This week, the work is predicated on the assumption that as students, we intend to start-up in business.   If we go with the premise,  it is necessary to realise, of course, that some already operate professionally, and others do not intend to go this route.  In my case, I considered this in-depth back from 2010 to 2011 and made a firm decision not to start up in the end. Mostly this was based on the fact that my efforts would be mostly philanthropic and as borne out by an income and expense graph, that showed the venture operating at an ongoing loss. Meanwhile, I’d be putting myself at risk in litigation, a sphere extending from the USA.  It was also a time when technology was moving apace, and the major players were in hard competition, changing offerings by the month while mopping up business in the area of the market I’d spotted in advance.  Okay so that was a bit of history and includes a firm decision, and in some respects, viability findings carry forward into photography practice.

For me in photographic practice, I  continue to seek to fulfil the philanthropic ideal, and as such, I registered with the society as a volunteer worker, alongside providing support to a commercial organisation that supports education towards the organisation’s charitable objectives.

My actual photographic practice is basically an adventure into personal work as a means of self-expression. I attempt to finesse and create images of artistic merit, that in contemporary terms are creative images that carry layered meaning. I resist stifling this creativity by distracting myself through a business start-up.

For the purpose of this week of the course then, I’ve gone ahead and engaged knowing that I’ve written my piece for practice only. If work does take off, then I will be well prepared being reminded about forms of business and how to manage them, and I’ll have gained a bit of current practice and be confident of how to get going if circumstances arose.

Nevertheless, and unspoken, it is probably true that as photographers, we do personally represent ourselves. We express ourselves and endeavours whether that be as an actual inaugurated business or not.