Y02 - B2 Unit

 B2 kicks off in January and is a series of 2-3 wholly self-directed projects that incorporate elements of everything that you've previously learned across the 1st and 2nd year. 

It's heavily loaded in terms of points whereas all your previous units were 1 point of a pass, 2 for Merit and 3 for a distinction this unit is valued at 3 for a pass, 6 for a merit and 9 for a distinction and can make a significant difference to your final grade.

• From Jan to the Feb half term you work on Project 1.
• From Feb to Easter you work on Project 2.
• From Easter to the end of the year you work on Project 3. 

Project 3 is either a new project or a continuation of project 1 or 2. The decision as to what you choose to do for project 3 is generally done in conjunction and agreement with your lecturer.

Important: The most important aspect of projects one and two are that you focus on the research and the generation of your initial idea and starting point. This has to be done in week 1 otherwise the impact on the projects is detrimental to the development of the project. With this in mind, you should spend time considering what your idea and theme might be over the Christmas break...

• What are you going to Photograph - what will your theme be? 
• Consider that you'll need to be able to photograph your subject/theme several times over the duration of the project and therefore it needs to be accessible during your days off unless of course you choose a theme that is easily shot in the college using the resources and people in the college. 

Step 1_________________________________________________

Produce an intro page with the Unit name and number, your name and consider using the criteria as a part of your intro in order reinforce and remind yourself what it is you need to do and cover during the production of your work. 

Add to that your interpretation of the "Client and context" explaining that this is the premise of your work along with the potential 'Operational context' of your work...

(Plan/intention) My initial idea is that I'm going to try and produce a body of work with the theme of cricket potentially focusing on the people involved, but not exclusively, I'm going to be open minded at this stage with regards how the project will pan out, but given that my long term goal is to work in Editorial photography and perhaps also sell some of my work if suited as fine art photography I feel that this theme allows the flexibility for it to develop in a range of ways and allow for an array of different approaches and experiments. Towards the end of the project I'm hoping the work would have developed to an extent that I would feel confident that it would also be suited to for a submission to the Doncaster art fair. 

To this end I'm going to probably research photographers that produce portraits on location using available light and possibly sport photography in some form. 

Step 2_______________________________________________ 

 Produce two bodies of research on 2 artists associated with your theme. 

 1 x page of images associated with the body of work that you've used for your research.

1 x page of detailed commentary (Research) on (a). how the Photographer generates income as a photographer, who their clients are, who their audience is and what the demographic details are with regards the audience. (b.) Details relating to how the image works in terms of 'Communicating' meaning, message, narrative and mood (Visual language). *This can extend to the 3rd page.

1 x page of the visual evidence to support your claims with regards how the photographer make a living... Front covers, client lists, published books, sold at auction screen grabs, magazine and website articles showing their work, client lists, gallery and show lists, images of their work in galleries and details about the individual sales of prints sold via either auction websites or their own websites. Also images of them at work (Studio or on location). 

*Note further research can be added at any point in your work at the developmental stages if it further informs and influences your work. I needn't be as comprehensive as the first two bodies of research and can be a columns worth of research. 

Step 3_____________________________________________

The post research reflection

This is important and should be done in the first week as soon as you have completed the research. You need to reflect on the usefulness of the research in terms of its value in giving you ideas or reinforcing any ideas first discussed on the intro page. What have you seen or read, that will now inform your work and feed into the first shoot you'll be doing? 

Has it changed in terms of your plans/intention mentioned in the intro? If so how? 

Operational context Where does the research leave you in terms of your operational context? Reiterate what type of photography you'll be producing , mention the types of scenarios your idea might be seen and used at this stage. What will the work do in terms of skills acquisition - is there any new learning going to be involved or is it consolidation of skills? Will it offer opportunities to get experimental? How will you be challenged? Is the work likely to support your portfolio - where does it fit into your progression plans - what's its purpose?  

Problems Has the research and your idea as it stands high-lighted any problems and does it therefore allow you any opportunities at this stage to discuss problem solving? 

