A-Level Coursework

The A-level coursework consist of two modules, Personal Investigation (practical work worth 72 marks) and Personal Study (written work worth 18 marks) which are interlinked and informed by each other. All the work that you produced (both coursework and mock exam) in Yr 12 also contributes towards A-Level coursework and overall equates to 60% of the total marks and the remainder 40% accounts for the External Set Assignment (Exam) in 2024. The Personal Investigation accounts for 48% and the Personal Study accounts for 12% of the total coursework marks. Final DEADLINE is Mock Exam 3-5 Feb.

What is a Personal Study?

The aim of this unit is to critically investigate, question and challenge a particular style, area or work by artists/ photographer(s) which will inform and develop your own emerging practice as a student of photography. The unit is designed to be an extension of your practical work in your Personal Investigation module where the practical informs and develops the theoretical elements and vice versa of your ongoing project.

Your Personal Study is a written and illustrated dissertation, including a written essay (1000-3000 words) and a lens-based body of work (either stills photography or moving image) with a number of final outcomes produced from your Personal Investigation unit.

Links to a previous essays: 

Pip Plummer: How does photography act as an important form of communication of both true and untrue subjects?

Julia Kochan: To what extent are photographs an accurate portrayal of memories and the past?

Olivia Mooney-Griffiths: In what way are family photographs extensions of our memories as well as our identities?

Sophie Marett: In what way have Robert Darch and Josef Sudek used their photography as a form of therapy? 

Shan O’Donnell: How is the work of Claude Cahun and Cindy Sherman questioning the politics of gender and female stereotypes?

Eleanor Jones: In what way have Mary Ellen Mark and Laia Abril portrayed women’s mental and physical health? 

Emma Price: In what way have Jim Goldberg and Ryan McGinley represented youth in their work?

Wiktoria Markiewicz: In what ways do alterations in Jessa Fairbrother’s work make the visible what is invisible?

Scarlett Sargeant: In what way does Justine Kurland & Michelle Sank explore youth and femininity through their work?

Emily Stubbs: How do Justine Kurland and Jim Goldberg portray childhood differently through their work?

Megan Hawthornthwaite: How is the work of Rinko Kawauchi inspired by Japanese Aesthetics and History? 

Lawrence Bouchard: What Constitutes a ‘Real’ Image?

Thomas Le Maistre: How do Robert Mapplethorpe and Karlheinz Weinberger portray ‘Lad Culture’ through the medium of portraiture?

Nic Rolland: In what ways have Rejlander and Shonibare explored narrative in their photography?

Charlie Barraud: How does Mitch Epstein express the notion of family and relationships in his work?  

Charlie Bell: How does Troy Paiva use the themes of isolation and loneliness in his work?

INSPIRATIONS: PAST PERSONAL STUDIES

PRESENTATION: The choice is between making a photobook; exploring a subject and theme in depth using photography as a tool for visual storytelling, either through observation (documentary) or staging (tableaux) a series of photoshoots. Making a film might be more in line with your creative skills set and offer other elements to storytelling, such as combining moving image and sound. Either option offers its own unique set of challenges and opportunities for you to express yourself creatively as A-Level Photography student.

What it says in the syllabus (Edexcel)

BLOG: In addition, you are expecting to produce an appropriate amount of blogposts that demonstrates your ability to research, analysis, plan, record, experiment, present and evaluate. 
DEADLINE: BLOG >

PRINTS: You are also encouraged to print and present a number of images from your practical work as final outcomes.
DEADLINE: PRINTS >

The personal study will consist of a critical and analytical written piece of a minimum of 1000 words and maximum of 3000 words of continuous prose, making links to the student’s own practical investigations, supported by contextual research. Through the personal study, students will demonstrate understanding of relevant social, cultural or historical contexts. Students will also express personal interpretations or conclusions, and use technical and specialist vocabulary. The focus of the personal study can be any concept, movement, person, people, artefact(s), or other source of reference. However, it must be related to their own ideas, investigations and practical work.

The personal study can take any form but must:
● be presented as a separate piece in writing
● be a minimum 1000 words on the chosen subject
● be written in continuous prose
● be in a presentable format for assessment
● include a full bibliography, citing all references.

Students will need to consider:
● critical and analytical content
● expression of personal interpretations and conclusions
● contextual research and understanding
● links between research, analysis and own investigations
● use of specialist terminology and vocabulary
● clarity of expression and language
● appropriate structure and presentation.

The personal study must be the student’s own work, forming an essential part of their independent investigations. Development of the personal study may be supported through presentations to the class, discussions and individual tutorials. Teachers can also help students to focus their ideas for the personal study by asking them to produce a proposal or an outline of their intentions. Students may support their progress in writing the minimum 1000 words with visual examples of their own work and the work of others, sketchbook annotation, notes from visits, exploration of materials and the development of their own ideas. Any references to others’ writing should be acknowledged through a bibliography. Internet sources should be cited with a brief description of the source material.

To summarise:
● supporting studies will help to prepare for both practical work and personal study
● the practical work (film, photobook, prints and supporting studies) and personal study (essay) may be approached in any order, or progress simultaneously
● the outcome for the personal study must form a separate presentation
● work must not be added to or altered once submitted for assessment
● the practical work will be marked against all four Assessment Objectives, equal to 48% of all coursework marks.
● The personal study comprises 12% of the final qualification and is marked out of 18.

