"Development" What is it - how do you evidence it? (FMP)

 You're assessed on your ability to "Develop" your work and your ideas.

Some of you don't seem to get the idea of how it works. 

There are stages in the development of a photography project when produced in college. The first stage is the Research stage. In the first unit you were given photographers to look at that are associated with your task, in the FMP the task is open.

• If you already like a genre in photography or know there's a theme that you want to work with this is fairly easy, because all you need to do is look at photographers and artists that work with the same or similar theme. Having said, that it may be worth looking at other photographers at the very start just in case you see something you don't expect that inspires you... keep an open mind.
• Generally though, you'd look at a range of different genres with the option to mix ideas from one with another and as your research comes together the focus of the research might then become more specific as you make a decision what your theme/genre is that you'll work with. 
• It's important though that you complete the research in the first week or so, reflect on it and then write up your proposal and schedule/plan.

*At this stage keep an open mind and keep your idea vague, try not to have and 'End goal' or final idea, be prepared to change and develop your idea as you start to experiment with it. Also keep researching and looking at other people's work for more ideas and add research to your work as you go along.

So for instance if you'd looked landscape photography a lot and architecture as well, you still might be undecided whether you were going to do one or the other. In your proposal and reflection you'd mention this and explain that you'd start with both and decide quite quickly what you were going to. You can't do both alongside each other, at some point very quickly you'd have to make a decision to drop one and then develop the other.

Because you've not been able to decide on one theme, you might start the practical part of the work shooting both Buildings in an architectural manner and landscapes in an approach you'd like. It's in your best interest to quickly get both these shoots planned, uploaded to your design sheets and reflected on. One of the key aspects of your reflection is making a decision as to which of these two separate themes you're going to drop so that you can focus on developing the other. This needs to be done as soon as possible. 

We'll say that you've decided you're going to do a Landscape project. If you've done all of the above in 3 weeks you'll be in a good position to develop your work. The important thing is now to try and shoot your landscape theme in a range of different ways adopting approaches that you've looked at in your research potentially.

As you start to produce the work these are the kind of questions you need to be considering and addressing in your plans and reflections.

• Where are you going to shoot?
• What's your idea, what's the work about?
• Who might use it - what kind of photography might it be, who are clients and the audience?
• What cameras are you going to try and shoot it with?
• What experimental approaches are you going to use and experiment with. 

My first shoot might be shot walking from Southend to Leigh-on-sea and the range of things that I'd have seen and shot would potentially be enormous and once downloaded and looked at would then give me an idea for the next stage of the development or maybe lead me to consider shooting another landscape environment say - Woods and Forests? 

The woods and forests shoot might have then taken me to somewhere where there'd been sports fields - perhaps a cricket field and as a result my next series of shoots would have been specifically to photograph cricket pitches only and I might have spent a weekend travelling round photographing 7 or 8 cricket pitches in the area. If I had done I'd have almost certainly photographed the Pavilions at each of the cricket grounds and here the idea is beginning to develop back into an architectural project because the emphasis has changed back to buildings...

The next developmental stage would then to go back and shoot the pavilions only and at this stage I might be thinking - yep this is my theme and now I've got to decided on the best way I can shoot pavilions and what 'Market' am I going to target e.g.' who am I going to sell them to and what kind of photography is this going to be? (Ideas development). 

I might then look at the Pavilion pictures and see there are specific types...

Utilitarian ones like this above and pretty ones like the one below...

Now I might start exploring the idea - "Why are they so vastly different"? Is the design of the pavilion a reflection of the socio-economics of the area? Which then lends itself to an editorial article which my explore this idea.

Or I might decide to create a series of Pavilions like the Bechers towers and produce a typology as a piece of art which might still be about the same question - but more subtly. 

Now that I've got the idea, I'd then return to the pavilions with different cameras - pinhole camera, DSLR, Pentax K1000 looking at the best or most interesting way of capturing the pavilions. I'd also look at manipulating the images, all the while being open minded about what I'm trying to achieve with the images and what the story is. 

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Another example...

You decide your idea is Street photography...

Shoot 1 - "Street photography"... Southend high street, buildings, shops, people, workers, dogs, pigeons, rubbish, old people, youths.

