The shoot on Monday didn't go too well... I am too ashamed to reveal in this public domain my schoolgirl error which meant I had to reshoot, but the day just got progressively worse when the butcher told me he wasn't going to let me come back...Too busy apparently. I drove around Dorset for 3 1/2 hours looking for a traditional butchers that would let me in but they all seemed to think ! was from the Animal Liberation Front and the door was firmly slammed in my face time after time. Back to the drawing board on that one then......
Instead of researching interesting, exciting current photography highlights to put in my blog - I have spent all week, 12 hours a day working in the colour darkrooms trying to get the prints for the Technical Brief crossed of my list.I have been getting home about 8 and falling asleep by 9....I am suffering from a lack of vitamen D and have to squint in the daylight!

Min, my fellow student and I had taken the 5x4 camera out from the stores to try and get the location brief done today. This was to be my second attempt at it as the first time I didn't quite get the exposure right. Min took the camera home as he wanted to shoot in the town centre at night. He got up early as well and took some morning shots before he had to meet me at the pier at 10. My shoot was in the amusement arcade at the beginning of the pier. We were a bit early and the place hadn't opened yet. It was showers and then sunny so I took a couple of shots along the pier with some dramatic clouds. Min assisted me in the arcade and we were back at college by midday to process the films. They seemed to come out ok but we have no print paper so I wont know until I print them up next week. Finger crossed.....Next back to the butchers shop to get permission to shoot which I got and will go back again Monday am before the shop opens to be as unobtrusive as possible. Min was going to use my flat as a location for his DISP 'Leg' shoot. We went there and set all the lights, had some food and waited for his model.....and waited..... and waited some more. In the end I had to do it for him... poor Min! I stood for him in very high heels for an hour or so and when he went I was finished... 13 hours was enough for today!

It has been a busy busy week....again....and it has flown by. December deadlines are creeping up at a gathering pace and I am still not yet satisfied with any of the briefs I am working on for the Technical projects. I am definitely putting the hours in but as yet not reaping rewards. I have had at a couple of attempts at most of the criteria so I am feeling a bit frustrated now that I still cant cross anything off the long list of things to be done. Anyway.......

We had a guest speaker today in Aaron Schuman's PPRD class. Our 1st one. Her name was Gwen Thomas and she came from the AOP to give us a discussion on 'Copyright, Moral Rights, and intellectual Rights. It sounded, if I'm honest, like it was going to be a bit 'dry', but it was really more interesting than I expected and all really essential information. She was asked quite a lot of questions at the end of the talk which is always a good sign that people have been listening!

Spent the last hours in the afternoon driving around Bournemouth looking for traditional butchers shops with hanging rails and hooks for carcasses! I need to shoot one for my DISP project by the weekend. Think I may have found one but it was shut so will go back tomorrow and see if they are willing to help out.

Hi Madeleine Hooper here,

I'm a First year student at BournemoutUniversity College of Arts....FdA commercial photography course. A Mature student - the oldest in the year about 40 something years old apparently, according to the sums.... although I don't quite know where the years have gone!....

This blog is to simply record my photographic highlights of the week throughout my time here and maybe beyond?......
My first highlight of course, has to be opening this blog. My 19 year old son would be so proud of me!...Lets just leave it at that!.....

Been looking at a book of portraits by Rineke Dijkstra. I love her series of Beach Portraits which are of children taken in a number of different countries, all on the shore line in their swimming costumes. It is the costumes mainly that give us the most clues to what culture the children may have come from.