High quality specialist papers

 Specialist papers

Within your work, in conjunction with A1:5 "Communication" in order to meet the "Thorough understanding and skilful use of presentation methods" you're required to produce your work at a very high and professional standard and this means demonstrating your use and knowledge of these methods.

A1:5 Criteria

In 2023 we can offer you part packs of some of the highest quality papers used in black and white printing. Some of the papers cost in excess of £150 per box of 100.

For this project you're expected to print your final or best images on these papers and we can offer you a pack of ten (3 types - 3 sheets of 2 types and 4 of the MG300). The current cost using the stock we have already is £12.00 for the pack. Only use this paper towards the end of the project to produce the final images and to compare and contrast the different types once you've done enough printing and acquired the necessary skills (Week 4 onwards)?

Identify and write about these papers in a separate section "Materials" in a similar way seen here on the left.

• Images of the materials
• Product data relating to the materials (Screen grab)
• Your own written content about the materials - your experience of using them and comparing with other?

This same approach can and should be used in conjunction with the equipment you use, allocating a column to each item that you identify and use.

More details here...

https://bteclinks.blogspot.com/2022/05/materials-how-to-design-sheets.html

https://www.ilfordphoto.com/photographic-paper

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Digital Papers (AC:5 communication) 

Digital photography similarly is printed on high-quality papers too. In the 2nd year when it comes to producing your portfolio you might opt to print your portfolio for your interview to gain access to University or employment.

One of the best places in the UK to have digital images printed is  The Print Space in London  

Click on the image here (Left) and it'll take you to the Print Spaces Youtube channel and all of their videos for you to peruse and learn from.

In the first year you need to show you have knowledge of the potential to print your work to a very high professional standard using a range of different materials and methods.

To identify this in your work as a minimum you should produce a number of pages (A section) where you identify that you've researched these materials, look at their product details and explained their characteristics and properties. 

In order to do this really well you should buy a sample pack from the print space (£14 in 2023) and look at the papers as a physical entity - feel them and compare them with each other and make comparisons with the B&W papers you'll be using. If you buy the papers you could select 2-4 or four of your preferred versions cut a piece off the samples you choose and add this to your work at the back as a hard copy example that you can refer to in your written work. 

This can be added to the work along with the hard -copy prints you produce in the darkroom. 

Make sure you watch this video here about the papers...

Click on picture to go to Youtube

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r-d3QZk1YDI

Laying out your work in your Design sheets

Probably the most efficient and effective way of laying out your work is to do it in the manner as illustrated below. These examples are of how your independently produced work should look once you've been on the course for a few months. The main thing to take from these examples is the balance between images and written work along with the type of content.

The examples here are produced in a word document using 3 columns per A3 page. In recent years students have worked with Power-point rather than Word as they find it easier. It's up to you to decide which method your prefer, but you'll need to do quickly during the production of the Pinhole project. 

This applies to all types of shoots and practical activities such as printing or preparing materials, albeit in a slightly different way that you'll be directed as to how to do so. 

Looking at the image above, the section which is highlighted in Blue is the written planning section, here you might explain what equipment you're going to use and why it's potentially fit for purpose or why you're going to try it. This shows prior knowledge and fore-thinking which is a part of the problem solving aspect to your work (criteria AC2). In studio shoots this would also include the use of a floor plan diagram and there's no reason why a diagram couldn't be used even when working on location. You can/should use maps from Google (Screen grabs) and these can be used in place of diagrams explaining the light direction and the problems the light might cause when shooting your pictures. 

Following the plan you should use a reference image or several - here there's a series of images grabbed off a Google image search of cricket pictures. Usually, you'd use an image from the photographer that's inspired or influenced you along with a little research about the photographer and the images (2 paragraphs)? 

Then you should upload your contact sheets - showing a good ranged of images from the shoot that represents the range and diversity of your approach. If you shot hundreds and many of them are exactly the same - edit them down to show a representation of your approach and methods. 

Then look to fill a page or two, maybe more of the best images from your shoot showing a good range and variety.