You look at the work and it's obvious the most interesting images are the people...

Shoot 2 (Development) "People in the street"... Now you shoot workers in the street - police, cleaners, market traders, old people, young people, students, road men.

You look at the work it's obvious the next development stage is to go back and focus on old people as you seem to have shot loads of old people.

Shoot 3 (Development) "Old people in the street"... Now you go out and shoot only old people and end up doing couples as well as singles.

When you look back - couples are obviously the way to go, but you see that the backgrounds in the high street are making the shots look cluttered and messy. What to do? Go and shoot somewhere else or ask the old couples to stand against walls or maybe even set up a background in the street? Easy solution - go somewhere else... The sea front.

Shoot 4 (Development) "Old people - couples on the seafront" and so on, all the time you'd be trying different ways of doing this, maybe considering applying ageing effects to the work, doing the pictures in colour or black and white and so on - experimenting with different methods and approaches. 

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The Final set of images "The Finals"

(1). They cannot be made up from a range of shoots, they should be from your final set of images and they should be shot in the most appropriate way, using the most appropriate materials, techniques and processes.

(2). The finals should also be presented in the same way - not mixing techniques or materials. They should look like a set of beautifully presented images.

Click this link here to see an example of a students project showing the development of the project demonstrating that she has tried multiple ways of presenting the work and multiple ideas. She finishes with one single image. 

https://www.studentartguide.com/featured/top-nz-a-level-photography

A1:4 Professional Practice - Over-view & guidance

 

Distinction criteria

To attain this at a higher level, these aspects need to be seen consistently across a number of your projects (tasks). 

This criteria will be evidenced by written content primarily with some evidence being possible through the use of your images.

Once you've been taught and researched these aspects of photographic practice, this information and knowledge needs to incorporated and adopted within your own practice...

Mention this knowledge in your planning, evidence it within your photography and most importantly discuss and analyse the impact of it if adopted, or explain the impact of being able to use and adopt some of these practices - how might that have impacted on your photography. 

Equipment checklist

Every photographer before doing a job checks their equipment and gets their camera bag and whole range of other stuff ready usually the day or night before. To do this as I used to, you might have a standard checklist that is generally used on all of your shoots. I used to have a load of copies of a printed list in a grid with 2 checking columns to tick and I'd use these to check all my gear. I'd have space at the bottom to write in unusual additional things I needed to make sure came with me on a shoot.

Make your own version like this and add a list of the things you need to make sure you have for your shoots.

Your checklist might include props or clothes for a fashion shoot and things you need to do. For each of your shoots make your own generic checklist and use it - showing that you've ticked it off and maybe made notes all over it. 

Your checklist can be a part of your general plan for each of the shoots see the link here for guidance with regards how to compile detailed plans https://bteclinks.blogspot.com/2022/09/writing-plans-for-photo-shoots.html or use the link in the sidebar. 

Job roles and their associated practice (Stand-alone pages) 

Images and detailed explanations of a range of different job roles involved in the production of Photographic work.

• How does a product shoot come together and what is the Photographers role?
• How does an Editorial shoot come together and what is the Photographers role?
• How does a personal body of work (Art Photography) come together and what is the Photographers role? 

Who are the following people and what is their role on a Photoshoot or in the production of Photography 

•  Client
• Advertising agency 
• Set Builder
• Model Agent
• Model
• Make-up artist
• Stylist
• Location agency/manager
• Assistant
• Studio manager 
• Hair stylist
• Home economist 

How significant and important are planning, schedules, target meeting, contingency planning, resource and asset management (Equipment/storage/availability/backing up/batteries/power). 

Budgeting - finance and delayed payment factors.

Some of it is simply addressed by the evidence provided by your images. But at a higher level it will need to be seen in the written components of your work e.g. through the regular use of planning, reflecting and the use of a detailed and comprehensive final evaluations.

__________________________________________________________________

Health & Safety

Record health and safety issues that arise out of your work practice. Photograph them and explain what is done to address any health and safety concerns...