How to get started

How to get started: Link your chosen area of study to your previous work, knowledge and understanding based upon your chosen themes of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE‘.

Up until now you have explored the theme of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE‘ focusing on visiting tourism, heritage and industrial sites, such as St Malo, Societe Jersiaise, Maritime Museum and St Helier Harbour producing three different outcomes; A3 page-spreads, photo-zines and final prints. All these outcomes are exploring a sense of place and cultural identity through storytelling. It’s up to you to decide how you want to explore the theme of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE‘ further and choose a medium that you enjoy most and feel will give you the best chance at producing a quality final outcome. This project will be the final chance you have to improve your coursework marks and grades!

For example, some of the subjects or issues you wish to explore within the theme of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE‘, you may have explored previously in Yr 12 projects based around the theme of ‘NOSTALGIA’, that included PORTRAITURE and FEMINITY vs MASCULINITY and LANDSCAPE and ANTHROPOCENE and STILL-LIFE and FORMALISM Or, you may wish to develop new ideas around COMMUNITY and FAMILY. It may be useful for you to revisit some of the projects you have already covered in your coursework, so far (see below).

Essay: Can a Photograph Lie? | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Mirrors and Windows | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Autumn Planner: OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

The Origin of Photography | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Summer Term: OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

SUMMER PROJECT: NOSTALGIA & FAMILY mvt | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Femininity vs Masculinity JAC | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

ANTHROPOCENE – JAC | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Anthropocene – AI Experimentation | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Headshots | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

EXPLORING LIGHTING JAC | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

ENVIRONMENTAL PORTRAITS JAC | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Landscape : romanticism to new topographics | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Nostalgia Planner Autumn Term 2023 | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

CAMERA HANDLING SKILLS JAC | 2025 Photography A Level Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

PRACTICAL WORK: You have 4 weeks in lesson time in the remainder of the Autumn term, and at Christmas another 2 weeks to complete principal shoots and make new images. This include all relevant blog posts demonstrating your knowledge and understanding of: RESEARCH > ANALYSIS > PLANNING > RECORDING, EXPERIMENTATION > PRESENTATION > EVALUATION.

PHOTOBOOK: Returning after Christmas we will be spending the whole month of January developing and designing your photobook, which will also include your essay and somewhere between 30-50 images sequenced to tell a story.

FILM: If you are making a film, then you will be spending January editing your footage, including both visual (moving image/ still-images) and sound (ambient sound, voice-over, sound effects and music scores). Your essay will be published as a separate blog post.

DEADLINE: MUST complete 4-5 new photo-shoots/ moving image/ sound recordings this AUTUMN and SPRING TERM that must be published on the blog by WED 22 January.

ESSAY: We will be spending minimum 1 lesson a week on CONTEXTUAL STUDIES where you will be learning about art/photo history, critical theory and contemporary practice as well as developing academic study skills to help you writing your essay. However, it is essential that you are organising your time effectively and setting aside time outside of lessons to read, study and write.

DEADLINE: Final Essay MUST be published on blog: Fri 31 Jan 2025

MOCK EXAM: 3 – 5 Feb 2025. 3 days controlled test (15 hours)
ALL Groups: 13A. 13C & 13D.

DEADLINE: Completion of photobook or film
LAST DAY OF YOUR MOCK EXAM.

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Week 8: 21 – 27 Oct
Introduction to Personal Study
Review and Reflect

Lesson task Mon: Choose one Personal Study project from past students and evaluate against assessment criteria using official mark sheet

For photobooks, look through sequence of images carefully and study their supporting blog posts.

INSPIRATIONS: PAST PERSONAL STUDIES

For films, watch film saved in shared folder here and study their supporting blog posts.

M:\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\LOVE & REBELLION\FILM\Personal Study

Present their project in class and comment on the book, or film’s quality, with reference to:
Concept > ideas and meaning behind project
Narrative > a sense of a story or subject being explored
Editing > consistency and quality of imagery
Sequencing > the order of which images appear on the page or in the film to tell a story
Design > layout of images and choices of format, size, front-cover, title and other design elements
Aesthetic > how something looks and overall beauty (or lack of) of final product.

Make an assessment using the mark sheet below and calculate a grade.

Lesson task Tue: Personal Study
Read the essay and comment on its overall written and interpretative quality as well as its use of critical, contextual and historical references, eg.

• Does the essay address its hypothesis?
• Does it provide new knowledge and understanding?
• Is the essay well structured with a sense of an introduction, paragraphs and a conclusion?
• Use and flow of language, prose, punctuation, spelling.
• Use of specialist vocabulary relating to art and photography.
• Analysis of artist’s oeuvre (body of work) and key work(s).
• Evidence of wider reading with reference to art history/ theory, political discourse and/or socio-economical context.
• Use of direct quotes, summary or commentary from others to make an informed and critical argument.
• Use of referencing system (eg. Harvard) and a bibliography.
• Use of illustrations with captions listing name of artist, title of work and year of production.

Make an assessment using the mark sheet and calculate a grade.

Lesson Task Wed-Fri: Review and Reflect
complete the following blogpost

Objective: Criteria from the Syllabus

• Essential that students build on their prior knowledge and experience developed during the course.
• Develop your written dissertation in the light of your chosen focus from the  practical part of previous coursework and projects.