Then at the end highlighted in Green  the all important reflection. The reflection is an opportunity to further demonstrate knowledge, but more importantly question what you've done and whether it is any good (Fit for purpose) and if it could be done in a different way that might be better? Explain using photographic terminology what's wrong with the images or your approach and whether you achieved what you'd set out to do in the plan. Use the reflection to analyse what kind of images you've produced - how could they be used, who might the client be, why do they suit the client and their intended purpose? How have you used visual language tools to communicate the meaning and narrative and has it worked effectively - is the story/message clear? 

The highlighted in yellow section in this instance is Health and safety considerations. 

Then include a minimum of two images as above from your shoot which are your best examples. You need to keep in mind next Oct/Nov/Dec in your second year you need to start collecting the best of your work to start creating a portfolio. *Also add them to your Padlet that you created in the WEX lessons. 

Another example using the same kind of approach for a studio shoot. 

Over-view of AC:5 Communication

 

Distinction Criteria

Where does this work appear?_______________________________________

*2nd year details toward the bottom. 

(1). Possibly the easiest way of addressing this criteria is to include it as a part of your research. For each of the tasks you'll have been instructed to choose at least one of your research photographers/artists and analyse and deconstruct a key image of theirs in far more depth using the visual language prompts seen  here  your visual language analysis discusses communication. 

(2). Then at the planning stage for your first shoot explain what kind of photography it is you're hoping to produce this could be under a sub heading... "Intention" you should definitely in the first sentence include the word communicate in order to demonstrate that you're aware of the fact that you're addressing this criteria. Clarify what your intention is, the meaning, purpose, function of the work in relation to your intentions, potential client and audience. 

At this stage you can also demonstrate knowledge (Written and visual) of the format in which this would be presented if followed through professionally in your specified context; detailing presentation methods, materials, processes and conventions. 

(3). The most advanced method is to write about theses aspects of photography in conjunction with your own images. When you write up your reflections at the end of each of your shoots/practical tasks, you have the opportunity to analyse your work in terms of how well it communicates. This is especially important when you reflect on your final images. 

• Discuss and anlayse the following points in your reflections, especially the final reflection in conjunction with your final images. 
• 
  
• Do your images have meaning - what is the narrative (Story)? Do we have to see your images as a collective to get a sense of the story or do any of your images tell the story in one image - perhaps using the "Person + Background + symbol + involvement" formula? 
• 
  
• Explain how your images might be used in a professional context... Editorial, social, advertising, stock photography or Art photography. Justify and explain why? Also explain where you might expect to see the type of images you've produced for the hand in. 
• 
  
• In the final evaluation, you might again reinforce your argument by discussing the above in terms of the client, purpose, audience and why it suits their need in terms of communication. 
• 
  
• You can also analyse how well you've executed the work and presented it, do your images look professional - if you compare them with similar professional work - how do they compare? Do they communicate professionalism? Is your approach at presenting your finals consistent, would you be happy to put your images in a gallery and sell them? 
• 
  
• Imagine if your work was printed off and presented in public - how would it look, how would you present your work to communicate professionalism? 
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• Look at the Printspace website - https://www.theprintspace.co.uk/online-photo-art-framing/  look at the range of methods used in terms of presentation expected to communicate a professional standard of presentation. 

(4). A third way might be to simply have a single  'Stand alone' page headed "Communication - AC:5" and you produce a detailed response addressing all of the points above as much as you can. Cross reference your written analysis with the images and their page numbers and where the appear in your work.

There are number of ways of addressing it in the Studio work...

(1). When you produce the research, add a section where you analyse the image that we use as the reference image in terms of its use/audience and what it is conveying, how and why does it work as an image, why is it right for the purpose that it's been used for and why is it right for its audience/demographic group? The image in this first lighting example is one of the more important images in Photographic and media history. When published in Vogue in May 1993, there was a massive gap between the opinion of one demographic group and the other, so as a case study and given the impact the images went on to have on the Fashion industry its worth looking into and researching further. See the links below if you want to delve further and potentially produce communication analysis of this image. 

https://southendasphoto.blogspot.com/2013/11/corrine-day.html

https://craythornedrew.wordpress.com/2016/05/11/chapter-two-heroin-chic-and-controversy/

*Note if you use these links and any others within the articles make sure you use them in your bibliography. 

