CV – Final Draft.

After spending pretty much the entire afternoon sat at my computer screen, I managed to create my final CV! (Huzzah!)
To help me try and create a creative CV, I looked a variety of photographers and what they have posted  on their websites about themselves.

I decided to stick to a mono-chrome colour theme. I find black and white very simple but very effective and around the corners of the two pages I put detail of 35mm film to help stick to the theme of photography. (Unfortunately when scanned in, the printer only printed half of the corner art, but you can gain an understanding of what I mean when you view the pages below).
I thought it would be a good idea to list my computer skills as picture icons rather than writing everything as text. I believe that it makes my CV rather easy to read as the logos used for the computer software is universally known and it jazzes up my CV a little bit!

So far, I have only listed one reference as I am unsure of who else to put, but this can soon be easily updated by going back into Microsoft Word.

CV. First Draft.

My first attempt at writing a CV I found extremely difficult. So I created this draft over the Christmas Period ready to bring to a tutorial with a member of staff for when Professional Futures carried on into the second term.

When I had my tutorial, I got told that this was a good first draft, but I needed to make it more creative (after all this was a creative CV I was attempting to make). My tutor also said to try and look into creating something quite colourful and perhaps use an image of some sort, and to help me get ideas to visit behance.net and cvparade.com.

My profile needs to be short, factual and punctual and if I can, try and write two references, one personal and one professional.

Work Experience – Contact Update

So… I have sent many emails out to a variety of different people, and to make it easier for me to process everything I decided it would be a good idea to create a table.
By doing this, it can be easily updated and I can keep a record of how I have contacted these said people and what response I have had from them. (Clicking on the image bellow, it will pop up into a bigger and readable format.)

On this table, I have also highlighted in Purple my accepted work experience placement, and a possible second placement.

I make a good cup of tea, why won’t anybody hire me FOR FREE?!

So, as you are fully aware I have been sending mass emails out to people in the photographic field.
I contacted Photographer Andy Gotts, portrait photographer based in London and I believe he has a show starting at Sommerset House, London very soon…

This is how the conversation went…
Dear Mr Gotts,

I am a photography student studying at the University for the Creative of Arts in Farnham, Surrey.
As part of my 2nd year units, I have to go out and organise a work experience placement from the 31st March to 2nd May 2014 in the photography industry.
I am trying to find a suitable work placement for me to be able to gain a better understanding of what to do when I graduated in 2015. Ideally, I would like to be taking portraits and in a studio environment as I love this kind of atmosphere!

I was wondering if you would be willing to allow me to assist and shadow you around the times I have given and to perhaps interview you as part of my case study too? 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Lucy Yates, 21, Photography Student.

The Response:

Lucy thanks for the note.

 

Alas I cannot help.  My style is no assistants nor entourage, just me and my camera.  That’s why I get the commissions I do.

Good luck.

Andy 

 

Dr Andy Gotts MBE MA

Personally, I didn’t know how to take this reply from Dr Gotts… I’m not going to lie I was a little bit gutted and spoke to my photography peers about it (I think a little bit is a slight understatement). However, after reading this and feeling soul-destroyed  it drove me to send more emails out to people… As my old Air Cadet friend would tell me, “Giving up is not an option Miss Yates.”
Finding a placement is proving to be really really tricky. Common there must be something out there for me! Like, who doesn’t want a person working for them FREE OF CHARGE? I can make good cups of tea, why won’t somebody hire me?

Work Experience – Draft Email.

As part of trying to organise a work experience placement, I decided to create a ‘draft email’ to send out to various people… Here it is..

Dear …… ,

I am a second year photography student studying at the University for the Creative of Arts in Farham.
As part of one of my units for the year, I have to organise and undergo a work experience placement from 31st March – 2nd May 2014.
I was wondering if it would be at all possible to assist you over the time I have written? 

I look forward to hearing from you.

Kind Regards,

Lucy Yates, 21, UCA Photography Student

Using this as a template, the emails I’ve sent out to various people have altered slightly to help make the email sound interesting and to just fill it out slightly – touching up on our unit about case studies and how finding a placement will help the transition of me going from student to graduate to working in the photographic field, how I am a mature student studying on the course and such things.

Work Experience

So as part of one of my university units, I have to organise a work placement in the photographic industry. This is to help “us students” to gain knowledge of what it is like working in big bad world and I’m finding it rather nerve racking…

I went to a tutorial on 13th January (unfortunately it was cut short due to over-running) about me feeling pretty stuck with what area of photography I want to go into. So talking to my tutor, I mentioned I had contacts with a photographer in my local newspaper back at home in Norfolk and she said it would be a good idea to use that as a starting point.

Thinking about my strengths in photography, I love being able to work around people (ie: taking their portraits) and I love to travel (which I’ve made into my new years resolution for 2014.) Keeping in mind my strengths, I’ve decided to contact people who work in the studio environment.
Here’s a list of who I’ve emailed so far from 13th January to today (19th January).

Chris Duffy – Portrait Photographer (based in London)- No reply as of yet.
James Stopforth – worked for Tim Walker as an assistant for a while – No reply as of yet.
Matthew Burch – portrait photographer based in farnham – No reply as of yet.
Andy Gotts – Portrait Photographer (has a Dr in photography! and MBE!!) – No reply as of yet.
Farnham Herald – Newspaper – No reply as of yet.
Paul Marsh – Photographer for The Lynn News – No reply as of yet.
EDP – newspaper, contacted them with regards to information about work experience… No reply as of yet.

As you can see, no luck with people replying as of yet but if I keep my hopes up, something is BOUND to happen.
I was given a list by my tutors about past students work experiences, so I might have a nosey on that and see what  is interesting.