All posts by Jamie Cole

Co-ordinator of A Level Photography at Hautlieu School, Jersey

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Analysis, AO1 Develop Ideas

Week 8 | Mon 30 Oct – Fri 3 Nov | Environmental Portraits

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An environmental portrait is a portrait executed in the subject’s usual environment, such as in their home or workplace, and typically illuminates the subject’s life and surroundings.  

Blog Post 1 :

  • define, describe and explain what an environmental portrait is
  • add a moodboard of suitable images
  • include hyperlinks to suitable URLs to help you
  • add at least one video to create inter-activity on your blog

Blog Post 2 :

Choose either Arnold Newman or August Sander to write a CASE STUDY and create a blog post that includes….

  • a brief biography of the artist
  • Mood-board of key images
  • Select one image and apply Technical | Visual | Contextual | Conceptual analysis
  • Add any other relevant research / insights

Arnold Newman (photographer) // Igor Stravinsky (Russian composer) 1946 // New York

August Sander // Pastry Cook 1928 // Germany

But… you may be influenced by an alternative, contemporary photographer that you have discovered or researched so please show clearly where your ideas and inspiration has developed from…

For example…Anthony Kurtz

Anthony Kurtz : No man’s Job

Click here http://www.anthonykurtz.com/

Key things to consider with formal / environmental portraits…

Technical= Composition / exposure / lens / light

Visual= eye contact / engagement with the camera / neutral pose and facial expression / angle / viewpoint

Conceptual= what are you intending to present? eg :  social documentary? / class ? / authority ? / gender role ? / lifetsyle ?

Contextual=back ground / story / detail / information about the character(s) / connection to the photographer eg family / insider / outsider

Extension Task

Environmental Portraits are a type of formal portrait, which can be similar to documentary / narrative approaches to portraiture. You may want to look at the work of the following artists and respond visually, or create a blog post that explores some of their work and shows awareness of this important genre too.

Walker Evans

Migrant Mother, 1936

Dorothea Lange

 

Sally Mann
Candy Cigarette

Sally Mann

Sian Davey

Alec Soth

James Nachtwey

Michelle Sank

David GoldBlatt

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, Coursework, Formal Elements, Homework Assignment

Week 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 Schedule and tasks

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Remember…each task requires a new blog post! Keep your blog posts visual!

Week 3

Lesson 1

  • Homework check in, upload and explanation of homework 2
  • Camera Skills : Looking at the exposure triangle
  • Camera Skills :Exploring exposure

Lesson 2

  • Theory, concept and history : Typologies
  • Photoshop Skills : looking at tone / contrast :what is it? Why is essential to photography? How do we create tone and contrast on Photoshop? What is high key vs low key?
  • Ansel Adams Zone system : include a diagram, examples and compare your original image to your edit.

Lesson 3

  • Camera Skills : shutter speeds > creating a sense of movement and capturing action
  • Photoshop skills : cropping and making a selection, free transform, colour overlays and blending

Lesson 4

  • Camera Skills : Depth of field and focus points / focal length + exposure compensation
  • Photoshop skills : double exposures and blurring to create depth

Week 4 

Lesson 1, 2, 3, 4

Week 5

Lesson 1 and 2

  • think about : making image selections…working towards a final presentation
  • think about : blog layout and design features + action plans
  • Check : homework progress…looking at texture and surface
  • Create blog post : analysis and interpretation / Robert Frank…use of key vocab
  • Create blog post : Keld Helmer Peterson analysis and response : include your original 4 x images : Use Threshold Adjustment : Add screen shots : Square Format : Grid of 4 : Upload to your blog post and print out ! remember to add CATEGORIES
  • Click on this link for more…
  • https://www.creativereview.co.uk/black-noise-by-keld-helmer-petersen/

Lesson 3 and 4

Mr Cole will be on residential with D of E students on Wednesday and Thursday…so you will be expected to complete current / outstanding blog posts and publish for tracking and assessment. Miss Hearn will be available on Thursday and Friday. Mr Cole will be available on Friday too.

We expect you to use this time wisely and upload all incomplete blog posts…remember, the homework tasks are NOT optional and form the spine of your coursework ie your photo-shoots!

Week 6 + 7

  • this week your focus is on colour and is linked to your homework task. Look at the stimulus material below to help you develop your ideas and incorporate colour.
  • you should be in a position now to make your final selections : choose a range of your best images  that you would like to present and evaluate / critique
  • REMEMBER…WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT THE FORMAL ELEMENTS AND ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY…THIS SHOULD BE CLEAR IN YOUR WORK
  • your choices may be in the form of a single image, a two-frame image, a triptych, a grid or another idea…
  • you must include edits and original images…always show your process including screenshots
  • aim to narrow down your selection to 3, 4 or 5 choices…
  • Then finally…choose 1 image
  • Compare and contrast your final choice of image to a photographer (s) and create a case study including analysis of a key image by your choice of photographer
  • BLOG POSTS : take care with your presentation and include hyperlinks to helpful artciles / websites and embed relevant videos too…
  • Extension : see tracking sheet below

Exploring colour

Analysis, AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas, Coursework, History and Theory, Homework Assignment, Knowledge and Understanding

Independent Study (+ homework) Sept – Nov 2017

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You are expected to take responsibility for your own learning, progress and success during A Level Photography…

  • minimum 2 hours per week
  • complete any incomplete class tasks
  • contribute your own photo-assignments + research
  • seek out opportunities to extend your learning / skill level
  • if you are absent you must check the blog daily / check emails for instructions, guidance and advice and complete in accordance with deadlines for your teaching group (these may change depending on timetable).

