Exam Process
The Photography exam process is the same as your coursework project but more independently led.
It is also very similar to the GCSE art exam and the same as the AS/A2 Art exam, so if you have done these you will find the process very familiar. Use the guides below to help you work independently and get the best possible grade! |
Click the text above to enlarge
|
Getting started: ideas
Choose the question that interests you the most. It should spark lots of ideas and must be something that you will be able to photograph independently outside of school. With this in mind, you might choose to do something fairly straight forward. Another thing to do is to choose something that is personal to you, as it will be easily accessible and something you know a lot about.
Begin with some research. Produce a collage of ideas and an in depth initial mind map of everything you can think of related to your chosen question. present it with care so it can go onto your board later. Plan an initial photo shoot. Use sketches and notes to generate a plan for your first independent photo shoot. This photo shoot might not be very conceptual at this stage, eg. if your title was architecture - it could just be lots of different photos of buildings in different places, inside and outside, up close and different angles etc. This is to generate initial photographs to play around with when developing your early ideas and linking to artists. Print and annotate your contact sheets as you go along. Always use technical language - the examiners are looking for it! Find two photographers to inspire your initial ideas. Make sure they are quite different, and that they link to what you are doing/what you want to do. You might want to look at one for the photography/ editing techniques and the other for the content and the way they show your chosen subject. Analyse both photographers using the 'help with writing' page of this website. Focus on your own observations, opinions and links to your ideas. Take new photographs linked to your photographers and/or use photos from the first photo shoot for your early experiments. Be self critical and insist on getting the best possible standard of photographs to work with, for the highest possible marks! |
Research and experiments
Create your own interpretation of each photographers work. Not a copy - apply their style and techniques to one of your own photographs.
Annotate and analyse both outcomes using technical language and reflecting on what could be developed next. Combine the two photographers styles in your next experiment. Then annotate again, being reflective and self critical. Refine your ideas. What is your concept? What do you want your work to be about? What do you want the viewer to think about when they look at it? How are you meeting the exam question? Etc. Carry out more research at this stage. You might want to produce another collage and/or mind map more specifically linked to your chosen concept, to help document your ideas progressing. if you have chosen new artists, repeat the process above by creating your own interpretation and anslysing their work, and reflecting on how the artist will inspire you. Produce another experiment that combines this style with previous artist experiments. Plan and take new photo shoots. Plan using sketches, story boards, notes, mind maps to produce new photographs to work with in the experiments. Make sure you document that you have considered a range of: - Locations - Focal points - Viewpoints and angles - Camera techniques such as shutter speed, macro etc. - Formal elements - Composition - Lighting - Photo editing - Hand manipulation Annotate your contact sheet and create a wide range of photoshop and/or hand manipulated edits from your photos. Document your editing as you go along, annotate strengths and weaknesses, and areas for development, with clear links to photographers. Don't leave this until the end - it will help your mark to reflect on this after each experiment as it forces you to think about what you need to improve and how. Use some screen shots of photo editing on photoshop but don't get carried away with showing every step by step process. You might also want to also use some of the mid way edited experiments as actual experiments! If you are manipulating by hand, take photographs of what you are doing along the way so that you can document your progress for the examiner. |
Refining ideas towards your final pieceRegularly reflect on what the strengths and weaknesses of your experiments are.
Are you showing a wide range of skills and producing outcomes of a sophisticated, professional standard? That is what you are aiming for if you want a C or above. Do your experiments read like a book from left to right, beginning to end? Are your ideas clear? It should be clear to anyone looking at your work how your ideas have developed. How has each experiment led onto the next? How have you reflected on your experiments in order to move forwards and improve? How have your artists and photographers inspired your ideas? Have you carried out a wide range of photo shoots in different locations and of different things linked to your ideas? Are they inspired by your photographers? Are your photographs skillfully taken? Do you use the formal elements to help you take effective photographs and talk about them in your annotations? Have you shown lots of different skills when editing or hand manipulating your photographs? Have you edited purposefully in order to enhance your idea and concept? Have you avoided being repetitive to make sure that your ideas are developing forwards rather than just staying still? Have you taken inspiration from a range of carefully chosen photographers? Can you explain why you chose those photographers fluently using technical language? Have your ideas developed effectively as a result of different photoshoots and experiments? Have they moved forwards rather than just stuck with the same idea that you had at the start of the project? Are your final piece ideas exciting? Do they bring together all of your experiments? Is your final piece the best experiment? It should be! Does it showcase the best of your skills? Have you evaluated your final piece using the writing frame on this website in 'help with writing', making clear reference to artists, explaining your thought process and the journey you went on, and using technical words to evaluate the strengths and areas for development? |