See below for further descriptions of the post research reflection

Level 3 Photography resources: Reflection (Post research)

Step 4______________________________________________

The developmental practical work 

Aim to produce one shoot per week using experimental approaches, looking to evidence a good range of skills and technical knowledge whilst developing and exploring your idea. Each shoot needs to be planned meticulously and followed by a detailed reflection - see the link on the right-hand side of this page for links to how to produce the plans and reflections. 

Make sure you bring the work to a logical conclusion and produce a final Reflection prior to the deadline. * Keep in mind you have 5-6 weeks on each of these tasks.

S&K Work_______________________________________________________________

One of the key parts of your S&K work will be your research around the idea of exhibiting at The Peoples Gallery at the forum. The same research will fishtail into the work, expectations and preparation for the end of year show here at the college in June. 

This research needs to be in enough depth to demonstrate that you have good knowledge of what's involved in producing a show using The Peoples Gallery space. The research has high value in addressing criteria across all of the assessments AC1 to AC5.

Remember this is to be produced as a proposal, unless of course you see real value in it and as a result of the work decide that you  want to go ahead with this and put the proposal and research into practice once you leave college. 

Aspects that are required.

• Where is it?
• What does it look like and feature?
• What's been there before - what is the standard of the work like? 
• When is it available to use?
• How long can it be used for?
• How big would you work be (Size of images/frames)
• What work would you use?
• What you have an individual show or would you collaborate with others - who? 
• What would the work be printed on - what are you options?
• How would it be mounted - what are you options?
• What information is available on the Forum website?
• What information is available on the Southend.Gov website?
• Are there any admin costs involved - is it free?
• How would you promote the show - how might you do that - would there be any costs involved?
• Can you sell your work e.g. put prices on it?
• How will you pitch your prices - what are your audience demographic details? 
• Is there any support (Grants/Bursaries) available to help with the setting up of the work (Printing, framing and promotion). 
• Does the forum offer any help or support with the materials involved.
• Does the Forum have any directions and rules with regards the curating of the show
• What are the conventions with regards the exhibiting of Photography in such a space - hang line - standard approaches?
• Who has the responsibility for health and safety?
• Are the additional costs/rules or admin involved in having an private view?

Then reflect on the research discussing how viable the proposal is as a means to market and sell your work? Would the set up costs be offset by print sales. 

Progression goals (AC:1)

Updated 20/1/25

Progression goals (AC:1)

 In the criteria for AC1 is the wording “Plans for Progression”.

One of the key ways of addressing this in your work is to incorporate it in your reflective practice under the heading analysis using a sub-heading "Progression goals".

Minimum requirement –

·        Post research reflection (Discussing the use/value of the research in terms of your progression).

·        Final reflection at the end of the work (Discussing your practical work and the learning and acquisition of skills and knowledge in terms of your progression. 

 E.g. progression on to University or Employment. (Click image for source of image). 

You could break down your progression goals into 4 differing types...

• ·        Immediate goals e.g. Completing the task/unit you're currently working on at a high standard.
• ·        Short-term goals e.g. Producing high quality finals for each task and completing year 1 to a high standard.
• ·        Mid-term goals e.g. Completing the qualification and being able to access University, assisting work, apprenticeships or internships.
• ·        Long-term goals e.g. your dream job - Fashion Photographer with own studio, travel photographer who travels all round the world.

Progression - because you've signed up for a Photography course at level 3, the expectation is that you have plans to progress onto becoming a Photographer or to do a HE (Higher Education) course in Art or more specifically Photography (Degree/HND).

Your Reflective commentary needs to discuss your works impact and value in terms of how is it  helping you towards becoming  a better photographer/Photography student in the nearer term through to the longer term goals of HE education or work. You have to show that you comprehend why you’re producing this work and why it’s of some value in developing your knowledge/practice/skills on the journey to becoming a photographer.

In class tasks (ICT's)

 ICT's (In class tasks)

Details about how you use and record these and their potential value.

