Statement of Intent
The question I have chosen for my GCSE Final Exam is Question 7 (Spaces) as stated in the brief description the theme of Spaces can be interpreted in many ways, the area I am going to focus on is Exploring different types of spaces in the local environment, I have chosen this because from living in the great city of Manchester I feel that there is a lot to explore and I believe that I will be able to use all the skills I have learnt throughout the photography course in this.
In order for me to match the questions theme and produce creative, visually stunning photographs I am going to research into the history of Manchester by visiting the central library and looking through old history books and old photos, this is key as it will help me to come up with composition ideas, for example In central Manchester there are several older buildings that have been marked to never be knocked down as they are icons such as the Townhall an Cathedrals so if I am able to find a photo of them in these history books I could visit the location and attempt to capture my own photo from the same angle and work with that. As well as this I will also researched into events Manchester has gone through/participated in such as the IRA Bombing in the Northern Quarter of Central Manchester where many buildings were destroyed, keeping this in mind and linking back to my other idea I can show how Spaces overtime have changed/been rebuilt.
In terms of Photo-shoots for this project since central Manchester is easily accessible for me I will use this to my advantage and visit regularly to practice capturing photos and coming up with composition ideas for the final piece, I intend to capture photos from different perspectives and angles to make my work stand out from the rest. as well as exterior photos showing architecture, I intend if possible to capture photos indoors as well to show the design of the interior.
When it comes to Equipment for the most part I feel like most my photos will be handheld or with a tripod and that and that I will rely on natural lighting or lighting provided by the location. Camera Settings will be affected based on the scene I am capturing so for outdoors a higher shutter speed and smaller aperture with a low ISO, for indoors it will mostly be the widest aperture I can achieve with a fairly low ISO and below 200 shutter speed I think that I will also need to adjust White Balance for indoor photos to achieve the best look possible.
In this project as well as completing my GCSE exam, I hope to learn more about the history of my city and also the history of photography to help me gain a better understanding as this is one section of photography I am yet to explore. I also hope to learn a lot more about architecture & construction and the photography side to that.
In terms of my final piece I envision a fully written newspaper that displays my photos and has written detail about each one possibly the history or facts about the content of the photo, If possible I then will get that printed to have a physical copy of the newspaper and extend my final outcome by taking photos with the physical copy outside of the building featured!
In order for me to match the questions theme and produce creative, visually stunning photographs I am going to research into the history of Manchester by visiting the central library and looking through old history books and old photos, this is key as it will help me to come up with composition ideas, for example In central Manchester there are several older buildings that have been marked to never be knocked down as they are icons such as the Townhall an Cathedrals so if I am able to find a photo of them in these history books I could visit the location and attempt to capture my own photo from the same angle and work with that. As well as this I will also researched into events Manchester has gone through/participated in such as the IRA Bombing in the Northern Quarter of Central Manchester where many buildings were destroyed, keeping this in mind and linking back to my other idea I can show how Spaces overtime have changed/been rebuilt.
In terms of Photo-shoots for this project since central Manchester is easily accessible for me I will use this to my advantage and visit regularly to practice capturing photos and coming up with composition ideas for the final piece, I intend to capture photos from different perspectives and angles to make my work stand out from the rest. as well as exterior photos showing architecture, I intend if possible to capture photos indoors as well to show the design of the interior.
When it comes to Equipment for the most part I feel like most my photos will be handheld or with a tripod and that and that I will rely on natural lighting or lighting provided by the location. Camera Settings will be affected based on the scene I am capturing so for outdoors a higher shutter speed and smaller aperture with a low ISO, for indoors it will mostly be the widest aperture I can achieve with a fairly low ISO and below 200 shutter speed I think that I will also need to adjust White Balance for indoor photos to achieve the best look possible.
In this project as well as completing my GCSE exam, I hope to learn more about the history of my city and also the history of photography to help me gain a better understanding as this is one section of photography I am yet to explore. I also hope to learn a lot more about architecture & construction and the photography side to that.
In terms of my final piece I envision a fully written newspaper that displays my photos and has written detail about each one possibly the history or facts about the content of the photo, If possible I then will get that printed to have a physical copy of the newspaper and extend my final outcome by taking photos with the physical copy outside of the building featured!
