I’ve just heard some great news..!
I’ve been awarded a scholarship to attend a 5 day Magnum Workshop Fremantle which is headlining this years FotoFreo 2010: The City of Fremantle Festival of Photography. This is an incredibly exciting opportunity and really couldn’t have come at a better time in my career having just turned freelance.
I submitted the Mongolia story as part of my application but the written statements took quite some time to prepare. I’ve always been interested to know how other photographers gained grants or scholarships so I’ve copied my entry below. I’m certainly not saying this is a model application by any means but it may give other photographers an indication to what is needed. Every admission guideline and photographers history is different but hopefully this will give you an idea of what could be included in your statement.
What I have had reinforced is that you never stop learning. Moving into a freelance environment brings many new challenges from setting up your own computer system to branding and business knowledge. Then there is marketing and developing your own personal style. Each newspaper has its own house style but when you become freelance you can really start putting your own signature to your work that evolves over the years. The Magnum course will give me the opportunity to concentrate my mind and give me more focus and direction which is invaluable.
I’ll keep you posted with any new updates….
How will this opportunity benefit your career ?
This course starts just at the time of an exciting and major changing point in my photojournalism career. I have recently left my job of 8 years with a UK newspaper and I am about to embark on a freelance career, which I hope will bring greater freedom, creativity and meaning to my work. I am also about to undertake my first long term project. The opportunity this course offers to receive guidance and advice about the dynamics, evolution and creative changes of how a long term project evolves would be invaluable to me.
I thoroughly enjoyed and learnt a great deal working for the Jersey Evening Post, however my true passion is documentary photography and reporting on humanitarian issues. During my time at the paper I used all my holiday time and unpaid leave to go on self assigned and commissioned projects.
Whilst I have had a very positive response to my work and received a number of accolades I feel I have much more potential to fill. My commitment to photojournalism is as strong as the day I started and I believe I would greatly benefit from receiving advice about refining my style, being taught stronger editing skills and having the opportunity to learn new camera and technical skills.
The chance to interact with such established photographers, seeing and learning how they work, operate and conduct themselves would be invaluable as well as being able to discuss and debate contemporary photography practice with other photographers.
This would be my first formal training environment since leaving university and I would relish the intensity and opportunity that this course offers.
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