After having a group final crit for this project there are quite a few things I can reflect on, overall I enjoyed the process of making both a video and a website as I hadn't really done either of these previously. Both of these can be quite laborious tasks but definitely get easier as you continue through a project and you get a feel for the appropriate programs. Initially dreamweaver was a complete mystery to me but now I think I can safely say that I could produce quite basic yet visually pleasing layouts in a much shorter scale of time. I also think that picking a subject that I was already knowledgeable on helped as it meant I could focus more of my time on actually making the website and getting it to appear how I wanted it as opposed to learning the ins and outs of something completely new to me. Although I wouldn't rush to make another website It is definitely something I would consider in the future, especially if I were in a position to have a personal portfolio website.
The first comment that many others made upon seeing my home page was that I had used the same image on both my homepage and the cover of my book from the previous Visual Exploration Project, however this was an intentional choice as the subject matter for both of these projects has been linked to instant photography and it seemed relevant. I was also told that my website was both very simple and plain in appearance, this had been my intention from the offset in order to create a clean and easy to navigate website. However after the final crit I have found that some people thought that the simplicity of it was more of a criticism and what some may see as simple others will see as empty.
After looking at all of the other websites I noticed mine was one of the few with the links to other pages alongside the content as opposed to across the top, this was also intentional as I feel that with a list of links that reads vertically there is more of a sense of hierarchy and suggestion to the order you would expect a reader to look at the pages. However it was also bought to my attention that the way my site is laid out lends itself to the design of a lot of websites built with indexhibit software, obviously I did not use this to create my website and stuck to using Dreamweaver as we had been inducted. Although after looking at various websites made with indexhibit I can see why this comparison has been made and think that they too serve as proof that a vertical list of links adds a definite hierarchy to them.
In terms of video I would say that mine was fairly limited as I didn't use any of my own footage in my final videos and produced only very basic interview style videos. Although this fits with simple style of my website I do wish that I had spent more time on the videos to bring them to a higher standard.
Overall I would call the project a success in terms of a learning journey as I had various inductions to new skills and programs but can also safely say that I know how to make a fully functioning, though basic, website and that it is definitely a process that I would consider undertaking again in the future.
