Self Evaluation

Sean Warman

Professional Frameworks 2, Self-evaluation report.

Professional frameworks 2 (Editorial Assignment), has been for me one of the most challenging assignments so far. On the module I have been faces with numerous setbacks ranging from technical aspects to family bereavement that I have had to work around.

Initially when receiving the brief, I had a good idea as to what I wanted to do, and felt that I could achieve it in the time permitted. The first idea was to visit my local art café, and photograph the customers there with their finished work and get a testament from them as to why they likes the café, and if they were a returning customer, what it was that made them want to return.

The Café idea seemed strong at first, however what it came to doing the work the practicality of doing my work at that location became an issue due too poor lighting and space to photograph. From this it lead me to re think my initial idea to something that could incorporate a number of cafes into one set of editorial images.

The project is about the demise of the café industry through large chains like Starbucks and Costa. The Extended captions for the images are the people’s reasons for going to the smaller non chained cafés as opposed to the larger companies. Many captions were to do with the more personal service and preferable food quality.

The project over all has been fairly successful and after many attempts I did get the photos I wanted and the captions that fit well with each image, if I was to undertake a commission like this in the future, I would want portable studio lighting as this would give me more control over my final images.    

Captions

Extended Captions

P1

 Has gone to the café all her life. Likes the food and the atmosphere.

P2

 Is at the café for the first time with her friend, likes the food and music.

P3

 Been going to the café since he moved to Manchester. Tried it out once, liked the food and atmosphere and comes back regularly

P4

 Was out with friends but prefers the hand made sandwiches to the ready made packet sandwiches from chain coffee shops.

P5

 “likes the Pizza”

P6

 Prefers the quiet more personal service of a small café compared to the loudness of café nero

P7

 Out on a walk and wanted some good filling food, (not local)

P8

  “the Café makes the best full English you will ever taste”

P9

 “big companies over price their coffee, it tastes just as good here”

P10

”nice place to sit and talk with friends”

P11

”what she said”

P12

”im not a big fan of coffee, but the food and company here is good”

P13

”it’s nice to go somewhere where the people are welcoming and know you. Feels much more personal”

Final images B&W

i have chosen to use black and white for my final images, as i feel it makes them stand out better, also it makes any thing in the background that the cafe may have had up stay in the background, rather than being a distraction.

obviously all people involved in the work have had to sign the model release form

 

Proposal

Project proposal

For my editorial assignment I am going to undertake the task of finding out about café culture, and if the big corporate chains such as Starbucks and Costa Coffee are slowly bringing an inevitable end to the small coffee houses and cafes.

From research I found that people visiting cafes now want something a little more different and a more personal experience this is interesting as companies like Starbucks do create different products and interesting coffees, but it’s the smaller coffee shops that have that personal experience. This is what I will be hitting on with my extended captions, asking the model being photographed, what it is that makes them choose the small coffee shop over a big company such as Starbucks.

 The model will receive a model release form like this.

Model Release Form

Photographer Sean Warman

Email Address   s.warman@edu.salford.ac.uk

Model’s name............................................................................................................................

Model’s email address (Optional)...........................................................................................................

Date…………………….

By signing this release I hereby give the Photographer my permission to license the Images, and to use the Images in any Media for any Educational purpose (excluding anything unlawful) Images will not be used for advertising, promotion, marketing and packaging for any product or service. I agree that the Images may be combined with other images, text and graphics, and cropped, altered or modified.

I agree that I have no rights to the Images, and all rights to the Images belong to the Photographer. I acknowledge and agree that I have no further right to additional Consideration or accounting, and that I will make no further claim for any reason to Photographer. I acknowledge and agree that this release is binding, and I agree that this release is irrevocable.

Do not hesitate to email me if you want a copy of the photograph taken of you today. Your time and support for my project is gratefully received.

And on the back their testimony will be written for use as an extended caption.

The end body of work will be placed in a local newspaper and Café Culture magazine, other possible placed for the work could be local information leaflets and using black and white imagery will have more graphical punch and won’t cause printing issues for any medium due to the contrast and brightness being adjusted to look best as a black and white photograph. 

Caf'é culture

http://www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk/

http://www.cafeculturemagazine.co.uk/about/index.shtml

The rise of café culture across the UK has been exceptional in recent years, and it’s not just the well known high street coffee chains that have made a name for themselves.

In towns and cities across the land, you will find plenty of innovative independents specialising in anything from ice cream to freshly-made smoothies, or coffee cocktails. Welcome to the world of Café Culture!

You don’t have to be a coffee connoisseur to indulge, although there’s no doubt that in the UK, these days, we increasingly recognise a good cup of coffee when we’re served one. In addition to the widening availability of barista-made espressos and cappuccinos, local cafés and coffee shops have become the destination stop for the serving of plenty of other types of tempting café fayre.

For one thing, our busier, constantly ‘on the go’ lifestyles means that when we do stop off for refreshment, we’re after likely to want something ‘different’, of high quality - perhaps a treat or a tasty light bite, or something healthy that be eaten in, or taken away.

It is these aspects of UK coffee culture which Café Culture, the magazine, addresses and advises on in order to encourage outlets to thrive in a profitable and vibrant manner.

Cafe industry images

as with the other images, the models all received model release forms. 

i feel these images are far more successful, due to the better control of lighting, and placing the subject nect to the wall, rather than using the main body of the cafe as the backdrop.

change of idea

in stead of focusing just on one cafe, i have decided to look at the cafe culture as a whole
from this i will hope to point out about how large chains such as starbucks and cafe nero, are making the smaller cafes co out of demise.

the project will be called the death of the cafe.