Mood Boards
5C Analysis
April 2018
Jaime's Italian Restaurant Tony Worrall This photo is taken in April 2018 by a Mancunian photographer and customer called Tony Warrell. The building which is a Grade II listed structure located on 100 Kings Street used to be the Midland Bank which shut down in June 1999. In 2011 it had its bottom floor transformed into this 4 star Italian restaurant owned by Jaime Oliver (a celebrity chef), 4 years later the upper floors were renovated into a 5 Star Hotel called Gotham. Justin Hardy who was the interior designer of the restaurant wanted to keep certain parts untouched hence why there is a vault door that leads to a luxury dining hall containing many safety deposit boxes that have been dated back to 1935. Tony took this photo just 2 years after the restaurant opened as part of a written review on Flickr.
Tony's photo would come under the indoor interior architecture category as the shot does not have a focused subject instead a variety of objects, this allows for viewers to have a sense of exploration as there are many things to look at when first looking at the photo, personally I think Tony has done a amazing job in showing this dining room. The photo was taken at human eye level which allows for a viewer to imagine themselves standing at that exact angle, at first glance my eyes are immediately drawn to the table which serves as a fairly strong leading line towards the background safety deposit boxes. In terms of lighting Tony had to have used the Warm Chandelier and edge lights for this shot because most likely there would have not been any windows in a vault, surprisingly the scene is well lit this could be due to the shiny metal panels reflecting the light around the room. The photo has a deep depth of field as the entire shot is in focus with no bokeh blur this was done purposely so that all the little details such as the textures of the safety deposit boxes are still visible at a distance in addition to this Tony was using the Sony DSC-W710 handheld mirrorless camera, To reduce noise of the photo his ISO was set to 400 with an aperture of F/3.2 and Shutter speed of 1/6. This photo matches the theme of my working as it shows how overtime this interior space has changed and been renovated from old to new while keeping Victorian and contemporary parts, It also shows how one building can have many uses without much change for example instead of removing the vault and bank aspects, Justin Hardy built around them which for my particular theme of spaces this Italian Restaurant is perfect, Just like Tony as part of one of my upcoming photography shoots I plan on visiting and capturing my own photos of this architecturally creative restaurant, linking this to my final idea with the newspaper I feel that I can write a good article with photos about the transformation and renovation of the old bank into what it is now. In conclusion I personally like this photo that Tony has captured as it does brilliantly shows the old vault room in the form of a luxury dining room, and matches my exact theme of interesting spaces in my local environment. In terms of strengths Tony captured from a comfortable view with that has of course leading lines. On the other hand in terms of weaknesses, I personally think he could've stood a little further back or use a wider angle lens to capture more of the room and also show the vault door, another part of the photo that can be improved would be the chandelier as in this photo it's a little blown out, however giving tony the benefit of the doubt this could be purely down to his Cameras Dynamic Range and due to such a slow shutter speed the photo appears slightly out of focus. Overall this Photo inspires me with this theme because it really shows how one space can show old and new in one building. |
Sept 2017
Victoria Baths David Upton This photo is a fairly recent photo (taken in 2017) of the inside of Victoria Baths it was captured by a Mancunian photographer called David Upton, The Victorian Baths has never been demolished since the day it was built but has gone through a lot of renovation which can be seen when comparing old black and white photos. Originally the Victoria baths were purely for Swimming and deep cleansing type activities and it was made to be visually beautiful inside with amazing stained glass and lots of little patterns on the tiles however in more recent times the Victoria Baths have been transformed into a place where other events can take place such as weddings, parties, club meetings and general hall based events which shows how the times have changed.