2024-2025

The ICT's are generally either photographic or practical activities that are 'General skills based sessions' that are seen at points throughout the 2 years.

These need to be recorded in your Skills and Knowledge (S&K) folder in the technical section. 

Generally, you'll take a series of pictures or you'll make prints in the darkroom using specific techniques, materials or papers.

Minimal expectation - The images you create need to appear in the design sheet with explanations as to what you did, how you did it and what materials, techniques and processes were used.

*Maximum benefit can be added, by going a step further by adding...

• Mini-research on photographers that use the same or similar approach/technique with examples of their work. 
• A plan 
• A larger selection of the work and details of any photoshop or post production learning involved.
• A reflection discussing key elements such as...
• Where this type of photography could be seen in an operational context  operational context. 
• Who typically might be the clients
• What themes could be communicated effectively using this technique/process and why this might have benefits over using a more conventional approach using a DSLR.
• Demographic details relating to the audience for this type of work

*Optional 

Demographics

 

Demographics are the statistical characteristics of a population, such as age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, income, and occupation. Demographic data can used to understand the population's needs and interests. In terms of this course, basic understanding of demographics allows us to identify who buys, commissions, views, accesses or has some knowledge of the types of photography you're researching or producing.

Demographics are important for a variety of reasons. For example, demographic data can be used to:

• Understand the population's needs and interests. For example, demographic data can be used to determine where to set up photographic businesses such as studios or galleries. Demographic data can also be used to develop marketing campaigns and products that are tailored to specific population groups. Demographic data can also influence the type of work you might produce in order to generate sales of Photographic are work. 
• Make decisions about who to target in terms of where you might sell your work. For example, demographic data can be used to determine which communities have more access to expendable cash and are likely to buy Photographic art, or commission photography.

You'll generally be analysing demographics when you discuss the audience for the work you research - who uses, accesses, sees, buys or commissions it. A key part of making these judgements is finding the prices of the work especially when it's Photographic Art. Use the "Sold at Auction" prefix in conjunction with the Photographers name and then be realistic about the audience given the price of the work.

Also consider the image content when making this judgement. Is the work accessible in terms of it's visual aesthetics - think Gursky's Rhine II (Below). 

One of the greatest photographs ever taken, valued at over £4.3 million, but completely baffling to anyone without being educated in Photographic art.

If you consider the classic demographic attributes - age, sex, race, ethnicity, education, income, and occupation, you can start to make sense of might use/buy/access this type of work.

Objectivity in Photography

 This can be added to your knowledge and understanding of Objectivity in Photography.

If you watch the Becher's video, this method of shooting the same thing and presenting in composites as a  Typology is a useful method for producing your work later in the course. Fashion images potentially if developed further could incorporate this approach. 

__________________________________________________________

The theme this week is Objectivity in Photography 

For the most widely known example of Objectivity in Photography think back to when you most recently had your passport photography done, or if you've not had one done recently, find a booth and go through the experience of being photographed objectively. See this link here for the instructions for Passport photography. 

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The Bechers            Click on the image for the video.

These prompts are also useful for your research work. (Similar prompts worded differently). 

(1).  What kind of Photography is it, what was it's purpose when first produced in the 1970's. What has it become and how are these images used now? 

(2).  Was the work commissioned or was it a part of a personal project? Was it successful at the time or did the work become increasingly well known - how famous or important has the work become and where is it seen nowadays? 

(3). Who see's this work, where is it seen - Galleries, books, newspapers? What demographic groups would be interested in this type of Photography? What newspapers feature art and Photography and what does that tell you about their readership?

(4). Processes. If you watch the video, they talk about a number of processes used to create these images... Waiting for specific light and weather conditions, the use of presenting the images as Typologies, using lenses in particular ways to create a certain end result. Use of two tripods and more. 

In the next few days I'll go over this in one of the sessions. Work on it as best you can in the meantime.