From all the coursework (Personal Investigation) that you have produced write an overview of what you learned so far (both as Yr 12 and Yr 13 student) and publish on the blog.

1. Describe which themes (Observe, Seek, Challenge, Anthropocene, Home, Feminity/ Masculinity/ Identity etc,) medium (photography, film), approaches (documentary, tableaux, conceptual), artists (incl contextual references to art history, movements and isms) and photographic skills, processes, techniques and methods (incl learning new software) inspired you the most and why.

2. Include examples of both previous and current experiments and imagery to illustrate your thinking.

HALF-TERM 28 Oct – 3 Nov:
Read mock exam paper: ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’ and make notes. Begin to research and explore themes > gathering images, writing initial ideas, record images with your camera that can be used to produce mindmap and moodboard.

Week 9: 4 – 10 Nov
Explore themes of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’ and produce MINDMAP and MOODBOARD
complete the following blogposts

Assessment Objectives

Definition in dictionary:

You should provide evidence that fulfils the four Assessment Objectives:

AO1 Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding
AO2 Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops
AO3 Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress
AO4 Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.

STARTING POINTS > IDEAS > INTERPRETATIONS > INSPIRATIONS

The Themes: ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’

OBSERVE

VERB

1. a person who watches or notices something.”to a casual observer, he was at peace.
2. a person who follows events closely and comments publicly on them.”some observers expect interest rates to rise”
3. a person posted in an official capacity to an area to monitor political or military events.”elections scrutinized by international observers”
   

SYNONYMS: spectator, onlooker, watcher, voyeur, looker-on, fly on the wall, viewer, witness, eyewitness, bystander, sightseer, commentator, onlooker, reporter, blogger, monitor.

SEEK

VERB

1. attempt to find (something):“they came here to seek shelter from biting winter winds”
   SIMILAR: look for, be on the lookout for, search for, try to find, look about for.
2. attempt or desire to obtain or achieve (something):“the new regime sought his extradition” · “her parents had never sought to interfere with her freedom”
   SIMILAR: pursue, go after, go for, try, attempt, endeavour, strive
3. ask for (something) from someone:“he sought help from the police”
   SIMILAR: ask for, request solicit, call on, invite, entre, beg for
4. (SEEK SOMEONE/SOMETHING OUT)search for and find someone or something:“it’s his job to seek out new customers”
   SIMILAR: discover, detect find (out), unearth, uncover, disinte
   

CHALLENGE

NOUN

1. a call to someone to participate in a competitive situation or fight to decide who is superior in terms of ability or strength:“he accepted the challenge”
   SIMILAR: dare, provocation, summons
2. a call to prove or justify something:“a challenge to the legality of the banning order”
   SIMILAR: opposition, defiance, ultimatum, confrontation with.

VERB

1. invite (someone) to engage in a contest:“he challenged one of my men to a duel” · “organizations challenged the government in by-elections”
   SIMILAR: dare, summon, invite,bid, throw down the gauntlet, to defy someone to do something
2. dispute the truth or validity of:“it is possible to challenge the report’s assumptions”
   SIMILAR: question, take exception to, confront, dispute, take issue with

THEORY > BINARY OPPOSITION

definition:
Binary opposition: a pair of related terms or concepts that are opposite in meaning.

Theory of binaries. According to French philosopher, Jacques Derrida, meaning is often defined in terms of binary oppositions, where “one of the two terms governs the other.”. An example would be the white/ black binary opposition in the United States, the African American is defined as a devalued other. An example of a binary opposition is the male-female dichotomy, where male is the dominant gender and women are subservient (patriarchy).

Patriarchy: a system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it, both within family, workplace and government.

Synonym: a synonym is a word that means the same or nearly the same thing as another word

Antonym: a word of opposite meaning. The usual antonym of good is bad.

Binary opposition & narrative: Claude Levi-Strauss was a French anthropologist and ethnologist who developed the theory of structuralism and structural anthropology. Levi Strauss theory on binary opposition talks about how narrative can be split into opposites, such as Good and Evil, Man and Woman, Rich and Poor, etc. Due to having these opposites, when together it creates the conflict in the narrative story and this becomes the central climax. Read more here.

How to start

1. Read the Exam Paper thoroughly, especially pages pages 4-5 and page 25-28 which details specific starting points and approaches to the exam theme – make notes! Look up the word in the dictionary, synonyms and etymology (the study of the origin of words and the way in which their meanings have changed throughout history.)
2. Brainstorm your idea and research artists listed – look also at starting points in other disciplines e.g. Fine Art and Graphic Communication etc.
3. Begin to gather information, collect images, produce a mind-map and mood-board
4. Write a Statement of Intent that explains how you interpret the themes and wish to develop your project.
5. Make plans for at least 3 photoshoots – you MUST produce ONE PHOTO-SHOOT over H-Term as an initial response to themes/ ideas etc.

