It has been helpful to think about digital modes of dissemination this week, as I don’t believe I take full advantage of the tools now available to photographers. I am interested in adding more interactive elements to my work, but would only do so if I felt it significantly added to the work. A example that I think is particularly successful is an interactive map created by Photographer Lucas Foglia to accompany his series Front County. A link provided on Foglia’s website leads to a google map which plots the location of each of the photographs from the series. You can navigate by either selecting an image title, or a specific pinpoint on the map. You can also see a fullscreen version of each image. I am interested in American geography, and rely on google maps to reach my own shooting destinations, so I really enjoyed exploring his work using this interface. I also like that it is in addition to his more traditional modes of dissemination - book, website etc. The map would have been quite simply to create, and is intuitive for viewers to use, but I feel like it allows us to better understand the project and the photographer’s working method. 

Lucas Foglia - Nazraeli Press Photograph/Interview Locations - ‘Front Country’ 2014

Last term, I produced an ebook as my work in progress portfolio. (Fire Season Link Here) I feel this was quite successful, and it seemed to be a more substantial submission than simply adding images to my online gallery. I enjoyed designing a cover and layout for the book and reacquainting myself with Adobe InDesign. I welcomed feedback on the layout, which reminded me to think more carefully about the images I select to present on facing pages within a digital publication. The pages are not as defined as a traditional book, as they do not dip in at the spine. When delivering a series of work online, I feel the ebook is an effective option to better dictate the way in which the images are viewed. Next time, I would also be interested in adding an interactive element to the publication - Perhaps adding a links to a map, additional text or even video content. 

Fire Season, Digital Publication. 2018.

The only social media platform I use to share my work is Instagram, and I am a relatively new adopter. I know that it is beneficial for me to share my work regularly, as it does give me a better understanding of which of my images are popular with a broader audience. Thinking about how I could improve my posts, and a gain a wider following, I looked at the accounts of photographers who I believe have consistently engaging content. Isadora Kosofsky, a long-form documentary photographer, often chooses to add lengthy, detailed captions to her images. I feel this was traditionally discouraged on instagram, but I welcome this addition to the platform. For her work, the context is often extremely important, and I feel it encourages engagement from the viewer. Moving forward, I aim to add more detail to the captions on my own posts. 

Isadora Kosofsky, Instagram Post. 2018.