• Risks and hazards
• Chemicals, materials, tools
• Protective equipment
• Lifting and carrying
• legislation
• MSDS's & COSHH
• Working in dangerous environments (Socially deprived areas - muggings/crime etc)
• Working in dangerous environments - (Building sites/road-sides/at height etc)
• Weather - cold/exposure/sun/skin cancer

Again in more advanced applications in the 2nd years this could be produced as a series of detailed 

(Stand-alone pages) 

You could research specific jobs in photography such as a wildlife Photographer that shoots great white sharks and produce do a whole thing on what might be involved in terms of H&S, or a war photographer working in Gaza in Palestine. 

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Project management

In your work, set yourself targets and schedules - in your plans. Write plans for each practical activity you do (Shooting, processing and printing) and set targets I aim to get x prints done in this session or I aim to get all of my written work for today recorded and written up and keep on top of keeping a tally of all the money I've spent.

Accounts - Keep a record of your spending on the project. Make a simple account sheet like this...

Best practice - print off a grid and fill it in showing the working out on the sheet in pen/pencil

Write up a grid for each week and carry over the running total from each week, so at the end of the task you have a grand total of all the costs of producing the work. 

You can then reflect on the fact that in producing that work you spent 'x' amounts of pounds and therefore to break even you would have to sell the work you've produced for that amount. To make a profit, you'd have to sell it for more. To make a living e.g. make enough profit to pay yourself a wage, you'd have to sell it for a great deal more and or spend far less time making and producing the work. 

Working with Models

Working with models (professional practice). 

Composition and posing 

Composition is the placing of the subject within the frame when shooting pictures creating an aesthetically pleasing balance between the other elements within image. 

One of the first sessions you'll do on the course where you'll need to pose other people and work with composition is the session where you'll be shooting with the Pentax K1000 camera. You'll be given the task to shoot against a specific background and told to shoot your images composing them using 2 compositions. Shoot 12 shots one way using 4 or more models (People from your class) and then another 12 using your second composition.

Click on image for source

The top 2 are good choices

(A) Make sure you 'Crop' just below the hands and leave a small gap between the top of the frame and the models head.

(B) Make sure you crop just cutting into the arms either side and leaving a gap between the top of the head and the edge of the frame. 

In this first exercise we aim to produce an 'Objective' neutral image of each of the models we shoot. This is also referred to as 'Deadpan'.

The pose should be consistent for each of the sets of 12.

The model should not smile, they should not clench fists, they should look directly into the camera. 

No lanyards and if possible no labels or designs on the clothes. 

The approach to shooting the image should be as neutral as possible - so that anyone looking at it, has very little sense of who the person is.

This approach is influenced by set of historically important images shot by Thomas Ruff in the 1980's . Click the image below...

This approach is interesting when applied to different subjects where it's not the expected approach. The usual expectation of a portrait is to be far more subjective where there is an effort to show the character of the person in the image. This approach attempts to remove many of the usual conventions seen in portrait photography by using a systematic mechanical method seen in portrait photography. See here

 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5a7e2f0140f0b62302689b37/Photoguidance_v7.pdf

This Neutral, matter of fact, no drama approach is known as 'objective' and can be one of the ways that you approach any of your images of people in a range of situations. The lack of drama or narrative is added by the use of neutral flat light (Diffuse light) and a lack of colours in both the background and the clothing selected. 

If your stuck with ideas for poses in any shoots, this can be your go to method of getting started. I'd always recommend shooting some image in this way in most of your shoots involving people. 

Posing models______________________________________________________________

With professional models this is easy, it's their job and they'll show up with ideas of their own as to how they should pose. You'll probably have your own ideas and the model will go along with what you want generally.

With people that don't model this becomes challenging and you'll have to spend time directing and helping them to achieve what you want, but you also have to keep in mind, they'll soon lose any enthusiasm at the start of the shoot if you seem to be struggling with ideas or with all the other things you have to deal with (Light/cameras/lenses etc). 

There are a few things you can do to problem solve these scenarios...

(1). Try and establish a group of people in your class or other classes (Actors/dancers/fashion students) that are OK with posing and modelling and work with them - giving them copies of your pictures.

(2). With people that are more nervous try and do practice shoots with them before any well organised and important shoots.