Each week you are required to make a photographic response (still-images and/or moving image) that relates to the research and work that you explored in that week. Sustained investigations means taking a lot of time and effort to produce the best you can possibly do – reviewing, modifying and refining your idea and taking more pictures to build up a strong body of work with a clear sense of purpose and direction

Preparatory Supporting Studies (Blog posts) – 12 weeks of lessons + 2 weeks Christmas Break:

Prior to the timed MOCK examination you must produce and submit preparatory supporting studies which show why and how the supervised and timed work takes the form it does. You must produce a number of blog posts 15-30 that charts the development of your final piece from conception to completion and must show evidence of:

• Development of your thoughts, decisions, research and ideas based on the theme
• Record your experiences and observations
• Analysis and interpretation of things seen, imagined or remembered
• Investigations showing engagement with appropriate primary and secondary sources
• Experimentation with materials, processes and techniques
• Select, evaluate and develop images/ media further through sustained investigation
• Show connections between your work and that of other artists/ photographers
• Critical review and reflection

Controlled conditions 5/15 hrs over one/three days: (Final Outcome)

This time is for you to fine tune and adjust your final images for print using creative tools in Lightroom/Photoshop and/or complete a final edit of your photobook, film or video in Premiere. Your final outcome(s) must be presented in a thoughtful, careful and professional manner demonstrating skills in presenting work in either window mounts, picture frames, foam-board, and/ or submit pdf of photobook, or embed (from Youtube upload) moving image and video based production to the blog.

IDEAS > INTERPRETATIONS > ARTIST EXAMPLES
from pages 4 & 5 in exam booklet

After having visited the caves of Altamira, Picasso famously said:

In 15,000 years we have invented nothing.

Read more about Banksy’s mural here

Read about why Jackson Pollock gave up painting here

The Definitive History of the Soviet Propaganda Poster. Read more here

The Russian avant-garde
A large, influential wave of avant-gardemodern art that flourished in the Russian Empire and Soviet Union, approximately from 1890 to 1930—although some have placed its beginning as early as 1850 and its end as late as 1960. The term covers many separate, but inextricably related, art movements that flourished at the time; namely Suprematism, Constructivism, Russian Futurism, Cubo-Futurism, Zaum and Neo-primitivism. Given that many avant-garde artists involved were born or grew up in what is present day Belarus and Ukraine (including Kazimir Malevich, Aleksandra Ekster, Vladimir Tatlin, Wassily Kandinsky, David Burliuk, Alexander Archipenko), some sources also talk about Ukrainian avant-garde, etc.

The Russian avant-garde reached its creative and popular height in the period between the Russian Revolution of 1917 and 1932, at which point the ideas of the avant-garde clashed with the newly emerged state-sponsored direction of Socialist Realism.

Exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
Covering the period of artistic innovation between 1912 and 1935, A Revolutionary Impulse: The Rise of the Russian Avant-Garde traces the arc of the pioneering avant-garde forms  after Socialist Realism was decreed the sole sanctioned style of art.  The exhibition examines key developments and new modes of abstraction, including Suprematism and Constructivism, as well as avant-garde poetry, film, and photomontage.

Read article here in the New York Times

Russian avant-garde and photomontage

Ai Weiwei’s colored vases: Clever artwork or vandalism? read article here

51 ancient Chinese vases covered with brightly colored paint

Exhibition visitors have expressed feelings of uneasiness or even pain and nostalgia when seeing Colored Vases by Ai Weiwei¹. The 51 vases that make up the artwork are originally treasures from the Neolithic Age (5000–3000 BCE) and the artist has dunked them in common industrial paint.

Why did Ai Weiwei do it?

By doing this, he commented on the devastation caused by the Chinese Cultural Revolution² and the disregard for centuries-old craftsmanship³. By covering the surfaces, the history of the vases is no longer visible but still there, beneath the dried layer of industrial color. Some viewers have felt provoked by this audacious act, in their eyes destroying something rare and precious instead of safeguarding and worshipping it.

Conclusion

Like many other works by Ai Weiwei, he uses irony to challenge viewers’ assumptions and perspectives. As China’s most notorious artist, he finds himself in constant confrontation with the Chinese authorities, and Colored Vases is an essential piece in his rebellious oeuvre.

Sunflower Seeds 2010 consists of millions of individually handcrafted porcelain sunflower seeds. The work has a volume of nearly ten cubic metres, weighing approximately ten tonnes. The artist has stipulated two different configurations for the work. In the first, the seeds are arranged in a continuous rectangular or square field to a depth of ten centimetres. This ‘bed’ of seeds conforms to the dimensions of the display space, with walls confining the work on three sides. Alternatively, the work is presented as a conical sculptural form, approximately five metres in diameter. In this second configuration, there is no containing structure or support for the conical form, which is installed by carefully pouring the seeds from above to form the shape. Any uneven edges can be adjusted by hand at the time of installation.

This work is derived from the Eleventh Unilever Series commission for Tate Modern’s Turbine Hall for which Ai created 1-125,000,000 2010, a bed of ceramic sunflower seeds installed across the floor of the space. The Unilever Series commission was the first time Ai Weiwei presented this multitude of sunflower seeds as a continuous rectangular field to create a ‘unique surface’, and the first time he proposed an interactive element, in which the public was invited to walk on the seeds. In the event, after the initial days of the exhibition, it was not possible for viewers to interact with the work by walking on it due to the health risks posed by the resulting dust.

The fabrication of the seeds was carried out in the city of Jingdezhen in northern Jiangxi, a region of China south of Beijing. Historically famous for its kilns and for the production of imperial porcelain, this region is still known for its high quality porcelain production. The sunflower seeds were made by individual craftspeople in a ‘cottage-industry’ setting, rather than in a large-scale factory, using a special kind of stone from a particular mountain in Jingdezhen.

