It's important that your research work between September and March is produced at a high standard in conjunction with two or more of your tasks/projects.
The light blue blocks of text are quotes used from your research that help to reinforce any point you're making about the work you're studying. These quotes should stand out from the main body of the text making it obvious that they are quotes and not your own written work. You work cannot be made up of anymore than 10% of quotes per page. (See more details below relating to quotes).
Narrative___________________________________
Is
the image a part of series? Do you need to see the other images in the series
to make sense of the Narrative e.g. the story behind the images? Or is
the Narrative obvious in the single image – analyse how the narrative is
conveyed. What is the story – how do you know from elements within the image?
Has the formula Person + Background + Symbol + Involvement been used?
Explain.
Colour or Black and white______________________
Explain
why the image is B&W if it’s not colour? Is the reason because of the images
age and it’s been shot on B&W film? Does the fact that it’s B&W or
colour have an impact on the way the image is perceived – is colour an
important aspect to the image does it convey meaning in some way? Is it B&W
to create a sense of mood and drama? Explain in some detail and *analyse.
(Key words to use… Mood, drama, perceived,
impact, convey, meaning.).
Body language/Facial expressions_______________
Look
at and analyse the body language and facial expressions of the people in the
image/s. Comment on it – is it relevant, is it a part of the story – what significance
has it on the impact of the image.
(Key words to use… Eye contact, passive, aggressive,
indifferent, confrontational, expression.).
Empathy & Relationships_______________________
Look
at the photographer and they are in relation to the subjects/people in the
images. Does the photographer share the same status as the subjects in terms of
things such as… Values; Religion; Ethnicity; Race; Politics, Wealth, Beliefs
etc? Thinking about these aspects, are the images shot with a sense of
impartiality/neutrality or do the images elevate or demean the subjects?
Consider a white affluent photographer with a £15,000 camera and lens around
his/her neck shooting images of people who have less opportunity in life – is this
exploitative?
(Key words to use… Relationship, status, neutral,
elevate, demean, impartial, exploitation.).
Materials____________________________________
If
you can identify the materials used in the images and explain why they have
been chosen for this purpose. Do the materials bring anything specific to the
image that helps with conveying meaning or narrative. To identify hard-copy
work in galleries use the prompt ‘Sold at auction’ pre-fixed with the
Photographers name, use the auction websites to ascertain the material images are
printed on and the size and costs that the images sell for.
(Key words to use… Materials, Giclee, C-Type,
Fibre-based.).
Techniques__________________________________
This
refers to how the images have been shot… Tripod; Hand-held; Slow shutter
speed, wide aperture, out of focus, panning, fill-in flash, Studio lighting,
ambient light, Location photography, fly on the wall, Candid, wide angle,
telephoto, large format, under-water, ariel, high view-point, low view-point, eye
level, golden hour, subjectively, objectively etc. The more you read about
photography and study photography, the more you’ll be able to refer to these
techniques.
(Key words to use… All the above in italics.).
Processes___________________________________
Look
at the images and or through your research establish what processes have been
used. This can be traditional dish processing and film processing using
analogue methods, or it may be post production methods using digital systems
such as Photoshop. It might also include hand-rendered processes such scratching,
degrading, staining, drawing onto the surface, painting, tinting etc. Identify
these and analyse why they have been used – does it enhance the image if so
how?
(Key words to use… Post production, analogue,
digital, stages, development).
Equipment__________________________________
What
equipment has been used (Use images of the equipment on the images page). Why
has this equipment been chosen, why does it suit this particular photographic approach
what if another approach using different equipment was used – how would
that affect the images?
(Key words to use… used, chosen, choose,
rationale, justified, necessary, fit for purpose.).
Constructed or natural_________________________
Through
your research ascertain whether the images have been set up or is it real-life.
Are the images fly on the wall documentary style or have the people in the
images colluded with the photographer and therefore been controlled and set up
to any extent, what are the clues or is this the Photographers style and
approach? Or are the completely controlled as in Fashion photography or
photography that has been commissioned in advance and everyone involved is
fully engaged with the process?
(Key words to use… Constructed, arranged, planned,
candid, stye, process.).
Genre______________________________________
Analyse
and or explain what genre of Photography the images belong to… Fashion,
portraiture, Fine Art, Landscape, advertising, industrial, editorial, amateur,
architectural, documentary, Photojournalism etc.
(Key words to use… Any of the above in italics.).
Background__________________________________
Backgrounds
are important – look at the background and explain how and why it’s been used.
If it’s a plain background – what colour is used, what is the psychological and
culture significance of the colour and does that matter in this image? If its
place or a set, what does that tell you about the subject – is it used as part
of the narrative – analyse in terms of socio economics – what does the
background tell you about the person and who they are?
(Key words to use… Background, meaning, convey,
narrative, Story, significance.).
Props_______________________________________
How
are props used in the images – where do they feature, have they been introduced,
and how do they help in conveying meaning and narrative.
(Key words to use… Props, meaning, convey, narrative,
Story.).
Influence____________________________________
No
Photography is original – everything has been seen before in some way. Identify
who has influence the work, this is usually seen or heard about in interviews
with the Photographer/Artist. Use an image on your image page that shows the visual
connection and identify the work and artist/photographer that this photographer
has been influenced by.
(Key words to use… Influence, copied, aspects, connection.).
Style/Period_________________________________
Look
at the images and analyse the styling and the period identified in the images.
Have these been shot at that time or have they been styled retrospectively,
this is often seen in Fashion photography, why has this been done? Is it
because this is part of a trend? Or is the style associated with a movement or
organisation e.g. a uniform. What does the style evoke or say about the image
and or narrative? (Key words to use… Trend, style, period, evoke, historic,
modern, contemporary, current, retrospective, uniform.).
Mood______________________________________
Closely
associated with aspects such as Body, language, lighting. If not mentioned previously,
you can analyse this aspect as a stand-alone aspect of the image.
(Key words to use… Mood, dramatic, lighting, expression,
body language, feel.).
Lighting_____________________________________
How
has the light been used? Identify it and analyse it in terms of it being – Point,
Diffuse, natural, ambient, warm, cold, harsh, high-contrast, flat, interior, fluorescent,
tungsten, HMI, dramatic, subjective, objective, mood and colour cast.
(Key words to use… Any of the above in italics.).
Location____________________________________
This
is similar to your analysis of the background. Why has the location been used,
what does it convey in terms of the narrative? Where is it, does the background
make sense in terms of the subject? Would there have been difficulties in
shooting at this location – would have been hired or permissions sought in
order to shoot images there? Is there anything distracting in the background,
does it work in term of colour and content. Would it have been difficult to
work in this location would the photographer have been disturbed by the public
or locals?
(Key words to use… Narrative, story,
difficulties, planning, Trespassing, locals, public, private.).
Operational Context__________________________
What
type of Photography is it in terms of how it used. Is the work Art Photography,
Commercial Photography, Advertising, Editorial, Stock Photography, Amateur etc?
Explain/analyse what it is that makes it fit the operational context.
(Key words to use… Operational context).
Quoting in your work_________________________
Use quotes
in the work; These should be made obvious (Light blue on the example). Also
make them stand out by indenting them and making the text italic and using a
different coloured font as above and use speech marks. Finally, link the quote
to its source. Number each of the quotes in order and type the number in
brackets at the end of the quote and the identify which website it comes from
by putting the number at the end of the website address (HTML Link) in your
bibliography.
Bibliography You must compile a bibliography e.g., include a list of
HTML (Internet web page links) within the work – typically include 4, using the
main websites you’ve sourced your information and images from. (Dark blue text
on the example). Use smaller text e.g. 9 point.
Level 3 Photography resources
(bteclinks.blogspot.com) (1)
*Analysis____________________________________
To turn your work
into analysis as opposed to simply explaining. You need to use a questioning
approach in your response. The easiest way to do this is to use the pre-fix what
if? In your response, if you use the what if question it’ll
offer you the potential to question your response and offer an alternative
answer. This’ll will then generate a far more detailed and critical approach to
your answer. Make sure you include the key word
when you do this. Key word/phrase to use - What if?
1. Materials – how do they impact on the image – why relevant – why used – what used?
2. Techniques – Wide angle – telephoto – hand-held – differential focus – large, medium or 35mm format – digital or analogue – studio – location?
3. Processes – planned – spontaneous – how organised – evidence of – collaboration – team effort – individual effort – art direction – personal project – commissioned -
4. Light – bright – dark – sinister – type – source – diffuse – point – direction – colour – shadows – ambient – flash – studio – mixed
5. Narrative – The story – meaning – message – single image – several images – obvious – ambivalent
6. Mood – positive – negative – indifferent – ambivalent
7. Composition – rule of thirds – horizon – viewpoint – dominant – subservient – neutral – diagonal – full – empty – busy – cluttered -
8. Contextual influence and connections – artists – photographers – current events – politics – society – culture – environment -
9. Location/Background – what does it tell us about the narrative/story?
10. Influence – Does it look like the work of someone else – who has the Photographer been influenced by (Use image to show how).
11. Tone – flat – contrast – stark – grey – high key – low key
12. Line – frames within frames – leading lines- diagonal - horizons
13. Form – Sense of depth and 3D - ness
14. Colour/B&W significance of either – harmony –discord – contrast - saturation
15. Shape – angular/constructed/Geometric and hard – organic – natural – smooth - shapely
16. Space – negative – busy – relevant – background – confused – juxtaposition – linked
17. Pattern – repetition – geometric – regular – irregular
18. Body language – neutral – aggressive – passive – sexual – assertive – masculine - feminine
19. Facial expressions - Neutral – sexy – aggressive – upset – happy etc.
20. Props – objects – things in image that help the narrative
21. Period/style – 1960’s, 1970’s 2000’s etc
22. Focus – Sharp – out of focus – differential – shallow
23. Operational context – What type of image is it, where would it be seen – what is its purpose?
24. Size and scale - How big is the work when presented in galleries - why is this significant?
In your research avoid simply describing as that'll only attain a pass. You need to analyse the work your looking at...
Analysis is the process of breaking a complex topic or substance into smaller parts in order to gain a better understanding of it. (1).
Evaluate - if your research criteria demands you evaluate you will need to explain how the research is of some use to you... why is it useful, how will it feed into/influence your own work?
