Aqua Therapy

By Bethany Harrison

'Aqua Therapy' by Lily Sherry

As part of the Media Production course, the students are required to take part in a photography module each year. Within this module, the students are challenged with creating end-of-module projects to test their abilities. They are asked to create a portfolio of images that have a connecting narrative or idea, using the skills that are taught to them throughout the semester. The portfolios that receive the highest grades are posted on the Solent Media Flikr page which is accessible to the public.

‘Aqua Therapy’ is one such portfolio that is impressive. It was created by Lily Sherry, a student, and aims to illustrate emotions surrounding the lockdowns that took place during the pandemic. Below is an extract from the official album description that highlights the photographer's intentions.

“Aqua Therapy is a series of images
that metaphorically reflect the emotional
swell to freedom, through the eyes of a young
adult’s life during a global pandemic.”

It is possible to determine that the progression of the number of bubbles in the photos looks to communicate the levels of freedom associated with the stages of lockdown. The images in the beginning display little to no bubbles which is directly contrasted with the images at the end that display many bubbles. This could reflect the lack of freedom at the beginning of the lockdowns, in comparison to the levels of freedom that increased as we came out of the lockdowns.

Regardless, this album is a perfect example of the meticulous work that is produced by Solent University Media Production students. It is both relevant to current world affairs and provides evidence of the photographic skills that are learnt within the course. Furthermore, the photography modules are just one example of the creative freedom that is available in the media production course. As well as this, getting your work published on the website is a wonderful opportunity for demonstrating to the public and future employers your skills as a media creative!