(3). Do a 'Go-see' with any new models, this is a casting, where you talk to the model, tell them what you are going to do and what you're hoping to achieve. Shoot a couple of pictures of the Model during the go-see - a full length shot and a head and shoulders shot, these are essential for your design sheets and is a quick taster for the model where you'll be directing them and telling them what to do. You'll also get a sense of the model and whether you feel like you're going to get on with them. 

See the video here for the Photographer Jurgen Teller's take on how the project 'Go-Sees' came together. 

Click on the image to go to the video

(4). Use pose reference images. If you research using Google Poses for fashion or full length fashion poses you'll find loads of ideas with regards to poses, Pintrest has hundreds. 

You can point your model to these beforehand and suggest they try them or have these ready printed out on the floor where the model is going to pose, so that both you and the model can refer to them. Many photographers scan books and magazines before shoots to generate ideas for posing. Or you could compile a folder or a look-book and save a whole selection of images to refer to (Problem solving and professional practice). 

Professional Practice - Booking models______________________________________________

In many instances when models are required, this is handed over to the studio/photographer to manage and deal with. My wife is a studio manager at a local studio and this is the process she's been involved in recently. 

For a shoot that they've done recently for a client, a range of models were required for the shoot over 3 or so days. The requirement was that they would need 6 models, three each day. The budget was limited so there was no money for styling or make-up. 

The model agency was contacted and initially 40 models were requested with the following instructions...

"The models need to be 25-35 years old, bring 3-4 changes of clothes - smart casual office wear, including jeans and chinos for the men, no ripped jeans, smart trainers and smart office shoes, women need to bring a range skirts, tops, dresses, several pairs of suitable shoes. Make up and hair needs to be natural". 

The London based agency then look through their database ensuring that the models are available on the days of the shoot and are able to travel to the studio in Essex. 40 Models were then forwarded with their details and the digital version of their comp card images on the agency website. 

The client was then contacted and they asked for the models to be short-listed to 20 and they'd then look at the models, my wife then chose who she thought the best 20 were, and forwarded these to the client. Then between my wife, the photographer and the client they whittled down the 20 to the 6 that they then booked.

The fee to the client was per model -  £750 a day + travel and expenses with the rights to use the images for 2 years on the clients website and social media.

Model releases and rights of use contracts__________________________________________

A model release form is a legal document that grants a photographer or other content creator the permission to use a person's image or likeness for specific purposes.

It's essentially a contract between the model (the person being photographed) and the photographer, outlining the terms of how the image can be used. This includes:

Purpose: Whether the image can be used for commercial, editorial, or personal use.

Scope: Where and how the image can be published (e.g., print, digital, social media).

Duration: How long the photographer has the rights to use the image.

Compensation: If any compensation is involved.

Why is it important?

Legal protection: A model release protects both the photographer and the model from legal disputes related to the use of the image.

Clarity and consent: It ensures that both parties are clear about their rights and obligations.

Commercial use: If the image is to be used for commercial purposes (like advertising or product promotion), a model release is often required to avoid potential copyright or privacy issues.

In essence, a model release form is a safeguard that ensures both the photographer and the model are on the same page regarding the use of the image. 

https://gemini.google.com/app/ad8f16283c4ba76c

Examples of model releases can be found below. The AOP (Association of Photographers) is the industry standard version here in the UK. 

https://www.the-aop.org/uploads/appendix.pdf

https://rps.org/media/4kvcamlr/rps-model-release-form-pdf.pdf

Top Tip - When you're doing your own shoots in the studio with models - as a minimum make sure you identify the use and knowledge of a model release and if possible try and get the models to sign the release in return for images. 

https://models.com/work/polaroidsdigitals-new-york-model-management-fw-2019-polaroidsportraits

Over-view of A1:2 - Problem Solving

 

Distinction Criteria

Updated 20/1/24 (See list at the bottom of the post) 

The Criteria - A2:2 Apply Problem solving skills in response to a creative brief

Ideally, problem solving is integrated into your main body of work, seen in several components of what you do during the production of your work.

