Personal & Professional Development.
CV of JAMES BIHAN
Name James Nicholas Bihan
Address 15 Staddlestones
Midsomer norton
Radstock
Bath
BA3 2PP
Contact Details Mobile:- 07742 083 292
Email Address fixed721@icloud.com
Date of Birth 9th October 1980
Marital Status Single
Nationality British
Availability Immediate
Profile
After completing a 3 year BA Hons Art Degree at The University of Wales Cardiff, I consider myself to be very confident working within a creative environment. I acquired skills during my degree course that enabled me to constructively develop my design processes. Study visits to New York and Paris helped me to develop a unique working style.
At the end of my degree I also completed modules in Quark Express and Adobe Photoshop which helped me to broaden my knowledge of computer-aided design and enabled me to develop my work on a personal level. Work experience within a commercial advertising company and a publishing company helped me understand the working environment of large companies when working within a team environment
In 2004 due to the down turn of work within the graphics design field, I decided to change my career path and began trading as a self employed painter and decorator initially working in the Somerset area.
This involved sub contracting for a property development company Coxley Developments. I was involved in numerous projects including housing refurbishment, new builds and shop refits. These initial two years of trading enabled me to develop my core skills.
In 2006 I began subcontracting for a Bristol based decorating company Colour Craft Southwest Ltd as an apprentice.The proprietors with their wide experience within the trade helped me to further my skills. I encountered a wide range of projects improving my knowledge of the trade, enabling me to work more efficiently and to a high quality professional finish.
Skills
A.. Attention to detail.
B.. Analytical skills.
C.. Ability to communicate assertively with clients.
D.. Ability to produce high quality standard of Finish.
E.. Able to meet deadlines.
F.. Work effectively within the construction environment and work
amongst different trades.
Education / Qualifications
2003 University of Wales Institute Cardiff
Quark Express and Adobe Photo Shop
2000 – 2003 University of Wales Institute Cardiff
BA Hons Degree Fine Art Painting
Grade: 2:2
1999 – 2000 Weston super Mare College
Foundation Course Art and Design Grade: Merit
1997 – 1999 Sixth Form: Norton Hill School
G.N.V.Q Art and Design Grade: Merit
1992 – 1997 Norton Hill School: six G.C.S.E's A* - D Grade
Career History Part time Work During University 2000 – 2004.
Summer 2000 Polestar Demographics
General work.
Summer 2001 – 2002 ITS Construction Personnel.
General building work
Spring 2002 Oner Signs and Leisure.
Art based youth workshops.
Crystal Signs. Sign writing assistant.
The Gammon One Clothing Company.
Summer 2003 6 Weeks working on family farm in Brittany
Spring 2004 Sign Writing Assistant Crystal Signs
Summer 2004 Work experience with Future Publishing.
In conjunction with a journalism student at
Cardiff University I produced a magazine for
young people including the design and layout
(Freelance).
Autumn 2004 Work Experience & some freelancing with
Harley The Communication Agency.
Worked on a wide range of projects from
initial design and concept initial design and
concept through to finished print,
Conventional and e-media skills used.
Spring 2005 Self employed working in property
development.
Winter 2007 Subcontracting for Colour Craft Southwest
Other companies subcontracted through Colour Craft Southwest
Include:-
Longcroft Building Services
Clifton Decorators
Pro Dec
Rydo
Seltarga
Midas
2010 Habitat Painting Painting Co - James Bihan
Ben Roberts company.
2011 - 2012 Lounge Bar and Restaurant company,
decoration at newly bought properties ready
for opening.
Interests: Painting, T-shirt and clothing design, eclectic
music, cycling
Referees Available on request
Personal Statement
James Bihan
10/07/15
I will begin in talking about the two year foundation degree course itself and then about my education, interests and reasons I want to take it and how it will be something that I'm very interested to be involved with.
FdA Photography is a course that covers so many areas in photography. I feel this course will help me to understand how the art of photography works and also how to use it as a career, which is something I definitely want to do. Some of the modules in year 1 include: photographic techniques, professional studies, studio photography and in the second year: location photography, specialist practice, independent practice and professional development. The combination of these modules results in this being a productive course and I hope it will increase my knowledge.
