Photography Summer Transition Work 2018 Describing the work Interpreting the work Evaluating the work

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1 Photography Summer Transition Work 2018 This pack contains a programme of activities to introduce you to A level Photography in September. It is aimed to be used after you complete your GCSE s throughout the remainder of the Summer term and over the Summer Holidays to ensure you are ready to start your course in September. In your first week in the autumn term at Coombe you will present the work created over the summer holidays in a group critique. This will address the form and content of the artwork and also include a discussion of the issues discussed in the reading assignment. A critique will include: Describing the work (what does it look like? what is it made of?): Your audience has not seen the piece before so you are the only person who can inform them of it s qualities. Interpreting the work (what does it mean?): Here you need to discuss any information that is significant in the creation of the work. Evaluating the work (is it art? is it interesting? does it "work"?): This is, perhaps, the most difficult critical task. Do not assume the viewer shares your point of view. Explain why you feel the way you do. It is good, nice will not suffice. This artwork and critique will be your opportunity to demonstrate your commitment, motivation and interests in Photography. Failure to demonstrate this could lead to discussions on whether the A level Photography is a suitable option for yourself. If you are not sure on any content, please make sure to discuss with your Art teachers prior to leaving Year 11.

2 Important information about A level Photography at Coombe Exam Board: AQA Course: A Level Art and Design (Photography) Cost and Equipment The course does have a charge of 90 for the year, payable in two instalments of 45. This is to cover material cost for the laser and inkjet printers, printer paper, sketchbooks and mounting. You must bring your own digital camera with you to all your lessons. Whilst the department does have some cameras for student use you will find the course more difficult to access. This is because you could be using a different camera model and make each time so you have to learn how to access multiple camera functions rather than just the familiarity of your own. At times, cameras are not always available as they are being used for other lessons or you may have to share. It is advisable to have a memory stick and access to a colour printer outside of school.

3 A Level Photography Reading and Discovery Lists One of the best ways you stand out during your Sixth Form studies is through the amount of independent study you undertake outside of the classroom. Regardless of your future plans, the ability to extend yourself and research independently into your interests is an invaluable skill; this will support your university applications and/or future job applications and interviews. All universities expect more than just classroom knowledge, which is where extra-curricular activities come in; these are academic enrichment tasks that show you are interested in your studies beyond what is on the school syllabus. Below is a list of useful websites and books that will aid your development in this subject. Galleries, exhibition spaces, permanent exhibitions Larger galleries and Museum spaces, all with permanent exhibitions: The Photographers Gallery National Portrait Gallery The Tate Modern- Modern and Contemporary art The Tate Britain- British Art The Victoria and Albert Museum- Applied arts and design from around the world The Design Museum The National Portrait Gallery Useful Books and Websites The following books and websites will provide insight to Photography theory and the work of various photographers. Art in Theory: : An Anthology of Changing Ideas. Charles Harrison. Paul Wood. V&A photography collection- British Journal of Photography- The Photographer s Gallery- The Genius of Photography. Garry Badger Saatchi- Tate- On Photography. Susan Sontag. Ways of Seeing. John Berger. The Photo Book. Ian Jeffrey.

4 Staycation or holidaying in the UK? Why not visit one of these places to inspire you.

5 Task 1: Camera Settings It is vital that you become familiar with your camera, its settings and functions as you will need to know how to change these and set the camera up to perform different operations for lessons throughout the course. Task one is designed to help you with this. You need to find out what the following features are on your camera and how to turn your camera into that mode or adjust that feature. Macro S Shutter priority A Aperture priority ISO settings You can do this in a number of ways, either read the manual that came with it, look for video tutorials on YouTube, buy a photography book or borrow one from a library or research on the internet.

6 Before you begin your photography work, you will need to complete some research to help contextualise your work and give you a greater understanding of the world of Photography. Research, reading and analysing artworks are essential skills for A level Photography study. 1. Read about the history of Photography and how camera s have evolved from the Pin Hole camera to current day cameras. You could even make you own pin hole camera out of a matchstick box! 2. Research a photographer of your choice that inspires you. Investigate what motivates the photographer to produce their work and why they want to take photographs. Choose one of their pieces of photography and analyse the work using the following framework. Describe the work Interpret the work (what does it mean?) Evaluate the work (is it art? is it interesting? does it "work"?) Task 2: Research and Analysis Activity You will be discussing the photographer and their work in a group critique in your first lesson. You need to bring in an image of the work (this can be saved on a word document and projected on the whiteboard, a good printed image or an image in a book). You may want to make notes to refer to when discussing the work.

7 Task 3: Creating a set of Photographs A huge part of taking great photographs is looking carefully at the world around you and ensuring that you have your camera with you at all times to take that great shot! Look around you. What do you see? Find imagery, objects, shapes that can make up the alphabet from A to Z. You cannot create the letters yourself but must look for the shapes in the world around you. Look up, down, use different angles! Take 26 photographs and print these off as wallet sized images. (Wallet size prints can be chosen on windows as a print page option). These images will be discussed as part of the group critique so consider carefully why you are taking the shot.