Following Photograd online, I came across them promoting for submissions to “The Photograd Online Degree Show”, to which I have since submitted my work on depression, called “Ulysses”. 

Photograd documents the journey of photography from UK based photography courses. It showcases the photography of graduates, old and new. Creating a data base where people can look through or back at your work also other fellow photographers. Thereby creating opportunities to promote and support your’s or other’s  work. Also providing another networking platform for the photographers whose work they show.  

The Instagram page is updated regularly and the work shown on it has been a huge inspiration of different things to try and experiment with while I have been at university, helping me to discover my own style, which I now feel that I have and is evident within my work. Not only that but the support and encouragement that is given by followers and the network which Photograd has created on the social media platform, is always positive to read through and appreciate those who have worked hard. Learning that if you work hard people will appreciate it. 

We were encouraged to follow Photograd on Instagram when we first started our course and follow the page throughout, as a way to gain ideas and understandings on work being made by fellow photographers that are at university or have since left. Encouraging us from the off, to work professionally. Leading us to creating a network of support for each other as our photographic styles and careers develop. 

Submitting “Ulysses” for this show was because it is one of the projects I am most proud of and the meaning that is behind it, also hoping that if it was selected it would create more awareness to mental health in general, which is something I and many other people have either gone through or live with. Many who do not have it do not understand, which is what the work aims to do, create a better understanding for those going through it and who do not know what it is like to have a mental health illness. 

The submission included 10 of the images from the project with a shot synopsis about the work. The statement did not have a limit in words but was ideally not meant to be long, so as to be straight to the point for those viewing the work. Narrowing the images down to submit was hard but it is a skill that the more I do, the better and easier it will be in the future to pick out and notice the strongest and best images to submit to competitions such as this. 

Editing down images has always been a struggle of mine at university when creating work but the more that I have done it over the years the better I have got at working out what the strongest images are for each body of work that I have created. It is a skill that I will use throughout my future projects and will get more enhanced the more that I do. 

Waiting to hear back from submissions can be intense due to not knowing but if you do not hear or are not accepted it is down to the individual to take that on and more on to the next thing, taking on any feedback that might be given to you but not to give up over all due to one rejection. 

My submission was successful and they revived my work but I am still waiting for after the dead line on the 12th of June to hear if anything further will be happening with my work, if it will be include or not. Either way at least I will have tried and will have to wait and see.