My name is James Bihan, I'm 35 years old and the experience I’ve had with photography has mainly revolved around helping me to create art work and always has done. I have used it mostly to create paintings and drawings from pictures that I have taken myself as well as using older photographs that have been taken by other photographers demonstrating a different style and also the equipment that was used.
My background in education, started in Norton Hill school in Midsomer Norton which I began in 1990.
After going through school and completing my GCSEs I then continued in the 6th Form for two years. I was always very interested in art from an early age and this was something I focused on during my school years, I received high grades for art in my GCSEs and when I continued in the Sixth Form I took a GNVQ in Art and Design which I completed and enjoyed very much.
After completing this in 1998 I then decided to carry on with a foundation course at Weston College which was also a good course and was quite free in what you could create whilst also teaching you other things within the area you had chosen; painting being the area I had chosen to follow.
After completing this in 1999 I then chose to carry on to University and complete a degree in Fine art which again was an excellent course where I was able to specialise in painting, I enjoyed this very much and was studying at UWIC and living in Cardiff where I met a lot of good friends. I was totally focused on painting in and out of studying time, living in Cardiff until 2004. I then returned to Midsomer Norton.
Painting and the area of art and design is something I have always followed and I still do today. I have a lot of friends who are very much involved in this area.
Some of my other interests include cycling, walking, skateboarding and traveling, whether it be abroad or just around the UK. I have had some great trips around the UK to amazing and beautiful parts of the country, to the coast and many interesting cities. I have also visited some incredible cities abroad: Paris, Barcelona, New York and there are many more I hope to visit in the future. These fantastic cities have so much to offer such as wonderful buildings, architecture and people.
I travelled to Serbia a few years ago for a festival called Exit which is held annually in a Petrovaradin fortress overlooking the city of Novi Sad. This was an amazing experience and an incredible venue, staying with a family and managing to visit areas in the countryside nearby as well as the city next to where the festival was held. It really was a great experience and allowed me to discover so much within a different culture.
During the summer I am also hoping to go visit California to visit a friend who has recently moved there. I hope to spend couple of weeks which will be quite an experience.
Three years ago I unfortunately had an accident in which I injured my head. Since the accident I have recovered very well and now I really want to further my artistic and creative ability.
I have always had a real interest in photography since I was at school, through the Foundation course and also at University. I didn't really have a lot of time to spend on photography during my school years as I was focusing on painting and it was not until recently that I have really started to spend time focusing on the subject and fully appreciating the incredible way of capturing images, whether it be done at events, performances, social occasions, portraits, landscapes within the countryside or even within built up areas. I always try to use all different styles and types of photography and certain methods that can be used which create such incredible images that often help to show what is happening whilst the picture is being taken, especially if they include movement.
Art has been a large part of my life and during my studies I have discovered a lot of different artists that have given me influence and inspiration on how to create images and art work. It is always a good thing, to look at other people’s work and images to give you new ideas on things you are creating whether it be drawings, paintings or in particular photographs.
At the beginning of this year I took a starter photography course at College Green which was a really good way of understanding certain methods, skills, techniques and extra equipment that can be used to create images. It was an excellent way of realising the enormous amount of possibilities within photography and all the different ways you can use it to create images that capture so many different things. I am so pleased I decided to do the starter course as it has made me so interested in taking it further and applying for the FdA photography course. I would really like to pursue a career in the area of photography and it will help me to understand how to do this.
Now that I am interested in pursuing this career I am starting to understand how many different ways and areas there are to work within photography, as well as the different style techniques and knowing when it is a good time to capture an image, being it a portrait, landscape, an urban or county shot, still or action picture, the latter of which can capture such remarkable images.
As already mentioned, I have always had a great interest in images that are taken during performances or activities that involve movement as they can really describe so much about what has happened. I also have a real interest in pictures that are taken in built up places like cities as they can be very dynamic with a lot happening all at the same time. Also a large amount of different areas that can express an astonishing picture such as lights, traffic, different people and shops, restaurants, markets to name only a few.
Photos based in the countryside or by the sea can be beautiful depending on where and when the picture is taken, depending what the weather is like, what time of the year it is taken and if you are capturing people or animals for example.
All areas of photography interest me very much and I want to find out more about the times and areas that can be used to create interesting and incredible images that can describe so much within a picture without any words. This course will enable me to further my creative journey that begun at such an early age to another place.
