Explaining Your Process
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Why explain my process?
Why explain my process?
The reason that you are asked to explain how you created something in art subjects at school is that this process cements your learning and helps you to understand the steps you took and why you took them. It is like showing your working in a mathematical equation. These steps are just as important as the final result.
How do I explain my process?
How do I explain my process?
Explaining your process is where you consider what you did and why you did it. It is important to be detailed when you do this. By structuring your thoughts around this, you will know how to do the same process again in the future and make improvements.
Explaining photographic process is a lot like a recipe. What parts of the recipe below help their readers go from having nothing to having a chocolate cake that is ready to eat?
Photographic Process, easy as cake!
Photographic Process, easy as cake!
Remember the AIMME for better photos acronym? This recipe follows a very similar structure:
How many serves = Audience
Before they begin telling us anything about the cake, they tell us who it is for. When discussing your process, note who your audience is. In a simple class task, the audience could be your teacher but hopefully as you develop as a photographer, you will consider your audience more widely. Think about where the photo could end up and who would see it.
Blurb = Intention
After noting how many serves, the recipe then outlined why it existed: the best chocolate cake in Australia! Consider what you were trying to achieve in your photo and outline this. For a class task, you were probably asked to experiment with a specific compositional tool or camera setting. For a personal project, reflect on what you wanted your audience to think and feel.
Ingredients = Make
The list of ingredients shows us what is required to make this cake. For your process, explain which elements you needed in front of the camera. What props were required? What positions or facial expressions did models use? What was the background? How did you set these elements up? Why?
Method = Method
The method explores what to do with the ingredients. For you, this is where you explain how you captured the elements from the 'Make' section. What compositional tools, framing or angles? What colours or lighting? What did you do to create what your audience sees? Why did you do this?
Baking & Icing (Steps 4-5) = Editing
Without editing, sometimes our work is as appetising as a bowl of wet egg. Not every photo needs to be edited but if you are working on a major personal project, you should consider what you could do to elevate your image. Just as the recipe was specific about temperature and amount of time in the oven, you should be specific about what editing software or tools you used and how you used them when you are explaining your process.
For Your Process Journal
For Your Process Journal
Create a page in your process journal for your most recent class practical activity or if you already have one, navigate to it now.
Beneath that activity, create the heading, 'My Process.'
Below this heading, write the letters A, I M, M, E vertically down the page.
Try to write a few sentences for each of these sections (at this stage, the A and E sections may be shorter or you may not have done any editing - if this is the case, remove the E).
When complete:
Exchange your process with the person next to you. Try to ask them one question about your process and you ask them one so that both of you can add an additional detail in one of the sections you have written.
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