2010 No. 5
Success by degrees
Often there is an urge to travel to get your next great shot. Training your gaze will enable you to identify new perspectives in mundane situations.
Apple Store, © Michael Freeman.
More students than ever are studying degrees in photography with OCA.
Read more about us and our students inside.
Inside
Who’s who at OCA student: OCA student: OCA tutor:
OCA Judith Bach Dewald Botha Robert Enoch
The Freeman
View 2 3 4&5 6&7
Showcase Who’s who at OCA
is published by the Open College of
the Arts.
Jade Lees
Open College of the Arts
Jade has been with the OCA since April 2007. She is a
The Michael Young Arts Centre, member of the academic services team and project manages
Redbrook Business Park the formal assessment events. As well as working at the OCA,
Wilthorpe Road, Barnsley S75 1JN
Jade is currently in her first year of studying a criminology and
Telephone: 01226 730495 sociology degree at Sheffield Hallam University.
Email: enquiries@oca-uk.com
Web: www.oca-uk.com Jade enjoys shopping, socialising and going to the gym.
Registered charity no: 327446
Company limited by guarantee no:
2125674
Dee Whitmore
OCA welcomes contributions to Dee joined the Open College of the Arts in October 2007 as part of the finance team.
Showcase but reserves the right
However, it was soon realised that her natural charm (read cheek!) could be better employed
to edit materials at its discretion.
Views and opinions expressed in in the marketing department. She is now Head of Fulfilment
Showcase are not necessarily those and Marketing services, line manager for the Student Service
of OCA, nor does the inclusion of team, Showcase editor and the H & S manager. Dee is currently
an item, insert or advertisement
studying for her Professional Certificate in Marketing and is a
constitute a recommendation.
firm believer in life long learning.
To amend your contact details or to
give feedback – please contact Dee Dee enjoys motorcycling, archaeology, weight training, reading
Whitmore, Marketing and Events, (historical faction and sword & sorcery fiction) and has recently
on 01226 704364 or
discovered the joy and empowerment in Belly Dancing.
email: deewhitmore@oca-uk.com
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Student: Judith Bach
How’s it look!
I am fifty six years old, married with grown
up children and grandchildren. I work
full time as an office manager in a busy
NHS GP surgery. I have always enjoyed
photography but with the purchase of
my first digital SLR camera became eager
to learn more than the basics. Hence I
enrolled with the Open College of the
Arts and have been studying with them
for nearly two years. I completed The Art
of Photography level one course last year
and have just commenced on my second
course: People and Place.
Five years ago I jumped for a career change, and left four years I was travelling in Laos recently, and walked past a temple where
in the UK behind to become an English teacher. Three years novice monks were laughing and shouting, washing bright orange
ago, I moved to China, and another wonderful world of culture robes. The moment (and colour and light) was just perfect.
and colour opened itself, but something still hindered me from
I recently finished a challenging project on a self-chosen theme –
capturing what I saw.
neon lights – and captured a Chinese sign that processed nicely
The DPP course made me question every aspect of ‘what’, ‘why’ into monochrome. Experimenting on an image to make it yours,
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like a shopping street scene I captured over Christmas, becomes
second nature in the learning process. The possibilities become
endless.
The best thing about studying in a flexible way, is there are other
students just ahead, already finished, or just behind you, in the
same courses. You may not meet other students face to face, but
on the active online forums we support each other with advice and
ideas, and even the little friendly push now and then.
One of the main reasons I chose OCA was that your nationality and
location has no importance, and I wanted a recognised qualification
from a UK institution.
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Tutor: Robert Enoch
Life through a lens
Robert Enoch, OCA tutor talks to Gareth Dent
about his work, his development and teaching
GD: Robert, what intrigues me is the range of your work. Your my figure in the early photographs. But I needed to confront
film work is clearly social documentary yet your photographic subject matter more directly and so I went on to make ‘Search’
work is sometimes abstract. What are the underlying links that photographs using a documentary approach. This started with a
you see? dream-like series of pictures of the areas of my youth (schools and
homes) and then developed into a flowing scroll of images look-
RE: Well the first thing to say is that I didn’t have a traditional
ing at the meaning and interconnectedness of objects. I didn’t
photographic training. I came to it through studying fine art and
set out to make social documentaries; the church asked me to
then going to film school in Prague. Art school was a creative
make a video about poverty in Hemel, and I documented people’s
playground in many ways. I started painting with light, using
experience of poverty.
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Photography
workshops
Photography Workshops in partnership with City and Islington College
The OCA is pleased to announce that City and Islington College are running three photography workshops in
London later this year which have been designed to complement OCA photography courses.
The standard price for City and Islington Photography Workshops is £300 for two days and £600 for four days,
but we have negotiated a discount for OCA students of £50 on the two day course and £100 on the four day
courses. The college is conveniently located just north of central London. It may be possible to rent student ac-
commodation for the summer courses.
For further information and an enrolment form please email Terry Sims at City and Islington College direct.
(Terry.Sims@candi.ac.uk)