Well that is it....

Exam all done, photo's all printed, coursework all handed in. Now it is just a waiting game until the end of August to see how well (or badly...) I have done.

Personally I am satisfied with my progress so that is the most important thing. I had very little photography experience before I started and had my DSLR for exactly three (3!) days before I started!

I have learned a useful skill which I firmly believe will become a lifelong passion and if I am really lucky then an escape route...!

Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000...

I was stopped by a security guard whilst taking pictures for the first time today. It got me thinking about the current row regarding so-called abuses of section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

Don't get me wrong I didn't mind the interjection today. I was merely asked if they were personal photos - to which I obviously replied yes - and proceeded to have a good conversation about the area I was photographing. I had also managed to draw some unwanted attention to myself and this proved a useful escape. (note to self - hanging round unpleasant places with £000's of camera equipment round one's neck is not wise...)

However it is becoming more apparent that the powers afforded to our security services and police are being abused. At what point do we accept invasion into our personal freedoms as a price to pay for greater protection. This is a question I am still grappling with. All three main political parties are aware of this intrusion and the affect that it has on us - none have given a satisfactory response - like on so many other issues.

Coming up...

For some time I have been considering doing some personal work - a photo essay based on an area where I spent quite a portion of my formative years. With the alarmingly rapid growth of my son I think a lot about my early years and how and where I grew up. Things are very different for people of his generation. I think there will be a great deal more expectation on him not to mention demands on him and his time.

I never really considered it a great deal but I didn't grow up in the most salubrious part of the world. In an area once considered the worst estate in England in fact. I don't have particularly good or bad memories of the place - rather indifference. Visiting the area again left me feeling very detached. It was almost like I could recall it being a part of my history but not actually recall living through it. Like the episode of a show I once saw. The area is now largely derelict and is in the process of being demolished and slowly replaced. I wanted to capture it warts and all before it vanishes forever.

My life and that of my children's is very different from that of my parents at that stage. I have little doubt that if like me my son is blessed with children of his own that their life will be further removed again.

At times today I felt blessed and sad and often intimidated. I even felt threatened at one point when I placed myself in danger. This is my first attempt at any kind of reportage style photography and I got quite a kick out of it. It felt refreshing and furtive and dangerous and in it's own way was a recording of some personal history. I got a tiny glimpse of what serious reportage style photographers do and it whet my appetite somewhat.

I am planning a number of photo-essays over the coming months - some personal, some more generic. I have enjoyed this as a start of this process. I am documenting them on my facebook page (just light reflected - photo album - Coming up...) and some of them will no doubt appear on my website (www.justlightreflected.com). Please have a look and feel free to comment - your thoughts and criticism would be welcome.