In terms of the actual photo this image would come under the Architecture category as there is no people visible in the shot the effect of this allows for viewers to focus more on the little details such as textures of each different object in the photo. when photographers visit Victoria Baths this seems to be the preferred angle/view (Birds Eye) to capture with the strong leading lines of the 2 side walls and the stripes in the water as well as the pool that guides my eyes to the rest of the picture where you have symmetrical arches on the background wall. In terms of lighting David Upton chose a summers day to use the natural sunlight another benefit to this was that the sky was bright blue this allowed for create a mesmerizing undisturbed reflection on the pool water through the glass roof panels. Due to the birds eye view and wide angle the sense of scale within the photo is affected so viewers may find it difficult to imagine how big the room is until they attend physically. David Upton's camera was set to use a higher aperture in order to have a deep depth of field and ensure all aspects of the photo were sharp and also so that little details can be visible from a distance. David was using a Nikon D750 Camera and to capture the wide area he most likely used a 18-24mm lens, Personally i think this photo could have been take handheld but for the purpose of perfection I think he used a Tripod. The Theme of my work is showing spaces and how places have changed over time which links to development. David Uptons Photo is of Victoria Baths which is one of the buildings I am focusing on as this building has of course been through many changes in the 117 Years since its construction in 1902. I will also for my upcoming photography shoots be visiting this exact same place and capturing lots of photos of it including one similar to David Upton's. as my final idea links to having it in a newspaper I will be taking a few monochrome variations too so that they can be compared to the older photos found in history books. In conclusion I personally like this photo David Upton has captured as it does its purpose to me of showing the main area and how it looks now, and will be the perfect photo to compare to the older ones. Its strengths are it being at the perfect angle with several leading lines and the sharpness with being able to zoom in and see the little textures and details as well as the photo being symmetrical. On the other hand in terms of weaknesses I think the right side of the photo could have been lighten up more so the reflection on the water in the pool is complete. This photo inspires me because of the fact that the Victoria Baths has been around for 117 Years and is still open to this day. |
Jaime's Italian Restaurant Shoot Plan
Sometime soon I Intend on visiting Jaime's Italian Restaurant located on 100 Kings Street for photography, I will be taking my Canon 700D DSLR camera with a 24mm pancake lens, I will not bring a tripod as I believe I will be able to capture the photos I intend to handheld. In order to get permission I called the restaurant in advanced and got a written slip from my school. The shots I aim to take will hopefully match the theme of Spaces by showing parts of the building that have bank vibes mixed in with the luxury restaurant, If possible I hope to be allowed down into the private dining room which is the old vault where there is a dining table surrounded by safety deposit boxes, this will be my ideal shot. As my time will be limited in this restaurant I will take as many shots as I can and then sort through them later on, from previewed photos certain parts of the structure seem to be dimly lit so I know for fact I will have to adapt my my camera settings to match my requirements.
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The Photos
I went to the restaurant on 09/02/2019 to capture the photos, The management team were happy to let me explore around and take photos for as long as I needed, I captured just over 300 Photos, below I will display my personal favorites in different categories.
Vault Dining Room
The Lighting
From my research about this restaurant, I knew the vault would be underground and that would mean there would be no windows for natural light.
On the left is a photo of the 2 light sources; • A Warm temperature chandelier central in the room • Warm LED diffused panels all the way around As a photographer, I found these lighting conditions pretty harsh but with the correct camera settings I was able to work with them. |
My Favorites
With Flash
Different White Balances
The Entrance
Other Areas Of the Restaurant
Other Areas Of the Restaurant
Photography Skill Research - HDR & Histograms
Histograms - A graphical representation of the tonal values of a photo as well as the exposure, many photographers use them to perfect photos color and light values.
Shadows - The term used to describe the darkest parts of an image
Midtones - The term used to describe all other tones between shadows and highlights
Highlights - The term used to describe the brightest parts of an image
Shadows - The term used to describe the darkest parts of an image
Midtones - The term used to describe all other tones between shadows and highlights
Highlights - The term used to describe the brightest parts of an image
High Dynamic Range Photo
A High Dynamic Range photo is when a photographer captures an image at different exposures to capture all the detail in the Highlights, Shadows and Midtones, When these 2-3 photos are combined with some tweaking in editing you usually end up with a well balanced final outcome, for my project I want to explore this as It would work really well for capturing the utmost detail.
A overexposed photo which shows the captures the shadows in the lower section of the photo this includes the detail like the chairs and floor.
This Photo is around 5 MB in size |
A underexposed photo that captures the background safety deposit boxes
(Midtones and Highlights) are in this photo. This Photo is around 5 MB in size |
This is how the photo came out after the initial photo merge with Lightroom CC, at this point of time, the image file was about 60 MB as it contains lots of data about the image in other words it is a RAW photo.
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In order to produce the final photo, I tweaked around with the RAW photo values and adjustment using Lightroom CC above is everything I changed and below is the final result.
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Combination of Old and New - Jaime's Italian Restaurant
An old photo during the renovation in 2011
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A photo from my shoot 9th February 2019
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Using the layer mask tool with a brush an a few color adjustment this is the final outcome of combining the photos
Steps
With a variety of Photoshop techniques such as layering and masks as well as simple color adjustment this was the outcome I came
up when combining the photos.
up when combining the photos.
Steps
This is the final outcome after combining the 2 photos, The quality isn't the best due to the old image being a low resolution but in the end it still worked out pretty well.
Steps
Printworks Shoot
The Printworks is a location in Manchester that is the next place I am going to explore for my project, as over the past 100 years the building has dramatically changed, from businesses and peoples flats to now a modern leisure spot where you can dine and watch movies. |
My Photos
Combination of Old and New - Printworks
With a range of Photoshop techniques and Lightroom colour adjustments this is the final outcome of combining the old photo and the new photo, I think it was pretty successful as there is a clear difference visible.
