Topic 8: Audiences and Institutions

Consider the readings, presentations, and contributions to the forums and webinar this week. Write a reflection around these themes in your critical research journal.

How has your own practice been shaped, manipulated perhaps, by the makers of the technology you employ and/or the spaces in which you share your work?

The platform in which I share my work mostly is on Instagram. Keeping in mind that when sharing my work I only keep in mind showing my best work of course and seeing the growing portfolio of my photographic work. The platform that I make use of was in fact going to shape my practice as when I started my Instagram page I was focused on keeping to one genre. However, as an artist who likes to explore and experiment, I could not keep to one genre but mix up the genres and just post my best work.

What institutions do you wish to engage with to further your photography? How / Will your skillset and practice need to develop in order to be accepted within that institution?

Just before covid-19, I started to attend the ‘Malta Photographic Society’ to engage more with the people who love photography. It is true that one must have to be with the right crowd in order, to connect and learn from other photographers. Each week there would be a talk regarding any aspects of photography and sometimes we would have sessions where we share our work and discuss and learn from each other.

If you do not consider yourself to be a professional photographer, what do you think you need to do or achieve for this? If that is not something you desire or aspire to, how would you like to be referred to, and how will you achieve that?

What considers to be a professional is when you sell yourself and people start to recognise your work and wants you to work with them. In order to achieve this is by being more constant and more prolific and be more in the social loop. Make connections with a vast array of people; be it photographers, event organisers, journalists, participating in a competition or going to exhibitions to learn and meet people. This kind of strategy is a vital step for every photographer or any person who have a passion for something. Unfortunately, due to covid-19, these types of events and social gatherings stopped us from going to these places. So, I hope that once this has been passed we will continue working hard and making connections.