The Big Catch Up!

Posted at 14th August 2008 Posted in Blog, Cityscapes, Photojournalism, Portraits, Published Work by Karen Strunks

I’ve got a bit (a lot!) of catching up to do with this blog. Now I am getting into the swing of things a bit more and have ticked some things off my ‘to do’ list, I aim to update my blog at least once a week, so do check back regularly. And of course, if you would like to comment, please feel free.

So, back tracking a little….

I have finished Level 1 of my NCFE course. Level 2 will start in September and I am most likely going to go ahead and do that. I have a few reservations – mainly that my tutor now thinks I am a little too far ahead now, and I may not get a lot out of it. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if I ‘dropped out’. However, it’s not in my nature to drop out of anything! Obviously I don’t want to waste any time doing a course I won’t benefit from that much, but on the other hand I will get a certificate for Level 2 and I can add that to my CV. Also it will show potential employers that I am trying to progress, and doing something.

Ideally, I would love to take an HNC (or a higher qualification). I looked into the possibility of a HNC with Solihull College, and the only thing that is stopping me from going ahead with that is finances. It is a 2/3 day a week course and I simply cannot afford to finance the course, take the time out to do the course and the coursework AND work to have enough money to survive.

Since finishing Level 1 NCFE in May, I have had my first exhibitions! One at the International Convention Centre, and one at the Birmingham Museum Archives Collection Centre.

I’ve won my first prize – a £50 Jessops voucher. I put it towards a new lens – 50mm. It’s on order and I have no idea when it will arrive.

What else……

Oh yes. I have been featured in the The Learning Directory which has been produce by Birmingham City Council. I progress so far in my NCFE course that I was approached by the Adult Education Department who wanted to do a write up about me and include a few photos. Every household in Birmingham has been sent a copy.

Starbucks have express an interest in this picture.

It’s still in the pipeline, but they want to display it in one of their coffee houses in Birmingham city centre. This will also give me the opportunity to put a price on it and sell it via their shop. I’ll update when I know anything more about it.

Also, I am hoping to have a launch night. This won’t be until the the new year as it requires so much planning. It’s still in the very early stages but I am working behind the scenes on getting the photo ideas together and organising the event.

Probably the most exciting developments has been working at the Birmingham Post and Mail.

It all began earlier in the year when I started to submit photos via the Birmingham Mail’s website. I was delighted when they began to use them.

But not content with that, I applied for some work experience. It took a little while, but I was finally granted a week of work experience in the first week of June. I was SO excited!

I had a goal of going out on a ‘job’ on my own and having a picture published by the end of the week. I had told a few people about my goal, but they said I was rushing ahead and not to expect that to happen. My spirits felt a bit dampened, those I suppose they were trying to stop me from being disappointed should it not happen. I didn’t mention this to anybody at the paper, but I kept my fingers crossed.

For the first few days I went out on jobs with other photographers. I LOVED it!! Never the same job twice. Not knowing where I was going to be going, who I was going to be meeting, how long we would be there – 5 minutes or an hour. Not to mention what the photographic conditions would be like. I thrived on it.

By Wednesday I was sent out on my own! I was over the moon. I had to take a couple of pics of the frontages of some jewellers. These were to be the first pictures I had published.

Sunday Mercury – the two pics on the right.

On the Thursday and Friday, I was sent out again.

The row on pictures on the top of the page.

My goal had been accomplished. It came to the end of the week, but I wasn’t quite ready to leave…..

I spoke to the picture editor to get some feedback on my weeks work, and I asked him if I could continue my work experience by coming in once a week and he agreed, saying that he would through me in at the deep and and send me out on my own jobs from then on. Eeek!

And so that is what has been happening. I spend one day a week (well, last week it was two days what with the Bulldog Bash), honing my photojournalism skills. The photographers and editors are extremely helpful and I am learning so much so quickly.

Here is some of my published work so far……