About Me and this Learning Log

My names’s Barry Chandler and welcome to my learning log!

I’ve been studying for a Photography BA with the OCA since October 2011 and this course, People and Place is the second module from the OCA’s Photography BA that I’ve taken.  The first was The Art of Photography, and  you can see the learning for that course at http://barrychandleroca.wordpress.com.

As The Art of Photography is in its final stages, I decided to go ahead and make a start on People and Place.

If you haven’t seen my learning log for TAOP, then here’s a quick introduction to me which may provide some background which will help as you read through the blog.

I’ve been living in Japan with my wife and two children for 13 years now; the first five in Tokyo and the rest down here in Kumamoto. From a young age, I’ve always been interested in Japan, and used to watch movies and documentaries about it all the time. I’ve always been fascinated by the culture, and so, having a job that I can do in Japan, I decided to move over here years ago and experience it all first hand.

I believe this interest in culture and society has influenced my OCA studies as I tend to try and inject a degree what interests me into the assignments as I work through the courses. It’s difficult to categorize myself as a photographer, indeed, I may never even earn the right to call myself a photographer. What I tend to think of myself as, in a long-winded way, is simply someone who uses a camera to keep track of things that happen around them. I love simply walking around with my camera, and if something happens, then great. Of course, this isn’t the most efficient way of working, but it’s what I enjoy.

I may never use photography in my job, and this has prompted people to wonder why I want to do a degree My answer to that is simply because it gives me some structure in what I enjoy doing, but more importantly, it gives me a personal goal and reward. It keeps me thinking when life gets dull, and it gives me the chance to meet a lot of like-minded people.

With two young children and my own business, life has never been busier than it is at the moment, and sometimes I feel myself swallowed up by life with nowhere to turn to for a break. Photography in general and, increasingly so, my OCA studies offer me an escape from all of that, and allow me to focus on other things even if it’s only for  a few hours a week.

Studying with the OCA has also introduced me to the work of several photographers whom I’d never heard of before, some of whom have kindly given me permission to feature a little of their work on here, so I’ll do that as and when I need to.

So…… if you come here and you see something you like, feel free to leave a comment. This isn’t only for fellow students and course members, everybody’s welcome. All I ask is that you don’t download any of the images without my permission. Just get in touch and I’ll gladly let you use anything. If you come across another person’s work on here, then it’s always with their kind permission (and I’ll also link to their site \ facebook etc).

If you’re interested in studying with the OCA yourself, then please take a look at their site http://www.oca-uk.com/

Thanks for stopping by,

Barry