Photo printing services and my final decision!

Well this is probably my last blog post before the deadline which is tomorrow afternoon.(Friday-29May)
Yesterday I went to see my tutors to confirm and choose my final photos and also discuss about the available printing services in Manchester and also the papers that are more suitable for exhibition. Eventually I decided to print my photos on foam which is quite easy to hang and it is more modern and artistic look rather than framing photos. Also there is a usually problem with storing the frames after the exhibition. I have lots of different types of frame with different sizes that none of them are suitable for the next project or exhibition! Also our venue has surrounded by massive windows and there might be a problem with light reflection on the frame glasses during the day! Therefore with all these in mind I think printing on the foam is a good choice. I had a quick research on the print companies. Well DS LABS is one of the famous ones within Manchester(and vicinity) which is quite commercial and the paper that they are offering is more suitable for businesses as I usually use their service for my clients. However the mounted prints in DS are too expensive specially in large sizes.

Also I’ve heard about the Dean Print which is local too and Studio 50( not too close-35 mins driving). It seems they are quite professional but the only criticism of their service is they don’t have price list and the list of the products that they are offering.There is no useful information on the website unless you email them what you want and they will send you a quote. However I tried to get a quote and the information that I needed a few days ago but unfortunately they didn’t respond yet it seems better to travel and find out about their service,which is not convenient.
So I had a discussion with my tutors and they suggested to buy museum paper from Calumet and then bring the paper in and use the new professional printer that has recently provided in college for students with a very reasonable price or even I can use their own paper which is a good quality matt paper.So I thought that is really good deal with less hassle that can saves me a lot of time.Now Im just going to buy some self adhesive mount/foam then I would arrange a time with my tutor to sort out the prints and then will have one more week to mount the photos and stick on the foam.
Yaaaaaaay I’m almost done….!!!

Making a Video Clip for the end of the year show!!!

I’ve recently posted about the venue that we are going to exhibit our work which is Egg Gallery in university of Salford.This venue is a really good one. Very modern and bright equipped with modern and high standard technology.I realised there is a big wall screen and couple of interactive tables that we will be able to show our photos or whatever we want while we are exhibiting there.

With this in mind I decided to create a short video with my photos and some short phrases and description and a light music in the background. I think it is a great opportunity to show case my work digitally.Even I can put some of my photos from previous project. Well currently I’m too busy with the final uni paper work. Trying to document and prepare all the stuff that I have to hand in on Friday 29May(2015) Thereafter I will have 8-9 days and suppose to be free (except 2 days that we will painting the boards for the show) So I’m planning to make my short video during that time.Fingers crossed!!!
I hope that I will have enough time to make the video but good news is even if I can’t make it we are all have a chance to upload our photos in the interactive tables and if anyone interested in our work they will be able to use the tables.

Updated Statement Of Intent

As part of our Pitch Project which was started from the beginning of this semester we wrote a Statement Of Intent to pitch our final project and that SOI has to updated regularly and then submit it as part of our Final Major Project.
I tried to keep it updated and if anything has changed and its not as it was planned in the SOI I add the new changes there.
Here is the first paragraph of my final Statement Of Intent as I would submit the original copy of my SOI via turn it in program and on a disk as well.
(I divided into 4 section by asking 4 important questions: 1-What? 2-Why? 3-How? 4-When?

