Molly Harmson Shoots work for the Editorial Photography with Moving Image module
5th January 2023
Portrait to Promote a Professional or Practitioner
For this module, we got given a selection of briefs in which we had to choose from. The brief I selected was ‘Portrait to Promote a Professional or Practitioner’, in which I chose to focus on a female hockey player, Hannah, capturing a mix of portraits and enviromental shots.
With portraiture being my passion within photography, I really wanted to think up a creative answer to this brief, to push for experimental outcomes, and to really include my subject in this project. I decided to make my series into a notebook, combining my images and Hannah’s writing and reflections together in a ‘scrapbook’ style to show her as a person and the sport she plays. I chose to keep it simple, using white backgrounds behind my notebook images, wanting to really put the emphasis on the subject, and all the little details on each page, considering where this work might be featured. I found it really fun creating this project, getting to shoot my specialisation and experiment.
Converse Girl – Zine for Moving Image Brief
This module also required us to create a zine, which was designed to be paired with a collaborative moving image piece, focusing on Converse and the people who wear them in a documentary style of portraiture. I wanted to push myself within this brief, setting myself the task of using mostly strangers within my zine to get a proper documentation. I especially wanted to focus on the stereotype around girls and their style, looking at how women of all ages style, and love, the shoes.
With Converse being one of my favourite brands, when talking to my subjects, I really wanted to find out what it was that attracted them to the brand, touching on how long they’ve worn them, and why they personally choose to wear them, getting them to write this down, in order for me to incorporate this within my zine. Asking people to take their photos was a nerve wracking yet rewarding experience and it really allowed me to find a variety of subjects.
I chose to also include some street style shots taken on an old 35mm film camera, featuring converse somewhere in frame, throughout the pages of my zine, using one as a wraparound cover. I chose to use two pages per subject, focusing on them, their style, and their choice of Converse shoes using a number of portraits. It was a really interesting project to undertake and it was really great to research into zines and learn how to use InDesign, as well as pushing my own creativity once again.