• The reflection you produce after you've completed your research if written up in-depth can be seen as problem solving as you make sense of it and explain how it influences your initial idea.
• All of the shoots you produce prior to your final shoot are Test shoots where you try things out, trying different, light, cameras, film, media, models, locations, techniques, processes, lenses and more, trying to establish which approach suits your idea as it develops. The use of test shoots and experiments in themselves are methods of problem solving so are an essential part of your process. 
• Sketches/drawings/diagrams/lighting floor plans these all count as examples of problem solving so should be used as frequently as possible.
• Mood boards image research pages - that show that you've collected images to help form and inspire ideas.
• Posing reference image/diagrams these too are solutions to the problem of posing models. Demonstrate that you use these when shooting.
• Person + Background + Symbol + Involvement is a problem solving formula that can  be used when shooting.
• Analysis in your reflections is probably the most advanced method of problem solving used usually when working at distinction level - used in your reflection, it's evidence that you've questioned your methods and approach and come up with conclusions as to how you can improve your work practice/photography. 
• Analysis of fitness for purpose and suitability again, seen in your reflections after each of your practical activities/test shoots.
• Critique/comparison - Look at your outcomes and compare and contrast with the work you've looked at in your research - how does it compare in terms of quality? 

*Note your reflections are probably the most important written parts of your work as it's where your analysis and critique happens. Frequent, coherent and in-depth Reflections are indicative of working at Merits and Distinction levels. 

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Aspects of your work that can pose problems and therefore offer opportunities to show that you are able to problem solve include...

Film too fast, too slow, too grainy, not grainy enough making it difficult to print, lacking contrast, too contrasty.

Cameras - Too big, unfamiliar, too complicated, doesn't have suitable lens range, needs a tripod, EV range too small, Needs film - can't access film or afford, too involved, too much effort, doesn't integrate with college lights.

Light - Wrong direction, too much contrast, too flat, insufficient, wrong colour, too bright, can't access equipment, can't get access to studio to use, have to book, have to wait for (natural light), Have to time use of (natural light).

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Thorough engagement and confident application of ideas generation_________________

This is addressed by producing good quality in-depth research that feeds directly into your own work. The more varied, relevant and in-depth your research the more likely you are make links between your research and your own work. The more research you do, including independently sourced research the more you'll be able to generate ideas. To this end it's important that once you've completed your initial research you keep looking at other visual work, looking for other ideas that might be influential to your work and ideas. This additional research should be added mid project and might be as simple as additional images and some very simple explanations of how it's helpful to you at this stage. 

To reinforce the worth of your research - once it's completed you should reflect on its usefulness explaining it's connection with your initial idea. Furthermore if you add mid project research, you should also mention this in your next reflection explaining how it was instrumental in influencing and developing your idea/work.

Experimentation, testing______________________________________________

Your work needs to show that you've tested, tried and experimented with a range of different ways of producing your work. You can't simply produce one set of images, shot in one way, you need to 'Develop' the idea, method and technique you apply to the images, constantly looking at any problems that arise and demonstrate how you resolve these problems... Test things out, try different ways and experiment and record and analyse your activities (Reflection).

Sustained Reflection _________________________________________________

Sustained (Continually) You're only going to attain the higher grades if you continuously write up reflections. You should use the prompts (See link in sidebar) and produce reflections either once a week or once you've completed a significant part of your work. 

The reflections should be where the majority of your written analysis is seen... Where you analyse the impact of your work - why it was useful, what you've learned, how it impacted on your practice, how it helped to address the assessment criteria, what you might have done differently and what would have been the impact of doing it in that different way. Other aspects that can be analysed in the reflections are how you've resolved problems - explaining what the problems were - be self-critical. You can analyse and explain the worth of any mid project research too.

Intended meaning and function of work__________________________________

This relates to your own work - as you produce your work, you need to think of what it's conveying in terms of its meaning ... What are your pictures about, how might they be used, who would buy them or commission them? Where might you expect to see them? 

This could easily be part of your analysis at each of the reflective stages, you could discuss how well the work is going in these terms and explain what you need to do to your work to improve it, so that the meaning is conveyed more effectively, and it has a realistic and coherent purpose. 

___________________________________

Using Bard GTP (Ai) I asked for 50 typical problems encountered in the production of both digital and analogue Photography it came back with...

