Ideas for FMP

Now that the time has come to decide on a subject to write about and photograph for my Final Major Project (FMP), I have been thinking about what it is about photography that I am most passionate about. 

During the course of this HND, and even before I started, I have enjoyed all aspects of wildlife photography. I feel that although it may be harder to write a 3000 word essay on than other subjects, it is something I know I can do well and would like it to be what represents me at our end of year photography exhibition.

Another aspect which is present and i feel is important across all of my work is use of colour. The majority of all the work I do is in colour as I believe the correct use of colour can really make images stand out and stick with someone. Whether I do about wildlife in my FMP or not, I will make sure I still use colour to bring my shots to life.

Idea 1

The first idea that came to mind when thinking about what to do for my FMP was something to do with birds of prey. This is something I've been wanting to photograph for a long time but have never gotten around to it. 

I was first inspired to do something like this by a photo I came across on Flickr by Allard Schager:

Since then, I have been looking into different centres hosting various bird of prey shows and other private owners. Recently I came across Nigel Hawkins, a falconer based not too far from Birmingham. He hosts various falconry experience days, including, 1-to-1 photography days where he will help with getting both static and in-flight shots of these birds of prey. This would be a great opportunity for me to get shots worthy of going up in an exhibition, and also a great learning experience in wildlife photography.

Idea 2

Ever since starting out in photography, I have been fascinated by macro photography. I've spent years collecting different pieces of equipment to help me get closer and sharper shots of small creatures. I think this would be a great way of showing what I am passionate about in an exhibition. 

I have thought about contacting various breeders and owners of these small insects and asking to photograph them. This would mean that I could get some more interesting subjects than just the things found in my back garden.

Because macro photography is all about pin-sharp detail, I feel that a good way to present this work would be to use quite large prints to show every little detail.

This idea can link into both my love for wildlife photography and also my use of colour in photography. I have learnt that colour is a very important tool in macro photography if you want a shot to really stand out. This can be demonstrated by one of my inspirations, Thomas Shahan:

Idea 3

Carrying on with the subject of colour, this could be something to base my FMP on. Colour would be a much easier subject to write an essay on. I would be able to speak about things like the transition from black and white to colour and how this affected photography, and the significance of colour in modern day photography, why some people still prefer to use black and white, etc.

As for the photographs, I was thinking I could do a series of photos, each with a different colour theme which focuses more on the series of colour as a whole rather than each individual photograph. However, I am still unsure about this idea because I have always tried to make each and every one of my images stand out on it's own, so this would be something I'm not used to doing.