I would love for this to happen. Photography will do this for me and now feels like the right time to pursue this interest.
Another area of photography that interests me very much is that of journalism and magazine photography. Some pictures taken in different areas that can show so many emotions including happiness, anger, joy, sorrow and show different experiences of everyday life for people that live in so many countries around the world.
I have books that show photographs taken during the Vietnam War from the mid 1960s to the mid 1970s. Some of the pictures really do show and capture many things that happened during that long conflict as well as reactions to the war in America during this time. Many people were against the war and the images taken showed a very expressive way of recording and documenting these times that will go down in history.
For me Photography is one of the best ways to record so many different emotions, images, expressions, movement, events, experiences to name only a few that capture so much and can explain what is happening to people at a certain moment in time.
Sport based photography is an incredible way of capturing movement and this can express so much about what is happening at a certain important time for a person involved, also people may be using sport equipment, including crowds watching and other people involved within the activity.
Effects that are created by these things can capture so much and the expressions of peoples faces really do help with understanding the intensity and passion of the moment and how much it means to the person involved.
This will enable me to take my creative journey that began at such an early time to another place and I really want this to happen, photography will do this for me and it is something that I have always been interested to follow and I believe this is the time for me to do so.
I do hope this has been a good way of describing myself and the reasons why I would love the opportunity to do this course. It will be an excellent way to learn and improve my skills while progressing with the creation of my art. It really is a journey I wish to continue and follow for a long time in my life.
Potential photography jobs
These are some possible photography jobs that i could look into after finishing FdA course, this first section of screen grabs are a summary/list of things and genres that you could get into.
This unit was really helpful for me understand the different areas and what needs to be done during the early stages, choosing a course, going through the UCAS application process and looking at possible work when you've finished studying. As i've said before i'm really focused on it and i'm hoping to start a career in photography, it's such a good idea to look into what choices you'll have and how you'll prepare yourself to be a professional photographer. The FdA course i'm starting in September will definitely be a big part of this and i am really looking forward to start it and learn so much more which i'll definitely need when i begin to work. I think it will be a good thing to get some experience by getting in contact with different companies just to see if can speak with photographers and also to see how they work, in the studio or even to go along with them on a certain brief they've been given from a client, seeing how they shoot, different equipment that's used and also to look at the photos that have been shot.
UCAS Application online
These are screen grabs from the UCAS site after i had filled in the application and the offer from the college for a place on the course.
College Courses
This is the FdA Professional Photography course i have chosen to take at City of Bristol College, i've been offered a place and will begin in September 2017.
I am really looking forward to starting this course, learning so much more and also progressing to a professional level which will enable me to start a career as a photographer.
This was another option for a photography course at UWE Bristol, my choice was to stay at City of Bristol College as i know one of the lectures from my first year on the BTEC course, she is very familiar with the way i work and also the reasons as to why i have chosen to study Photography, its something i have always been interested in and now i will be really focused on it.
Potential photography jobs
These are some possible photography jobs that i could look into after finishing FdA course, this first section of screen grabs are a summary/list of things and genres that you could get into.
This is about a Freelance photographer, i quite like the idea of this as you're not completely focused on working within one area like, fashion or press photography for example.
This would be Photographing music events around Bristols nightlife, different venues and possibly large crowds of people enjoying their night out, i think this would be really good to get into as you would be able to capture some great lively moments.
This is about work done in the studio and it would be focused on Fashion, i quite like the idea of this because it would not mean that you where only a fashion photographer and it would still help you to know how to work well within the studio.
Evaluation
This unit was really helpful for me understand the different areas and what needs to be done during the early stages, choosing a course, going through the UCAS application process and looking at possible work when you've finished studying. As i've said before i'm really focused on it and i'm hoping to start a career in photography, it's such a good idea to look into what choices you'll have and how you'll prepare yourself to be a professional photographer. The FdA course i'm starting in September will definitely be a big part of this and i am really looking forward to start it and learn so much more which i'll definitely need when i begin to work. I think it will be a good thing to get some experience by getting in contact with different companies just to see if can speak with photographers and also to see how they work, in the studio or even to go along with them on a certain brief they've been given from a client, seeing how they shoot, different equipment that's used and also to look at the photos that have been shot.
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