The symbol of the sunflower was ubiquitous during the Cultural Revolution in China in the 1960s and 1970s, and was often used as a visual metaphor for the country’s Communist leader Chairman Mao (1893–1976) and, more importantly perhaps, the whole population. In Sunflower Seeds Ai examines the complex exchanges between the one and the many, the individual and the masses, self and society. Far from being industrially produced, the sunflower seeds are intricately and individually handcrafted, prompting a closer look at the ‘Made in China’ phenomenon commonly associated with cheap mass-produced goods. The myriad sunflower seeds – each unique yet apparently the same – can be seen toevoke the quest for individuality in a rapidly transforming society.

In his proposal for the Unilever Series Commission, Ai commented on the significance of the sunflower seeds:

[In] the times I grew up, it was a common place symbol for The People, the sunflower faces the trajectory of the red sun, so must the masses feel towards their leadership. Handfuls were carried in pockets, to be consumed on all occasions both casual and formal. So much more than a snack, it was the minimal ingredient that constituted the most essential needs and desires. Their empty shells were the ephemeral traces of social activity. The least common denominator for human satisfaction. I wonder what would have happened without them?
(Ai Weiwei, unpublished proposal for Tate Modern Unilever Series, March 2010.)

Ai’s practice is increasingly driven by issues facing contemporary China, such as the exercise of autocratic power, the disappearance of Chinese cultural and material history, and concerns about human rights, hard labour and poverty. Sunflower Seeds explores the complexity of the Chinese individual’s relationship with society, the authorities and tradition.

MIND-MAP and MOODBOARD

RESEARCH > It it is paramount that you explore the themes of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’ in a personal and unique manner. Having studied exam paper thoroughly, especially pages 4 & 5 and, produce a mind-map and mood-board of ideas/ interpretations/ starting points working in small groups of 2-3 students and feedback to the class.

Some of you may wish to continue to explore ‘stories’ within Jersey’s maritime heritage or your own connection with the sea. For example, Doug Ford mentioned several female historical figures, such as diver … whose story is not represented in the island maritime history. Or, those mothers, wives, sisters who stayed behind and looked after the family home, farm and businesses when men engaged in the cod-fisheries left for Newfoundland or Gaspe in the spring every year. Equally, some of you or members of your family or friendship groups may use the leisure or sport, such as surfing, swimming, sailing, or simply enjoying Jersey beaches and coastlines. Fortifications and German bunkers are scattered all around the island and as architectural features in they landscape they would make for a thorough photographic study. Individual bunkers and sites also has specific occupation stories that may be linked to grandparents or great grandparents who fought in WW II.

Explore family archives more here

SUMMER PROJECT: NOSTALGIA & FAMILY | 2024 Photography Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Week 10: 11 – 17 Nov
INSPIRATIONS: Artists References
complete the following blogposts

THEORY > ANALYSIS
ARTISTS REFERENCES:

Objective: Criteria from the Syllabus

• Select artists work, methods, theories and art movements appropriate to your previous coursework work as a suitable basis for your Personal Study.
• Investigate a wide range of work and sources

ARTISTS REFERENCES: Read pages 25-28 in the Exam paper with specific starting points relating to photography. You can choose artists references listed here or select work from artists/ photographers, filmmakers that have inspired your work in the past, and that you would like to research in depth as a basis for your Personal Study. It’s essential that you choose 2-3 artists as a basis for case studies. Compare and contrast their practice and work following these steps:

• Produce a mood board with a selection of images and write an overview of their work, including methods, style, approach and subject matter. 
• Select at least one image from each photographer and analyse in depth using methodology of TECHNICAL > VISUAL > CONTEXTUAL > CONCEPTUAL.

MEANING & METHODS: Identify meaning and methods behind selected artists/photographers work and research at least 3 different literary sources (online articles, books, YouTube clips) that will provide you with different critical perspective and views other than your own.

The literary sources will also provide you with something to read for further contextual understanding and critical thinking in preparation for writing your essay. Make sure you save hyperlinks photocopies etc in a new folder: Academic References.

• Incorporate quotes and comments from artist themselves or others (art critics, art historians, curators, writers, journalists etc) using a variety of sources such as YouTube, online articles, reviews, books
• Make sure you reference sources and embed links to the above sources in your blog post.

For more help and guidance see blog post here which suggest different artists in response to themes of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE.’

STARTING POINTS – Developing and Recording | 2025 Photography A Level Blog

EXTENSION: CONTEXTUAL STUDIES 1
Conversations on Photography: As a case study read one interview, identity 3 quotes and apply theory to a analysis of one image.

Go to Blogpost here for more details

Week 11: 18 – 24 Nov >
Statement of Intent
complete the following blogposts

STATEMENT OF INTENT

Write a Statement of Intent of 250-500 words that clearly contextualise;

• What you want to explore?
• Why it matters to you?
• How you wish to develop your project?
• Which form you wish to present your study (photobook, film, prints etc)
• When and where you intend to begin your study?

