. As long as you maintain the good practice of always posting to and updating your Facebook page in a professional manner, your business updates will be relevant to anyone who “likes” your page.

#4: Social Plugins For Pages

Other than posting a simple link, marketing your personal profile outside of Facebook, for example on your website or blog, is difficult. There are no social plugins (as far as I know) that allow you to easily integrate your personal Facebook profile on external sites.

Pages are a different story – there is a wide selection of social plugins available to encourage people to “like” your page or comment on your content. These social plugins allow you to expand your sphere of influence far beyond that of your personal profile, increasing your reach to friends of your fans etc.

#5: Page Insights

Tracking and measuring your business performance is simply impossible when working from a personal profile, as there are no metrics or analytics available in Facebook to measure user interaction.

Pages, though, come armed with powerful insights and metrics that can really help us to understand how users are interacting and engaging with our content.

#6: SEO

The search engines do not index personal Facebook profiles, so there is no SEO benefit to running a business from one. Having another web presence that can be included in the search index is invaluable in helping to drive traffic to your page or your website.

#7: Facebook Advertising Opportunities

We may as well face it – Facebook marketing has changed a great deal over the last few years! What started out as a great platform from which to broadcast our marketing is fast becoming a “pay to play”system, so we may as well get used to it

You may have noticed, for example, that the reach of your page posts has declined dramatically, and that not as many people are seeing your updates these days. The answer is paid advertising, something Facebook clearly has a vested interest in, but the good news is that advertising on Facebook is very effective when done correctly, something I’ll be addressing in a future course here on Zenologue.

However, since you can’t advertise a personal profile, this is yet another reason to add to the list for having a properly set up Facebook page for your photography marketing efforts.

Source: 7 REASONS WHY YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS NEEDS A FACEBOOK PAGE INSTEAD OF USING YOUR PERSONAL PROFILE

Having all the resources, I also rang up AJR Photographs and have her wise opinion, as she is the marketing wizard.

The suggestion and actually the best advice: keep the Facebook page relevant to your current project and it will naturally grow and develop as you can change the page content according to the work and project at the time.

As I now frequently focus on Final Major Project “End Of Life” celebrations this is what I need to promote, also will work well with the exhibition and everything else going on at the moment.

I thought that the profile picture should be my precious logo. I hate white and love gray, so I combined both in creating a profile picture.

The cover page should be about the project “End Of Life” so I kept the similar concept to my postcards and other promotional elements.

The top one looked a lot more appealing, it also was suitable for the image crop available on Facebook.

It took me half a day to make it perfect and at the end I felt like I just gave birth to a child of mine.

Now, you can find me on Facebook:

Anete Sooda Photography

I hope that WordPress blog and Facebook page is enough for now, as I really don’t want to be maintaining more than that in the virtual world.