(2) The next approach to identifying 'Communication' within your work is to critically analyse your own photography. The place to do this is within your Reflection under the analysis heading. You could start with... Do my own images communicate professionalism? In the lesson today I spoke about this and suggested you could question whether your images looked professional - have you made any mistakes? What could be deemed as being amateurish? 

• Are the exposures correct?
• Are the exposures consistent e.g. are some bright and some dark?
• Have you composed the images well - do you have too big a gap above the head, have cropped the body in camera correctly or have you cut through limbs, shoes, feet etc?
• Is the background in the image at all - can you see the wall or the floor? 
• Have you managed to get 2, 4 or 6 really good images out of the shoot that you might include in your portfolio? 

What will you do to rectify these mistakes next time? 

You don't do this just this once, you repeat this same critical analysis approach to all of your shoots in your reflections.

 New                                                                                                                                                              (1). In the post research reflection and or the first plan, explain what kind of photography it is you're going to produce in terms of genre and what it is that makes it that... (Signifiers)?
(2). What the images are used for - selling products, stimulating, expressing, provoking, informing or improving?
(3). Who are you the images for - suggest potential clients?
(4). Where would the work be seen - websites, galleries, stock agencies, people's living rooms, magazines, posters, bus-stops, point of sale? 
(5). Who is your audience for the final images and what demographic group are they?

 This then establishes what you're doing and why.

 Then in your reflections, you need to critically evaluate your work in these terms...

 Is the work fit for purpose at each developmental stage...

 (1).Does the work look like the type of photography you said you'd be producing?

(2).Is it usable at this stage for the use you suggested?
(3).Is it meeting your clients needs?
(4).Is it at the standard for the suggested mode of display you suggested in your plans?
(5).Does it meet the needs of your audience?

 Yes and no answer are insufficient, the responses in the reflection need to be critically analysed.

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2nd Year "Communication" AC:5

AC:5 Communication This can appear in a number of places – 

In broader terms discuss whether your work communicates…

·        The intended message/meaning – this can be a narrative or it might be an emotional reaction to the work. Was this the intention from the start and have you achieved the intention, does the image or images as a collective communicate these aspects?

·        Professionalism – does your work look slick; is it presented beautifully on the pages of your design sheets and does it conform to standard methods of presenting photographic work?

·        If the work is presented in a portfolio – does the portfolio do it justice. Is your presentation method, Box, folder, Photobook good enough to seek work at a Major client or an employer or is it intended to get you on to your Uni course – what’s the difference? Is your work printed on Photo-copy card or have you had your work printed at The Printspace or similar? What does the client or Uni want in the form of a portfolio? Have you met their expectations – why/how?

·        If your work  is on a website – what are you communicating – is the website targeting a specific audience –  Who, why – how? Is your website slick – how does it communicate professionalism – what things are seen and required to make it look like a pro website? 

(1). In your Research where you discuss your chosen photographers, market, audience, clients and how their images communicate meaning/message/ purpose to the audience. 

(2). Analysis (In your final reflection) of whether your portfolio communicates professionalism – how well have you produced it, is it high end – is it obvious that it’s for a particular purpose – explain who/what and justify your reasoning? Is a Uni portfolio different to a portfolio for a professional scenario – how and why – how is the difference communicated? How can you communicate professionalism through the use of materials (Supports) or choice of portfolio presentation?

(3). As above – but analysing your website in terms of what and how it communicates – who’s intended to see it and is it fit for purpose and what is it communicating? 

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Use of Stand-alone pages to evidence AC5 Communication. *This is in addition to identifying communication aspects in your plans, reflections and annotations. 

This approach is useful because it can be re-used in future tasks if it is (1). Updated and improved with more advanced information that reflects the work you're producing at the time or is generic.

If it's re-used, some of the information in the pages might need to be removed - in this page you might remove the work on Liquid emulsion as it's potentially not relevant to your current work, but the other 2 columns of work are generic and would only need to be updated with more information relevant to your current work. 

This approach isn't restricted to just a page, it might run to two or three pages - possibly more, especially if over the year you add more content and renewed - more complex and detailed responses to the pages.