Make sure you describe how you interpret the themes of ‘OBSERVE, SEEK, CHALLENGE’ and any specific subject-matter, topic or issue that you wish to explore, including references to artists, art movement and any other inspiration. Revisit your mind-map and mood-board and hone in one or two ideas. For example, you may wish to consider:

• How you wish to photograph places, people, objects – carefully selecting your point of view (framing), composition and lighting.
• Will you be making images outside or inside, shooting on locations or use the studio.
• Will your images be documentary (windows, observational), or tableaux (mirrors, staged) in your approach, style and aesthetic look?
• What will you include?
• What will you leave out?
• How will you present these images to the viewer?
• In a book, a film, or prints on the wall?
• With or without accompanying text?
• In a grid, typology study or a linear sequence?
• Will you be manipulating images using montage/ collage techniques or apply AI technology?
• Will you be using any specific photographic techniques, processes of software (Photoshop, Premiere, Audition, Blurb online book making)
• What difference do these decisions make to the meaning of your project and the images you will be making?
  

Week 12: 25 – 30 Nov
PHOTO-SHOOTS: Planning & Recording
complete the following blogposts

PRACTICE > RESPONSES
PHOTO-SHOOTS

PLANNING: Produce a blog post with a detailed plan of at least 3-4 photoshoots that you intend on doing in response to analysis and interpretation of your Artists References above. Make sure photo-shoots relates to the ideas on how you intend to develop your project as set out in your Statement of Intent. Follow these instructions: what, why, how, when, where?

There are three photographic genres that you could consider when developing ideas and planning photoshoots, they are:

LANDSCAPE > PLACE > GEOGRAPHY > ENVIRONMENT > GEOLOGY
– familiar vs unfamiliar
– ordinary vs extra-ordinary
– vernacular vs spectacular
PORTRAIT > PEOPLE > IDENTITY > CULTURE > COMMUNITY
– individual vs collective
– explore the photographic gaze
STILL-LIFE > OBJECT > HISTORY > MEMORY > FAMILY
– private vs public

RECORDING: Complete planned photo-shoot and bring images with you into class. Begin to edit and show experimentation with images using Lightroom / Photoshops/ Premiere as appropriate to your intentions. Make sure you annotate processes and techniques used.

Produce a blog post from each shoot with careful selection, adjustments and editing of images in Lightroom. Review and evaluate shoot for further development and experimentation. Your first photo-shoot MUST be published on the blog by Fri 13 Dec.

EVALUATION: Upon completion of photoshoot and experimentation, make sure you evaluate and reflect on your next step of development. Comment on the following:

• How successful was your photoshoot and experimentation?
• What references did you make to artists references? – comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?
• How are you going to develop your project from here? – comment on research, planning, recording, experimenting.
• What are you going to do next? – what, why, how, when, where?

Week 13: 1 – 8 Dec
ESSAY: Hypothesis, essay plan and introduction (draft)
complete the following blogposts

MON: Literary Sources

• Research and identify 3-5 literary sources from a variety of media such as books, journal/magazines, internet, Youtube/video that relates to your personal study and artists references .
• Begin to read essay, texts and interviews with your chosen artists as well as commentary from critics, historians and others.
• It’s important that you show evidence of reading and draw upon different pints of view – not only your own.
• Take notes when you’re reading…key words, concepts, passages
• Write down page number, author, year, title, publisher, place of publication so you can list source in a bibliography

Bibliography

List all the sources that you have identified above as literary sources. Where there are two or more works by one author in the same year distinguish them as 1988a, 1988b etc. Arrange literature in alphabetical order by author, or where no author is named, by the name of the museum or other organisation which produced the text. Apart from listing literature you must also list all other sources in alphabetical order e.g. websites/online sources, Youtube/ DVD/TV.

Quotation and Referencing:

Why should you reference?

• To add academic support for your work
• To support or disprove your argument
• To show evidence of reading
• To help readers locate your sources
• To show respect for other people’s work
• To avoid plagiarism
• To achieve higher marks

What should you reference?

• Anything that is based on a piece of information or idea that is not entirely your own.
• That includes, direct quotes, paraphrasing or summarising of an idea, theory or concept, definitions, images, tables, graphs, maps or anything else obtained from a source

How should you reference?

Use Harvard System of Referencing…see Powerpoint: harvard system of referencing for further details on how to use it.

https://vimeo.com/223710862

Here is an full guide on how to use Harvard System of Referencing including online sources, such as websites etc.

TUE: Essay Question

• Think of a hypothesis and list possible essay questions
• Below is a list of possible essay questions that may help you to formulate your own.

Some examples of Personal Study essays from previous students:

Links to a previous essays: 

Pip Plummer: How does photography act as an important form of communication of both true and untrue subjects?

Julia Kochan: To what extent are photographs an accurate portrayal of memories and the past?

Olivia Mooney-Griffiths: In what way are family photographs extensions of our memories as well as our identities?

Sophie Marett: In what way have Robert Darch and Josef Sudek used their photography as a form of therapy? 

Shan O’Donnell: How is the work of Claude Cahun and Cindy Sherman questioning the politics of gender and female stereotypes?

Eleanor Jones: In what way have Mary Ellen Mark and Laia Abril portrayed women’s mental and physical health? 

Emma Price: In what way have Jim Goldberg and Ryan McGinley represented youth in their work?

Wiktoria Markiewicz: In what ways do alterations in Jessa Fairbrother’s work make the visible what is invisible?