What?
The aim of this project was to explore the cultural identity of women, living in the Eastern world and the effect on women in Iranian society in particular.
Within this project I tried to create a series of photographs that indicates my concerns throughout my life. Concerns that have been hidden, until now; concerns I never had the courage to explore my mental wounds they have left behind.
I decided to talk about my personal concerns that the majority of Iranian women have experience these issues that are rooted in culture barriers, but women have learnt not talk about it!
Now here I have broken the unwritten rules, whereas society taught me not to speak of my wounds, yet in order to heal I need to be able to open up.
Why?
I use to be writer, I use to be a painter and today I am a photographer, but when I review my life I feel that I’ve never been a successful artist, because I always frightened and never talked about my inner feeling. Showing the latent wounds always been such a massive taboo.
Today I feel I’m overflowing of untold/secret thoughts. I am anxiously beg myself to reveal all those things that has always been a mystery. It seems that I and my woes are living together and have a symbiotic life.
Now I am mature enough to understand all effective people in the world have been brave. They forget their fears and have had their own words. Therefore I decided to be myself.
This series of work and all researches behind it will lead me toward the main thing that I have always expected from my artwork.
My initial Inspiration was a painting of Rene Magritte which called The Lovers, thereafter and Iranian female artist Gohar Dashti who has a closer aspect with my idea.
I started my own experimentation and used my unique symbol, which is Persian Calligraphy and I’ve tried double exposure and played with layers in Photoshop But the results weren’t what I wanted. I tend to produce something visually creative. While everything in the photos seem quite normal but shocked the spectators by the meaning of whole series in the last photo and that was the raw idea behind this project.
I intend to continue exploring in order to produce a body of work with the aim of breaking a taboo in Eastern society. Firstly educate myself and then hopefully other women to reveal their own uniqueness in their everyday lives.

Choosing My final photos…!!!

Well this is the time to choose my final photos for the our end of the year show Crack’d ( http://crackdexhibition.co.uk/ ). It has always been one of the most difficult part and I think it’s quite normal everyone may struggle to choose their own photos because you work on the idea from the scratch you wont notice the possible errors. In my case I always think if the photos can convey the message properly and because I know the story behind the photos it’s not easy to judge and choose the best one. Well yesterday I invited one of my photographer friends and ask her to critique my photos and get some feedback, then I will be able to choose my final photos.

It wasn’t easy but luckily we both agreed on same photos.Amoung roughly 30 potential photos we came down to 9-10 photos, however I would send check the photos with my tutor to confirm but at least I have my to 10 list and choosing 5-6 final photos for the exhibition would be much easier now.
I’v had some idea about the decoration or the way that I’m going to present my work in the exhibition since I start working on this project but it was just a raw idea. When we chose my 10 ten photos I tried one of my ideas in a small size to see if the idea work. My idea is to print off the photos in different sizes an write some key words about the project and print them in different sizes and print the more important shot in a bigger size and in the centre to catch the eye and present the less important photo in the smaller size. Also I would like to write some of the key words about the project between the photos to make it more punchy.
This is the sample of how I will probably present my photos in the exhibition:

Biography

Writing a bio has always been one of the most difficult part of my uni projects.I usually don’t like to write about myself and I found it so hard to write about my journey of being an artist/photographer.
One of the things that I struggling with is the way that we have to write it either a factual and formal type of biography or a an intimate and informal one.
However I’ve written my bio quite a few times and have tried different styles and my preferable style is a short and informal one. Here is the one that I’ve recently written that would go next to one of my photos.in the show’s booklet
Lili is a passionate professional photographer based in Manchester. Her journey in photography begun when she bought her first(film) camera ,after her first degree in Art and design she decided to update her skills in photography. Lili started out with a course of actions to follow her dreams, she started her photography degree in University of Salford.
It’s been a few years since she is working on women’s cultural identity issues. It has always been one of her concerns.
Her previous projects called ‘’Love Struck’’ and ‘’culture of suppression’’ express her protestation with an overwhelming critical point of view on women’s cultural identity.
Now here within this new project she is exploring women’s mental wounds that are rooted in cultural barriers. Having symbiotic life with the woes is the main thyme of her latest work.
Also Lili is interested in photographing people in a studio environment, urban street photography, social, documentary and taking projects with landscape backdrops.
These days Lili is developing her skills in business, research as well as focusing on growing as an artist, photographer and a business woman.

Design a mini Look book to promote my work in the exhibition!!!

I think one of the benefits of organising an exhibition ,right at the end of the year is promoting our work.

As this is such a good opportunity to showcase our work or our own business. However I believe creation of something truly remarkable is much more important than promoting, If you aren’t striving to create something truly remarkable, and you spend more time trying to promote yourself, it will show and people won’t listen.

MY own way to put it as a resolution is 70% Work – 30 % Leverage on that = 100% which at the same time is:25% Creativity…thinking out of the box, inspiration…learning

25 % Good taste…and my curiosity, always trying out something new…something that resonates within me.