Task 1 (Week 1, 2, 3)

Blog posts / Sections to complete  Actions to take Assessment Complete by:
Homework Assignment 1: Take 150-250 photos that explore shape, pattern, line, repetition, symmetry, shadow, tone, curves, angles, edges Make planning  sheet

Photo Assignment

 AO3 Lesson 1

Week 3
Artists references: Research the work of at least two formalist photographers eg Rodchenko / Brett Weston / Paul  Strand / Peter Keetman / Jan Groover AO1
Image Analysis: Choose 2 key images from each artist and analyse in details using the model of form-meaning-judgement-context. AO1

Task 2 Due in Lesson 1 | Week 4

Blog posts / Sections to complete Actions to take Assessment Complete by:
Homework  Assignment 2: Take 100 – 200 photos of types of things eg objects, buildings, people Make planning  sheet

Photo Assignment

 AO3 Lesson 1

Week 4
Artists references: Research the work of at least two TYPOLOGIES artists eg Bechers /Sander AO1
Image Analysis: Choose 2 key images from each artist and analyse in details using the model of form-meaning-judgement-context. AO1

Task 3 Due in Lesson 1 Week 5

Homework Assignment 1: Produce 100-200 images that show a response to abstract art and photography Make planning  sheet

Photo Assignment

 AO3 Lesson 1

Week 5
Experimentation : Photo safari grid, overlays, tracing paper AO2
Artist Reference : Ernst Haas and Maholy Nagy AO1
Image Analysis : Rule of Thirds and depth of field AO1

Task 4 Due in Lesson 1 Week 5

Blog posts / sections to complete Actions to take Assessment Complete by:
Homework Assignment : Take 100-200 photos of different textures and surfaces eg rust, mould, rough , smooth , contrasting surfaces Make planning  sheet

Photo Assignment

 AO3 Lesson 1

Week 6
Experimentation : juxtaposing textures and surfaces AO2
Artist Reference and Image Analysis :

Frank Hallam-Day / Aaron Siskind / Keld Helmer Petersen

 AO1

Task 5 Due in Lesson 1 Week 6

Blog posts / Sections to complete Actions to take Assessment Complete by:
Homework Assignment; Produce 100-200 images that explore a colour, contrasting colours or colour harmonies Make planning  sheet

Photo Assignment

 AO3 Lesson 1

Week 7
Experimentation; cut, tear and shape coloured card (flat and 3-d) to photograph AO2
Artist References : Franco Fontana / Tamara Lorenz AO1
Analysis, AO1 Develop Ideas, AO2 Explore Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, AO4 Present Ideas, Coursework, History and Theory, Knowledge and Understanding, Threshold Concepts

Practical Skills || Formal Analysis

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Use C.E.L.L. to help you describe and analyse images. Be prepared to discuss…

Composition : layout, structure, depth, rule of thirds, balance, symmetry, leading lines

Exposure ; over exposed, under exposed, balanced exposure

Light : Natural, artificial, harsh, soft, overhead, side etc

Lens : wide angle, telephoto, standard, macro, fish eye, focal length, focal point, depth of field, foreground, midground, background etc

Use this link to explore camera skills…

Camera Skills

And create a set of blog posts that display your creative results and understanding of…

  • camera handling skills as you learn them / explore them
  • formal analysis of 1 x key image per photo shoot
  • evaluative and reflective skills
  • the role of contact sheets

 

 

 

AO1 Develop Ideas, AO3 Record Ideas, Coursework, Induction Task

Welcome to A level Photography | Blog Life

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First Steps…

You should all have a valid login now…which provides you with a Hautlieu Creative account so that you can start creating and curating your own blog.

This will be your normal, everyday login details. We expect you to check your emails everyday too…and get used to using Office 365, and follow us on Twitter too (HautlieuC).

The blog provides you with a neat platform to showcase your learning, including knowledge and understanding and of course your images too.

You should access to the Media Drive (M : Drive)…this is where you must store all of your files. Please check this!

We will teach you step by step how to use the blog…then it is down to you to look after it and present your work as thoughtfully and carefully as possible. Each time you publish a blog post…it is then available for marking and assessment. Unpublished work will not normally be marked…thus affecting your progress and success.

We will comment on your blog posts…which will appear as a new email for you. You are expected to respond to the advice and suggestions accordingly. We constantly track your approach to lesson, independent study and overall progress.

Enjoy…and good luck!

  1. Creating and publishing a contact sheet (evidence of your photoshoot)
  • Create a gallery of images from your recent photo-shoot and upload to a blog post…like this
  • Add your images to a powerpoint, then convert to a JPEG and upload to blog like this (JPEG File Interchange Format)…

  • OR…use Adobe Bridge [Tools > Photoshop > Contact Sheet II] to select and manage images to upload to blog like this…

AND you can upload PDF files to view ( not as visually exciting, but still useful at times)

AS paper Structure