Scarlett Sargeant: In what way does Justine Kurland & Michelle Sank explore youth and femininity through their work?

Emily Stubbs: How do Justine Kurland and Jim Goldberg portray childhood differently through their work?

Megan Hawthornthwaite: How is the work of Rinko Kawauchi inspired by Japanese Aesthetics and History? 

Lawrence Bouchard: What Constitutes a ‘Real’ Image?

Thomas Le Maistre: How do Robert Mapplethorpe and Karlheinz Weinberger portray ‘Lad Culture’ through the medium of portraiture?

Nic Rolland: In what ways have Rejlander and Shonibare explored narrative in their photography?

Charlie Barraud: How does Mitch Epstein express the notion of family and relationships in his work?  

Charlie Bell: How does Troy Paiva use the themes of isolation and loneliness in his work?

In what way does Nick Hedges portray a sense of state discrimination and hopelessness through his monochromatic imagery?

To what extent can we trust documentary photography to tell the truth about reality?

How does Jeff Wal’s Tableaux approach depict a seemingly photojournalistic approach?

Compare how Cindy Sherman and Phoebe Jane Barrett challenge gender stereotypes.

How can something that doesn’t physically exist be represented through photography?

To what extent does Surrealism create an unconscious representation of one’s inner conflicts of identity and belonging? 

How has children’s stories and literature influenced the work of Anna Gaskell and Julia Margaret Cameron?

How do Diana Markosian and Rita Puig-Serra Costa express the notion of family history and relationships in their work?

How does the work of Darren Harvey-Regan explore abstraction as an intention and process?

Essay Plan
Make a plan that lists what you are going to write about in each paragraph – essay structure

• Essay question:
• Opening quote
• Introduction (250-500 words): What is your area study? Which artists will you be analysing and why? How will you be responding to their work and essay question?
• Pg 1 (500 words): Historical/ theoretical context within art, photography and visual culture relevant to your area of study. Make links to art movements/ isms and some of the methods employed by critics and historian. 
• Pg 2 (500 words): Analyse first artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Pg 3 (500 words): Analyse second artist/photographer in relation to your essay question. Present and evaluate your own images and responses.
• Conclusion (250-500 words): Draw parallels, explore differences/ similarities between artists/photographers and that of your own work that you have produced
• Bibliography: List all relevant sources used

Wed-Fri: Essay introduction
In this lesson you will write a 45 mins draft essay introduction following these steps:

1. Open a new Word document > SAVE AS: Essay draft
2. Copy essay question into Essay title: Hypothesis > if you don’t have one yet, make one!
3. Copy your Statement of Intent from previous blogpost.
4. Identify 2 quotes from your literary sources using Harvard System of Referencing.
5. Add sources to Bibliograpphy > if by now you don’t have any sources, use S. Sontag. On Photography Ch1
6. Use one quote as an opening quote: Choose a quote from either one of your photographers or critics. It has to be something that relates to your investigation.
7. Begin to write a paragraph (250-500 words) answering the following questions below.
8. You got 45 mins to write and upload to the blog!

• Think about an opening that will draw your reader in e.g. you can use an opening quote that sets the scene. Or think more philosophically about the nature of photography and its feeble relationship with reality.
• You should include in your introduction an outline of your intention of your study, e.g.
• What are you going to investigate?
• How does this area/ work interest you?
• What are you trying to prove/challenge, argument/ counter-argument?
• Whose work (artists/photographers) are you analysing and why?
• What historical or theoretical context is the work situated within?
• What links are there with your previous studies?
• What have you explored or experimented with so far in your photography project?
• How will your work develop.
• What camera skills, techniques or digital processes have you used, or going to experiment with?

Below is link to a blog post which will provide you with helpful guidelines if you are struggling to structure your essay or writing paragraphs.

ESSAY WRITING

DEADLINE for essay introduction Fri 13 Dec

Week 14: 9 – 15 Dec
PHOTO-SHOOTS: Editing and Developing
complete the following blogposts

EDITING:

• Upload new images from camera card and save to folder on the M:drive
• Import images from M:drive into Lightroom
• Organisation: Create a new Collection from each new shoot inside Collection Set: PHOTOBOOK
• Editing: select 8-12 images from each shoot.
• Experimenting: Adjust images in Develop, both as Colour and B&W images appropriate to your intentions
• Export images as JPGS (1000 pixels) and save in a folder: BLOG
• Create a Blogpost with edited images and an evaluation; explaining what you focused on in each shoot and how you intend to develop your next photoshoot.
• Make references to artists references, previous work, experiments, inspiration etc.
  
  EXPERIMENTING:
• Export same set of images from Lightroom as TIFF (4000 pixels)
• Experimentation: demonstrate further creativity using Photoshop to make composite/ montage/ typology/ grids/ diptych/triptych, text/ typology etc appropriate to your intentions.
• Make sure you annotate process and techniques used and evaluate each experiment
• EXTENSION: Design a photo-zine. Set up new document as A5 page sizes. This is trying out ideas before you begin designing photobook.

EVALUATING: Upon completion of photoshoot and experimentation, make sure you evaluate and reflect on your next step of development. Comment on the following:

• How successful was your photoshoot and experimentation?
• What references did you make to artists references? – comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?
• How are you going to develop your project from here? – comment on research, planning, recording, experimenting.
• What are you going to do next? – what, why, how, when, where?