50 Photography Problems across Digital and Analogue Media:

Exposure and Lighting:

• Underexposure/Overexposure: Capturing too little or too much light, resulting in dark or washed-out images.
• Improper White Balance: Unrealistic color casts due to incorrect white balance setting or lighting conditions.
• Hotspots: Bright, blown-out areas in the image losing detail.
• Shadows: Loss of detail in dark areas due to insufficient light.
• Motion Blur: Unsharpness caused by camera movement or subject movement during exposure.
• Camera Shake: Blurred images due to unsteady camera during the shot.
• Harsh Lighting: Strong shadows and uneven illumination, requiring advanced techniques to manage.
• Composition and Framing:
• 
  
• Crooked Horizon: Tilted horizontal lines, creating an unbalanced composition.
• Dead Space: Unutilised areas in the frame that distract from the subject.
• Clichéd Composition: Uninspired framing following common but overused layouts.
• Headroom/Footroom: Improper space around the subject's head or feet leading to awkward framing.
• Competing Elements: Distracting background elements vying for attention with the subject.
• Leading Lines: Misused lines that lead the viewer's eye away from the intended focus.
• Technical Issues:
• 
  
• Sensor Dust: Spots appearing on digital images due to dust on the camera sensor.
• Lens Flare: Unwanted light streaks or circles caused by bright light sources hitting the lens.
• Chromatic Aberration: Purple or green fringes at edges due to lens imperfections.
• Noise: Graininess in digital images, especially noticeable in low-light situations.
• Focus Misfires: Blurry images due to incorrect autofocus or manual focus error.
• Improper Shutter Speed: Blurry images or motion blur for fast-moving subjects or slow shutter speeds.
• Incorrect Aperture: Undesired depth of field due to setting the aperture too wide or too narrow.
• Film and Processing (Analogue Only):
• 
  
• Film Loading Errors: Improper film loading leading to light leaks or blank frames.
• Expired Film: Loss of image quality and color shifts due to using expired film.
• Improper Developing: Mistakes during film development affecting image quality and consistency.
• Scratches on Film: Physical damage to the film causing light leaks and image imperfections.
• Light Leaks: Unwanted light entering the camera, resulting in fogging or light streaks.
• Dust on Negatives: Scratches and spots on negatives arising from dust during film handling.
• Digital Workflow and Editing:
• 
  
• Undigitized Film: Inability to access stored analogue images if not yet scanned or digitized.
• File Loss/Corruption: Losing digital images due to data storage issues or file corruption.
• Backup Failures: Inadequate backup strategies leading to permanent image loss.
• Over-editing: Excessively altering images, leading to unnatural looks and loss of detail.
• Destructive Edits: Applying irreversible edits without preserving the original image.
• Calibration Issues: Inaccurate monitor calibration affecting editing decisions and color accuracy.
• Creative Challenges:
• 
  
• Subject Ideas: Difficulty finding interesting subjects or angles to photograph.
• Finding Inspiration: Overcoming creative slumps and maintaining consistent motivation.
• Telling a Story: Using photographs to effectively convey a message or narrative.
• Connecting with Viewers: Evoking emotions and reactions in viewers through images.
• Developing Personal Style: Finding a unique artistic vision and voice in photography.
• Overcoming Technical Limitations: Working around technical limitations to achieve desired results.
• General Issues:
• 
  
• Carrying Equipment: The burden of carrying heavy camera gear, especially during travel or outdoor shoots.
• Weather Conditions: Adverse weather like rain or strong sunlight limiting shooting opportunities.
• Time Constraints: Limited time availability for capturing the perfect shot.
• Safety Concerns: Risks associated with photography in challenging environments.
• Cost of Equipment: High initial investment and ongoing costs for camera gear and accessories.
• Learning Curve: Continuous learning and skill development required to master photography techniques.
• Additional Specificities:
• 
  
• Portraits: Posing models, lighting setups, capturing natural expressions.
• Wildlife Photography: Approaching animals without disturbing them, capturing elusive moments.
• Macro Photography: Capturing intricate detail

Look at this post here - imagine the planning and problem solving that went into this...

Poodle #2: Location Photography - Shooting on beach (btecy01.blogspot.com)

You could potentially create a stand-alone page using these images here explaining what would have needed to be considered and planned. What problems could arise what has the photographer done to mitigate any potential problems. 