Steps
Central Library Shoot
The Central Library is an iconic building in Manchester, it was designed and constructed in 1930 by Vincent Harris, and has gone through, it went through a major renovation in 2010 - 2014 where the building was expanded and re-design for a more modern look. |
My Photos
Paper Rip Effect
Steps
Draft Idea - Paper Rip Video
The Outcome
Draft Idea - Paper Burning Video
This was my first attempt at burning the paper, I was able to get a good burn effect however as the background is a stone slab I wasn't able to place a photo underneath.
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This was my second attempt, this time I decided to burn the paper on top of a metal panel in order for the background to be replaced unfortunately with this one the paper blew away due to the wind at the end.
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This was my third attempt, I feel like this was the perfect burn effect I needed however I made a beginners mistake and the camera was out of focus, also because the paper was blue in editing it was difficult to apply the green screen effect.
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The Outcome
Exam Final Ideas - Manchester IRA Bombing
The Initial idea came from researching the 1996 bombing. The IRA detonated bomb on Corporation Street in the center of Manchester causing £1.3 billion of damage to the surrounding area, several of the buildings were un-repairable an had to be demolished for a full redevelopment in 2005, there were many photos uploaded to the internet that show the damage, very specifically there is a red postbox that survived the blast and is now considered a landmark as it stands in the exact same location.
I also researched into the history of corporation street, above is 3 photos from a few years before the any damage occurred,
to this day it remains one of the most popular streets in Manchester,
to this day it remains one of the most popular streets in Manchester,
There are many more photos online showing the aftermath destruction, however as it was so long ago the photos are in a fairly low resolution
above is 8 of the best quality photos I could find which I will most likely use in the final exam. it has been almost 24 years since the bombing and the area is in at the best it has ever been.
above is 8 of the best quality photos I could find which I will most likely use in the final exam. it has been almost 24 years since the bombing and the area is in at the best it has ever been.
I plan on visiting the exact street of where the bomb went off and my goal is to capture photos of the area as well as the postbox and use those photos to show how it was redeveloped into one of the most modern spots in the whole of Central Manchester. |
Exam Days 29th, 3rd, 7th
Preparation will not be altered after this point
The Video Breakdown
Dear Examiner, Below is a full breakdown of my video due to the complexity of my editing there a far too many steps so I have only included the main ones.
Every step should have a caption that is a written explanation, Hover or Click to view it.
All Video files should be uploaded onto YouTube so simply click to play.
Every step should have a caption that is a written explanation, Hover or Click to view it.
All Video files should be uploaded onto YouTube so simply click to play.
Beginning Sequence
Footage
Footage
Captured this timelapse on Canon 700D DSLR using tripod with wheels for the sliding motion.
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Captured this timelapse on the Canon 700D DSLR using a tripod, the zooming out motion is artificial.
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Captured on an IPhone 7 using the timelapse mode, mounted on a tripod.
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Captured on an IPhone 7 using the 1080p 60fps video mode, with auto stabilization enabled
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Adobe Premiere Pro Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Outcome
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
Postbox Sequence
Footage
Footage
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Both captured on an IPhone 7 using the 1080p 60fps video mode with auto stabilization enabled.
Adobe Premiere Pro Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Outcome
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
Letter Opening Sequence
Footage
Footage
Captured on Canon 700D DSLR using the 1080p 30fps video mode
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Captured on an IPhone 7 using the 1080p 60fps video mode
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Adobe Premiere Pro Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Outcome
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
Watercolour Reveal Sequence
Footage/Assets
Footage/Assets
Adobe After Effects + Media Encoder Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Outcome
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
Watercolour Paper Rip Sequence
Footage/Assets
Footage/Assets
Adobe After Effects + Adobe Photoshop + Adobe Premiere Pro Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Outcome
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
Paper Scrunch Sequence
Footage/Assets
Footage/Assets
Photos captured on the Canon 700D with the 24mm lens on a tripod and a direct bright LED Panel light on a tripod.
Adobe After Effects + Adobe Photoshop Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The 2 Outcomes
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
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Timelaspe Sequence
Assets
Assets
Adobe Premiere Pro Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Outcome
Click below to play on YouTube
Click below to play on YouTube
Final Assembly
Audio Assets
I chose this song because Ariana Grande's concert was on going when the Manchester arena bomb went off.
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I chose this song because its a mix of happy and sad emotions in the form of a soft piano play..