25% Leverage and Focus! Leverage and more leverage!

25% Networking and Marketing.

Well for that last 25% I usually use facebook as a marketing tool for my business.I really dont have time to actively work on all social media websites such as Instagram, Tweeter, pinterest… I believe WOM (word of mouth) is still one of the most strongest marketing tool. Don’t get me wrong I know, nowadays social media is quite important but not the one and only way to promote your business.
Anyway I decided to design some thing new like a mini look book to hand out on the opening night of our exhibition As I think business card is not enough and also offering some thing new to catch their eye would be better.
Here is my first attempt at design my first mini look book:( However I would design another which includes my fine art work to show case the both pathway that I’m working on)

Inside

fund raising!!!

As this is a self funded exhibition and we are paying by our pocket, however college is paying almost half of the cost but still we need to contribute and pay our shares. Well we decided to raise some money by arranging a cake sale in the college on Monday 11th May and everyone had to baked some cakes and brought in. We chose Monday as we thought that is one of the busiest day. How ever it was a quiet day and we didn’t raised a lot but I think it was a good experience and was nice to see everyone is involving for a same target.

Also we offered advertising space for alumni who now have their own businesses feature in our show brochure and send an email to all alumni who have their own businesses.
here is a copy of the email:

Hi

I hope that you are Ok and keeping very busy

This year we are holding our end of year exhibition on the 8th and 9th of June at Media City and if you can make it we would love to see you there.

As a special feature this year we are offering Alumni who now have their own businesses the opportunity to feature in our show brochure. This is such a fantastic venue right in the middle of Media City amongst all the big media and tech companies as well as BBC and ITV that I felt sure that you would not want to miss out.

The brochure, which is similar to last years, is A5 in size and in full colour and we are offering the advertising space at the following rates: –

¼ Page £20.00 }
½ Page £25.00 } Copy deadline 21st May 2015.
Full page £30.00 }

If you decide to help us in this way we would be quite happy to pass on any other advertising literature you may have to our guests at the event.

I look forward to hearing from you and hopefully seeing you at the Exhibition.

Kind regards

…..

We haven’t heard anything from them yet but hopefully they interested and we raise some money to reduce the amount that we have to pay by our pocket.

final Photo shoot (Back up shoot)

As I previously posted I had a few photo shoots for this project to achieve the result that I had in my mind. Also I had couple of tutorials with my tutors and had discussion with them about the photos and if they are conveying the message that I wanted. Also the possible changes that I can consider. following those tutorials I decided to arrange another photo shoot to redo some of shots. Well once again I had a trouble with the model as she was in holiday but luckily she came back in time and I managed to take the photos and edit them before it’s get too late.

For the remaining shots I wanted a very moody and low key photos. Something that doesn’t show a specific time or place.Something like middle of nowhere!!! So I decided to use 3 black backdrop and one soft box to achieve that moodiness.

I’ve almost finished the editing process,now the only thing that worrying me is the way that I’m going to present my work in the exhibition. I’m still struggling with this bit and haven’t decided yet even I don’t know how many photos I would present. So I think its better to have a tutorial with one of my tutors to get some feedback on the final photos.It might help to get some ideas and consider how to present my work.

Update on my FMP project.

After our presentation which was main part of Project Pitch we all had a busy time and were working on the final piece of the project and also organising our end of the year show which will take place on 8th of June 2015 in University Of Salford-Egg Gallery.
Our contribution and our participation is part of our Degree.So I’m part of Marketing team to promote the exhibition as much as i can. for this purpose I created an event on Face book. All our friends and family or everyone who is interested can join us on the there and keep updated.

https://www.facebook.com/events/1573130722953678/

Also we compiled a mailing list of photographers,art institutions and alumni’s email addresses to invite them for the opening night.Then I designed an invitation via mailchimp and will send out the final email in a few days. As it is a quite important event for all of us we decided to use mail chimp to send out the invitation then we will be able to check if our guests got the email,opened it or not. So we would chase up and make sure everyone got it.
after the first invitation I would send a reminder email couple of days before the exhibition.