Personal Projects from Idea to Execution

Written By Angela Nicholson

Presenter: Cocoa Laney
This webinar covers the various steps involved in the creation of a photographic project, from idea development to creative choices to funding. Cocoa discusses how to choose a story, how to research your chosen topic, the importance of creative collaboration, and methods for gaining access and approaching potential subjects. Cocoa also covers the importance of knowing your camera and how to choose equipment depending on your given subject.

Understanding the technical side of photography is essential for developing an intentional and unique creative language, and the webinar uses examples from Cocoa's own work and the work of other photographers to demonstrate how lighting, camera functions such as aperture and shutter speed, etc can be used to create a visual style. Lastly, Cocoa talks a bit about her commercial background and how many of the skills she learned as a freelancer are applicable when it comes to the development of personal projects. This also ties into a conversation about funding/selling work, how to pitch your project, and how the RPS bursary enabled Cocoa to bring her own ideas to life.

About Cocoa

Cocoa Laney is a documentary photographer currently based in the Pacific Northwest of the US. Born and raised in Alabama, her work focuses primarily on issues related to gender and identity. She holds an MA in documentary photography and photojournalism from London College of Communication and is the recipient of the 2019 Royal Photographic Society postgraduate bursary award. Her work has been shown internationally and featured in publications such as The British Journal of Photography, The Observer, LensCulture, and The Independent.

Connect with Cocoa
Website
Instagram

Webinar Sponsor: MPB
This webinar was sponsored by MPB, the most secure way to free up funds from your camera gear. Get a free online quote, get contact-free pickup from your doorstep and get paid directly into your bank account. Everything’s fully insured and free of charge. Turn your camera into cash, upgrade your kit and even start a new career.

Angela Nicholson

Angela is the founder of SheClicks, a community for female photographers. She started reviewing cameras and photographic kit in early 2004 and since then she’s been Amateur Photographer’s Technical Editor and Head of Testing for Future Publishing’s extensive photography portfolio (Digital Camera, Professional Photography, NPhoto, PhotoPlus, Photography Week, Practical Photoshop, Digital Camera World and TechRadar). She now primarily writes reviews for SheClicks but does freelance work for other publications.

https://squeezymedia.com/
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Basics of Photography Part 1: What is Exposure?
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A Project From Idea to Book