This week’s theme for the course is “Play”. Our course leader led a seminar and began by explaining that failure is not only acceptable; it is also almost necessary to achieve results in a creative environment. And so, to the first group exercise. I joined a peer-led webinar with two other members of our cohort, and after a discussion about the brief, we decided to create images in the playground setting, placing devices where children should be. There is much debate around screen time for minors, and we are seeing various governments begin to restrict the amount of time children can access various platforms.

The group will create a portfolio that is playful in its content but carries a message.

I completed my initial shoot this morning, and the words around the need to fail definitely rang true. Given that the shoot was on a playground, I needed to ensure it was empty before going to work — both for practical and safeguarding reasons. The clouds parted just before the shoot, and my choice of a white prop in full sun proved challenging.

The other challenge was shooting a small prop on large equipment. The images must portray an image. The context needs to be clear. I am hoping that when we group all of our images, the context can be established because I prefer my close-ups to the wider shots.

I enjoyed having a brief and needing to think about shots for a theme I had no preconceptions about. Working with a couple of cameras to overcome the harsh light, working quickly out of necessity, and coming away with a starting point made this first trip worthwhile.