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This is the place is a poem written and read aloud by Tony Walsh to a huge crowd of Mancunians in the aftermath of the arena bomb
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These are stock sound fx that I will use with my Paper Rip and Paper Scrunch Sequences
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Video Assets
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All the final renders of previous sections
Adobe Premiere Pro + Adobe Photoshop Steps
Hover or click for written explanation
Hover or click for written explanation
The Final Video
Evaluation
For my GCSE Photography 2019 exam, I ended up choosing Question 7 Spaces, At first I had no idea what it meant as even on the exam paper it said open to interpretation and that's where my project began, I started off by researching the history of my city Manchester I wanted to base my project around the idea of Change showing old and new, renovation and what Manchester as a whole and its residents have been through.
For my coursework I went with the old and new idea, visiting several locations within the city center and taking photos, for the editing part, I took some time to visit the library and research online for old photos preferably black and white that I would use. In Adobe Photoshop I combined the image together to create and contrasting effect.
For the exam I decided to base it on 2 key events that occurred in Manchester:
In the beginning I wasn't going to make a video because my original idea, I personally felt wouldn't get me the grade as it lacked skill and depth so I scrapped that and instead produced this short video that has a story line and journey.
I started researching more into Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects, I discovered many cool ideas that I thought would be perfect for this theme.
My Initial idea was to have a burning effect where the modern photo would burn away to reveal the old photo within my coursework there are attempts that show me trying this, unfortunately the idea did not go to plan due to various reasons, so I started to look at new effects and more into digital media where I found artificial paper rips and a 'Drawing' effect I was immediately inspired so i studied how to recreate these effects myself.
For my final video, I wanted to use Ariana Grande's song as it would be a reference to the events of the Manchester Arena Attack, I also wanted to use Tony Walsh's Poem that he wrote and presented in front of the community of Manchester within the aftermath of the Arena Incident.
In the end my video came together really well and I did not run into many problems as I prepared everything I needed beforehand,
I am happy with the final outcome as it definitely shows what I am trying to get across with the idea of how spaces have changed and the environment around me, it definitely entails the history of Manchester and displays the powerful message to never forget to any viewer.
If I was to do this exam again with the same theme I would've like to get more creative shots such as going into the arena and showing more of it, although I got my powerful message across I would've like for it to be more of a journey and story, I would've also liked to add in more creative transitions and effects into my video to show higher levels of skill.
Overall I am happy with how everything turned out and strongly believe that I have done well in this exam.
For my coursework I went with the old and new idea, visiting several locations within the city center and taking photos, for the editing part, I took some time to visit the library and research online for old photos preferably black and white that I would use. In Adobe Photoshop I combined the image together to create and contrasting effect.
For the exam I decided to base it on 2 key events that occurred in Manchester:
- On the 15th June 1996 The IRA detonated a bomb on Corporation Street in the center of Manchester causing £1.3 billion of damage to the surrounding area, fortunately nobody was killed however several of the buildings were un-repairable an had to be demolished for a full redevelopment in 2005, there were many photos uploaded to the internet that show the damage within all this destruction there was a Red Postbox that some how survived the bomb and has stayed in the exact same place to this day.
- On the 22nd May 2017 during a Ariana Grande concert at Manchester arena which was packed with 14000+ people, another bomb related incident occurred, this was much more violent as 22 people were killed and over 500 were injured, this event was something that will be remembered in the history of Manchester forever
In the beginning I wasn't going to make a video because my original idea, I personally felt wouldn't get me the grade as it lacked skill and depth so I scrapped that and instead produced this short video that has a story line and journey.
I started researching more into Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects, I discovered many cool ideas that I thought would be perfect for this theme.
My Initial idea was to have a burning effect where the modern photo would burn away to reveal the old photo within my coursework there are attempts that show me trying this, unfortunately the idea did not go to plan due to various reasons, so I started to look at new effects and more into digital media where I found artificial paper rips and a 'Drawing' effect I was immediately inspired so i studied how to recreate these effects myself.
For my final video, I wanted to use Ariana Grande's song as it would be a reference to the events of the Manchester Arena Attack, I also wanted to use Tony Walsh's Poem that he wrote and presented in front of the community of Manchester within the aftermath of the Arena Incident.
In the end my video came together really well and I did not run into many problems as I prepared everything I needed beforehand,
I am happy with the final outcome as it definitely shows what I am trying to get across with the idea of how spaces have changed and the environment around me, it definitely entails the history of Manchester and displays the powerful message to never forget to any viewer.
If I was to do this exam again with the same theme I would've like to get more creative shots such as going into the arena and showing more of it, although I got my powerful message across I would've like for it to be more of a journey and story, I would've also liked to add in more creative transitions and effects into my video to show higher levels of skill.
Overall I am happy with how everything turned out and strongly believe that I have done well in this exam.