________________________________________________________

Thomas Ruff

Thomas Ruff is your 2nd Photographer, watch the video's below and use the prompts in the side-bar to generate your written responses. Where possible use the prompts that generate written responses with regards to why the images were created - what is it he is trying to achieve and how does it connect to the Becher's approach? Also use the 4 prompts above to explain the work in terms of their operational context, clients and viewers. 

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ruff-portrait-1986-stoya-p78091/text-summary

Below this link is potentially the most useful as it is an interview with the photographer

http://phototheoria.ch/up/portrait_visage_6.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djopeab8VYo&t=584s  Thomas Ruff. The sections on Interiors and the exteriors and then the colour Portraits are the most relevant. 

The Becher's

 Bernd and Hilla Becher

Both are artists – Hilla was a commercial photographer and Bernd was a painter. The work was produced and exhibited as art. Therefore, the wider creative intention was to produce work to be sold as art pieces. The work is personal, as it initially featured buildings and structures seen in the area around the Rhur region in Germany where they both lived. Hilla talks about the work in the video inferring she was fascinated by it to the extent where she was emotionally ‘Moved’ by the sight of the structures. Bernd talks about the connection with the buildings in terms of his family working in the mining industries and these building therefore being the backdrop to their working lives.

Having met at the Kunstakademie in Dusseldorf in 1957, they both began on a project to record the buildings and structures as they were being demolished and replaced as Germany modernised after WWII. As the project grew they moved further afield photographing similar building in other countries, France, Wales and North America.

Creative Intention – The specifics and rationale behind the project stems from the sense of place and the importance of the buildings in terms of defining the place/landscape. Bernd also speaks in the video about how integral the buildings are in terms of the economy; these were the buildings and industries that his family worked in. These were the buildings that defined, the place, the region and how people were able to make a living and prosper, so he has a close affinity with the structures. This connection with these buildings being so strong that he says…

“For us at the time we were trying to carry off these objects – I’ll call them things, but we couldn’t carry them off in their original form. By photographing them we shrank them and turned them into images”.

Bernd goes on to say there was a point where he realised that these structures were going to disappear and were of a time and place and to him seemed as significant as architecture from earlier periods that evoked aspects of another industrial age…

“For me this was an architecture just as important as medieval quarries which evoke for us the thinking of another age”.

 

The first collaborative photos’ were shot around 1958 using a 6cm x 9cm Linhofcamera. (2)

In terms of why this camera was used and is fit for purpose in realising their creative intentions, simply comes down to the fact that this is a pro-spec camera that produces larger negatives (Medium format). The size of the negative if used in conjunction with a high specification film e.g., one with a lower ISO would enable the prints to be produced at a very high standard suitable for use for exhibiting relatively large and subsequently sold as art pieces.  You could also suggest with the 6 x 9 format it suited the compositions given that the buildings where tall and relatively thin in many instances? The other reason for using these cameras was that had the rising front standard which helps with rectifying converging verticals when shooting building from a lower viewpoint 

Later they used the larger format 5x4 Plaubel view camera

This is another step up in negative size and therefore a massive increase in the potential quality. Given that one of Bernd's driving forces was to attain precision in depicting these buildings and structures this increase in negative size (Format) makes this camera fit for purpose. With the step up in size and and change of format there's additional scope for the camera being able to cope with issues around converging verticals and therefore create even more accurate recordings of the buildings/structures. 

If we watch the video here at 3mins and 29 secs we see a close up of one of their prints and it includes the film rebate details and we can see that they have used APX 25...

25 iso films used on medium and large format cameras would produce ultra fine grain and ridiculously sharp images with incredible detail suitable to meet the Becher's creative intentions. The resulting prints would certainly stand up to being printed to the kind of size you see their work printed in exhibitions (See below).

“The Bechers’ purpose has always been to make the clearest possible photographs of industrial structures. They are not interested in making euphemistic, socio-romantic pictures glorifying industry, nor doom-laden spectacles showing its costs and dangers. Equally, they have nothing in common with photographers who seek to make pleasing modernist abstractions, treating the structures as decorative shapes divorced from their function.