Week 15: 16 – 18 Dec
GROUP CRIT: Work in progress
complete the following blogposts

Mon 16 & Tue 17 Dec > Work-in-Progress

Prepare a 2-3 mins presentation on something that you are working on right now in your project. For example:

An idea
An image
A photo-shoot
An experiment
An inspiration
New research
New development

Use blog posts to present in class or print images or any photographic experiments as visual reference material. As a class we will give constructive feedback on how each student can develop their work and project.

XMAS BREAK 19 Dec – 6 Jan
PHOTO-SHOOTS: Produce at least 2/3 photo-shoots
ESSAY: Read key texts for essay and begin to write an essay draft

PLAN > RECORD > As a creative response to initial ideas set out in your Statement of Intent plan a relevant photoshoot during the Christmas break that provides you with some visual material to develop your project further in the New Year. There are three photographic genres that you could consider when developing ideas and planning photoshoots, they are:

LANDSCAPE > PLACE > GEOGRAPHY > ENVIRONMENT > GEOLOGY
– familiar vs unfamiliar
– ordinary vs extra-ordinary
– vernacular vs spectacular
PORTRAIT > PEOPLE > IDENTITY > CULTURE > COMMUNITY
– individual vs collective
STILL-LIFE > OBJECT > HISTORY > MEMORY > FAMILY
– private vs public

Produce a blog post from each shoot with careful selection, adjustments and editing of images in Lightroom. Review and evaluate shoot for further development and experimentation. Your photo-shoots MUST be published on the blog by Fri 10 JAN 2025.

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USEFUL RESOURCES

DOCUMENTARY vs TABLEAUX PHOTOGRAPHY

CONTEXTUAL STUDIES > 1 blog post.
Describe the genres of documentary photography and tableaux photography and highlight the differences and similarities in the style and approach of the image-making process. For example: What do we mean by a photograph that is ‘documentary’ in style. How does a staged tableaux image construct a narrative different from documentary photography? Which of the two genres are best at representing truth? Or, is photography now unreliable as ‘evidence’ or ‘bearing witness’ and be a ‘window’ onto the world due to new technology, such as AI and other digital image manipulation software. In order to answer these questions fully, you may want to refer to your earlier essay; Photography and Truth: Can a photograph lie?
See more here:

Summer Term: Nostalgia | 2024 Photography Blog (hautlieucreative.co.uk)

Aim to write 500-1000 words and include images to illustrate both genres of photography and show evidence of reading by including direct quotes from sources and referencing using Harvard system.

RESOURCES > First, Look through both these PPTs to get a basic understanding documentary photography and tableaux photography.

DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY

Documentary Photography

American photographer Alec Soth on his approach to photography

Here is a link to Alec Soth website: http://alecsoth.com/photography/

Interview with Alec Soth in the British Journal of Photography

Photographer Rob Hornstra on documentary, storytelling and slow journalism

Rob Hornstra and writer Arnold van Bruggen spend five years working in the Sochi Region where the 2014 Winter Olympics where held. Here is a link to The Sochi Project

British documentary photographer Chloe Dewe-Matthews

Her website http://www.chloedewemathews.com

Magnum photographer Christopher Anderson on being a documentary photographer

Link to his work and profile on Magnum and his website

TABLEAUX PHOTOGRAPHY

Tableaux Photography

Stranger than Fiction: Should documentary photographers add fiction to reality?
Documentary photography belongs to the realm of truth, yet some photographers are testing the boundaries between reality and fiction in a bid to reach a public that is accustomed to these narrative forms in the literary and cinematic worlds. In contemporary photography today your have what some people call Fictional Documentary (similar to TV genre such as doc-drama) where you interpret real or historical events through fiction.  This is  often expressed through a personal and artistic vision which are operating somewhere between fiction and fantasy with some elements of truth or historical data that has been re-imagined.

See the work of: Cristina de Middel (Afronauts, Sharkification, This is What Hatred Did), Max Pinckers (Will They Sing Like Raindrops or Leave Me Thirsty), Vasantha Yogananthan (A Myth of Two Souls), Ron Jude (Lick Creek Line), Eamonn Doyle ( i ) Paul Graham (Does Yellow Run Forever), Yury Toroptsov (Fairyland, House of Baba Yaga, Divine Retribution), Gareth McConnell (Close Your Eyes), Joan Fontcuberta

Read this article in the BJP : Stranger than fiction: Should documentary photographers add fiction to reality? Interview with Cristina de Middel http://mediastorm.com/clients/2013-icp-infinity-awards-publication-cristina-de-middel

READING > To develop a deeper understanding, read these two texts by David Bate from his book, Art Photography (2016) Tate Publishing.

New approaches to documentary in contemporary photography David_Bate_The_Art_of_the_Document

On rise of Tableaux in contemporary photographic practice David_Bate_The_Pictorial_Turn

EXTRA READING: For a contemporary perspective on documentary practice read photographer, Max Pincher’s Interview: On Speculative Documentary  To read this interview you must access it online from home as it is blocked from internet filter in school.

Or read pdf below

Bate D. (2009) ‘Documentary and Storytelling‘ in The Key Concepts: Photography. Oxford: Berg

Bright S. (2005) ‘ Narrative‘ in Art Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson