Throughout your work you're required to write up plans for you Photo shoots.
Top Tip
When you write up your plans, make sure you "Sign post" the fact that you are doing so, by using a Bold heading using the wording from the criteria e.g. Plan and then highlight the plan using a colour as in the image below.
*NOTE Make sure you write up your plans in the present tense, do not write them up using retrospective (Past tense) language, otherwise they're not plans. If you're forced to write your plans up after the event, focus on using the correct language, ensuring it reads as though the plan was written before you executed the work. Top tip - Write them up before you do the work!
Plans sometimes don't go to plan, if they don't - just explain/analyse why in your reflective work.
So, what do I write and how much?
With regards to the question how much - there's no answer, but, you're looking to attain either passes, merits or Distinctions. Distinctions obviously require far more detail and evidence of knowledge and organisation. Plans will generally follow the use of reflection - Reflect - plan - Do.
The length of the plan is dictated by the complexity of the shoot, if it's a self-directed studio shoot involving set building, models, make-up artists, assistants, hair-stylists and changes to the lighting and set as seen in 2nd year work, the plan will be longer.
Typically the things that you should detail in your plan...
- Your idea/intention - outline of what you're going to do/learn
- When you plan to shoot.(You can include a weather report if shooting on location outside).
- Where you're shooting the pictures.
- What camera you'll be using. (You can use images)
- What media your using.
- What focal length you'll be using.
- Whether you'll experiment with different focal lengths or change lenses.
- What kind of lighting you'll be using - soft, harsh, diffuse, point etc.
- If your copying someone's lighting techniques say who's.
- Who your model will be.
- Whether you're using tripods, reflectors, or any other equipment.
- Who your assistant will be.
- What you're testing out.
- Transport details
- Details about emptying SD cards - charging batteries.
- Contingency (Back up) plan in the event of any changes - models/light/weather
- When you intent to have films processed by and the work in your design sheet.
- Any H&S issues and how you will address them.
Top Tip Copy the bullet pointed list above and paste directly into your design sheet. Then write up your plan in response to these prompts and delete the prompts as you go.
Note - It's especially important that self-directed shoots and final shoots are the ones with the most detail, make sure these can be described as being comprehensive or detailed as these are often the descriptions used in the Criteria in order to attain merits and distinctions.
The above is sufficient - More detail below & examples.
Planning your work (Photography & Art)
If within your assignment you have a requirement to plan - the following guidance may be helpful.
Dependent on what course you're doing there will be several units that require that you identify that you have planned parts of your work, there may also be a component that asks for you to clarify your intentions.
Planning should be identified at all stages when you undertake the production of work... Photography or Art.
Use these prompts below to generate your plan
1. Clarify (Describe) what the intention is e.g. why you're making this work, making a direct link with the assignment content.
2. Where - say where your making the images - studio, location, explain why you're doing it there - strengths and weaknesses of the location/studio. Problems you might encounter what you'll do in advance to alleviate those problems.
3. When - The date, time, explain why at that time, especially if on location - as the light will be dramatically different at different times of day. Be as technical as you can when talking about the light. Write about the time in terms of urgency and the assignment deadline.
4. What with - What camera and equipment are you using, what focal length lens, what tripod, what additional equipment will you need - will you have a back-up camera? Use a check-list in your book, have everything on the check-list - Empty SD card, charged batteries, additional batteries and SD cards. Tripod plates, cables, hotshoe adapters, light meters, extension leads, flash heads and other studio kit (Use the names/brands of the equipment).
5. How (Technique) - Explain how you're going to shoot the images, what approach will you use, how do you want it to look? Is it going to like or borrow something of a famous photographers style or technique? How are you going to ensure that you get the exposures right - what method will you use to do your light readings - maybe explain what metering pattern you use and say why. What are you going to do about your backgrounds? Do your backgrounds play an important part in the images visual language/narrative? How are you going to use the back-grounds - out of focus or in focus? How do you intend to use depth of field generally? What shutter speed will you hope to be using and why? What white balance will you use and why? What file type will you use and why?
6. Who with - Models, assistants, make-up artist, stylists, drivers etc. Who will you use as the model, could you find models? Are you using the same model again and again - why? Do you think that when you show your folio to prospective employers or Universities they might view this negatively? Have you used anyone else to style it or do any of the other roles in photography - see the image below of a Location shoot I witnessed as well as the photographer and the 1 model (Yasmin Le Bonn) there were at least 12 other people... Stylists, Make-up artists, hair-stylists, 4 x assistants, art director. Could your images be improved with more effort and attention to detail?
Whoever you do involve - say what their role is going to be as part of your plan.
7. Using what light Before you shoot, you should have some idea of the kind of light you want, what do you want the light to do - define shape, form and texture, or do you want light that wraps around the subject with low contrast? Again, make connections with other photographers work... I want to get the same effect as photographer a and b and write about the light using the correct terminology. With the light you should write about the time of day and weather and what you're hoping for - you could support this with weather reports - with images of charts showing the weather you'll probably get and then also include a weather contingency plan.
With the light - if you're in the studio use a floor plan diagram and add images or diagrams of the lighting equipment you're going to use and explain why and what effect this might have on the outcome.
8. Health and Safety Many of the units have a requirement to address H&S, so within your plan make sure you write about the H&S aspects that you have to deal with and explain what you do to ensure you, your model and any others that are involved in your shoot are also safe.
9. Weather Mentioned earlier - the weather has a massive effect on location shoots, you might want a particular type of light for your shoot that meets your creative intentions if the light isn't right, explain what you'll do to deal with the light being not quite what you want.
Finally, if you've looked at this check list and thought "What the hell"? because, you don't usually think of or include much of the above, that means at the end of the assignment when you write up your reflection/evaluation and detail what more you need to learn in order to improve you can mention some of the above.
If within your assignment you have a requirement to plan - the following guidance may be helpful.
Dependent on what course you're doing there will be several units that require that you identify that you have planned parts of your work, there may also be a component that asks for you to clarify your intentions.
Planning should be identified at all stages when you undertake the production of work... Photography or Art.
Use these prompts below to generate your plan
1. Clarify (Describe) what the intention is e.g. why you're making this work, making a direct link with the assignment content.
2. Where - say where your making the images - studio, location, explain why you're doing it there - strengths and weaknesses of the location/studio. Problems you might encounter what you'll do in advance to alleviate those problems.
3. When - The date, time, explain why at that time, especially if on location - as the light will be dramatically different at different times of day. Be as technical as you can when talking about the light. Write about the time in terms of urgency and the assignment deadline.
4. What with - What camera and equipment are you using, what focal length lens, what tripod, what additional equipment will you need - will you have a back-up camera? Use a check-list in your book, have everything on the check-list - Empty SD card, charged batteries, additional batteries and SD cards. Tripod plates, cables, hotshoe adapters, light meters, extension leads, flash heads and other studio kit (Use the names/brands of the equipment).
5. How (Technique) - Explain how you're going to shoot the images, what approach will you use, how do you want it to look? Is it going to like or borrow something of a famous photographers style or technique? How are you going to ensure that you get the exposures right - what method will you use to do your light readings - maybe explain what metering pattern you use and say why. What are you going to do about your backgrounds? Do your backgrounds play an important part in the images visual language/narrative? How are you going to use the back-grounds - out of focus or in focus? How do you intend to use depth of field generally? What shutter speed will you hope to be using and why? What white balance will you use and why? What file type will you use and why?
6. Who with - Models, assistants, make-up artist, stylists, drivers etc. Who will you use as the model, could you find models? Are you using the same model again and again - why? Do you think that when you show your folio to prospective employers or Universities they might view this negatively? Have you used anyone else to style it or do any of the other roles in photography - see the image below of a Location shoot I witnessed as well as the photographer and the 1 model (Yasmin Le Bonn) there were at least 12 other people... Stylists, Make-up artists, hair-stylists, 4 x assistants, art director. Could your images be improved with more effort and attention to detail?
7. Using what light Before you shoot, you should have some idea of the kind of light you want, what do you want the light to do - define shape, form and texture, or do you want light that wraps around the subject with low contrast? Again, make connections with other photographers work... I want to get the same effect as photographer a and b and write about the light using the correct terminology. With the light you should write about the time of day and weather and what you're hoping for - you could support this with weather reports - with images of charts showing the weather you'll probably get and then also include a weather contingency plan.
With the light - if you're in the studio use a floor plan diagram and add images or diagrams of the lighting equipment you're going to use and explain why and what effect this might have on the outcome.
8. Health and Safety Many of the units have a requirement to address H&S, so within your plan make sure you write about the H&S aspects that you have to deal with and explain what you do to ensure you, your model and any others that are involved in your shoot are also safe.
9. Weather Mentioned earlier - the weather has a massive effect on location shoots, you might want a particular type of light for your shoot that meets your creative intentions if the light isn't right, explain what you'll do to deal with the light being not quite what you want.
Finally, if you've looked at this check list and thought "What the hell"? because, you don't usually think of or include much of the above, that means at the end of the assignment when you write up your reflection/evaluation and detail what more you need to learn in order to improve you can mention some of the above.
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