The Bechers’ goal is to create photographs that are concentrated on the structures themselves and not qualified by subjective interpretations. To them, these structures are the ‘architecture of engineers’ and their pictures should be seen as the photography of engineers – that is, record pictures”. (10)

“They are like portraits and the devotional aspect of their work becomes apparent. Photography, like film, has two specific properties. The first is that the photograph will record far more than the eye could see at the time of exposure. It traps details so finely on the negative that it would take the naked eye a long time to uncover the same amount of information”. (10)

 

 

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_discontinued_photographic_films#Black_and_white_film_2 

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/bernd-becher-and-hilla-becher-718/who-are-bechers

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY4yaJ04KuM (2)

https://www.moma.org/momaorg/shared/pdfs/docs/learn/courses/Bechers_Sonnabend.pdf

https://spruethmagers.com/artists/bernd-hilla-becher/

https://spruethmagers.com/files/bhb_aa_files_no_66_june_2013_pp_16_36.pdf

https://blog.mechanicallandscapes.com/2020/02/11/546-bernd-and-hilla-bechers-industrial-visions-at-the-national-museum-cardiff/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-1O0NxIWDc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SW3MFmybRe0&t=53s

http://www.artnet.com/artists/bernd-and-hilla-becher/

https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/bernd-becher-and-hilla-becher-718/long-look (10)

https://www.phillips.com/detail/bernd-and-hilla-becher/UK010619/27

UCAS application resources

 UCAS application____________________________________

2024 - UCAS application resources.

Everyone has to complete this work whether you're going to Uni or not. The work you do here can be easily modified to suit a 'Cover Letter' used in a job application scenario. Additionally, many of you will change your minds about Uni as the year progresses or in another year or so having done a gap year or worked for a year or two. 

The intention is that you complete each of these sections in the lessons given over to writing the personal statements.

These "Rough drafts" should be shared with each other, parents or anyone you trust to look over and improve... Check your spelling and grammar and add to the document as you think of things to add.

Once all of the sections are completed, you'll be able to send the completed draft version to James Burgess and his team and they'll suggest a range of tweaks to get the personal statement up to the standard needed for your Uni or Job application. 

Click on the image to go to the UCAS website for the full range of resources for applying to University.

*Record you progress with this work in your main B1 design sheet. Don't forget to include records of the feedback you receive from different people helping you with this process. 

SECTION 1____________________________

Introduction & choice of course

Why do you want to study on the course you have chosen?

What engages/excites you about the subject area?

Where will it take you – career, further study?

What experience do you have in your chosen field  (outside of education, could be paid or unpaid)?

Prove that you understand the importance of the subject within a social context –  how could it benefit, involve, inspire other people?

SECTION 2____________________________

Current Course

What specific skills have you learnt?

What transferable skills have you learnt that will assist you during your higher  education course?

What aspects of your current course have you particularly enjoyed?

How has your current course supported you to become an outstanding student?

If you have undertaken more than one course, then refer to your other courses and  show that you understand the relationship between the subjects.

Possible skills/words include: independence/independent, confidence/confident,  working to deadlines, public speaking, time management, organisation & research skills

SECTION 3____________________________

Work Experience

Have you had any relevant work experience?

Have you had any work experience? - don’t forget your part time job

What has this taught you?

Possible skills include: communication, efficiency/efficient, responsibility, punctuality,  team work & trustworthy

SECTION 4____________________________

Interests

What are your hobbies and interests?  What have they taught you?

SECTION 5____________________________

Conclusion

Why higher education?

Where will it get you?

What will you gain?

What are you particularly looking forward to?

What will you bring to the institutions you apply to?

Be enthusiastic but not over the top. Make sure you finish on a positive note.

Other useful links

14 Practical Skills That Are Useful in Any Workplace | Indeed.com

5 Interpersonal Skills You Need On Your Resume - Jobscan

The Most Important Personal Skills (With Examples) - Zippia