A1:3 Technical Skills - Over view

Technical skills (Pass) ; You need to show that you understand why you choose to select and manipulate media, materials and techniques and processes to produce your work. You have to demonstrate some awareness of how these choices made relating to your selection and manipulation of media, materials and techniques and processes impact on your outcomes (Images). 

This is best evidenced in your plans, explaining why your choices of media, materials and techniques and processes is suited for your intended outcomes (Photos). Your reasons and whether this has worked out can then be reiterated in your Reflections. 

Another method might be to use Stand-alone pages...

These are pages within your work where you can evidence your knowledge about technical aspects of your work. The section here in this suggested layout high-lighted in blue, is the written content that directly addresses the assessment criteria.

You'd explain why in the context of your work you'd use your shutter speeds and how this impacted on your outcomes. 

These stand-alone pages can potentially be used and re-used where appropriate as you go through the course in future projects provided they're added to and improved each time as you modify them for the new project. *You can't simply copy them without contextualising them with the new project and demonstrating further more advanced knowledge. 

Technical skills include...

• Camera handling
• Using appropriate...
• White Balance
• File type
• File size
• Field of view
• Focal length
• Shutter speed
• ISO
• Background
• Rule of thirds
• Exposure
• Composition
• Aperture- Depth of Field (DoF)
• Lighting
• Drawing/Sketching/diagrams
• Posing and organising models
• Constructing narrative (Image + BG + symbol + involvement = Picture) 
• Post production - 
• Filing
• Saving
• Work-flow
• Photoshop
• Sharing/distributing images
• Mixed media and creative post production
• Printing, presenting, mounting and framing
• Studio Skills
• Lighting - Flash
• Lighting - continual light sources
• Reflectors
• Diffusers
• Modifiers
• Lighting subject
• Lighting background
• Multiple light set-up
• Point light
• Diffuse light

Technical skills

How do you record technical skills within your work? The higher grade Assessment criteria describes the following key indicators...

·         Accomplished selection and skilful application of media

Media relates to film, paper or digital methods of capturing images either at the taking stages or printing stages, as well as the preparation of the media in cases such liquid emulsion and other mixed and alternative media (Supports). At higher levels, the chosen approaches would enhance the final product and be coherent in terms of why they were chosen to reinforce aspects such as narrative. For instance, if your theme was to evoke a sense of decay an alternative approach might be preferable to using something such as shooting on digital media and printing on C-Type Fuji flex paper.

·         Accomplished selection and skilful application of materials

Materials relates to everything you use in the production of your work, from film and the chemicals you use to process it, to the make-up used for your models and the reflectors other studio materials required to create your images. Accomplished selection means, the choices you make are coherent and fit for purpose in the given situation. Skilful application relates to the evidence you provide, it needs to demonstrate skill and accuracy of execution in terms of the materials used.

 accomplished selection and skilful application of techniques

Technique, relates to how you do it... Your methods and which methods you choose to create your images and whether your approach shows skilful application. Examples of technique include – lighting, composition, viewpoint, lens choice, shutter speed, field of view, ambient light, studio light, diffuse light, tripods, hand held – every decision you make relating to the creation of the image is part of your technique. These choices need to make sense and need to be executed skilfully.

·         Accomplished selection and skilful application of processes

Process relates to a breakdown of the stages required to bring techniques together. Shooting with film is a technique, but it involves a multitude of processes. In order to produce excellent final outcomes, your processes require accomplished selection and application of the correct chemicals, timings, temperatures and combinations of all these and more. Skilful application of these processes results in high-quality outcomes.

·         Show thorough understanding of impact on outcomes

This relates to you understanding all the above feeds into your outcomes. As an example, this may be evidenced in your plans, you might explain your rationale for choosing to use any of the aspects above in relation to your intention. For instance; if you planned to produce images of new born babies dependent on who your audience/client and intention was, you could at the planning stage explain what media, materials, techniques and processes you’d use and why. This would offer and opportunity to Show thorough understanding of impact on outcomes. This understanding could then be further reinforced in your reflections reiterating the same points in conjunction with your images.

·         Ability to exploit them to meet intentions

This relates to the evidence within your work - both images and written content shows that you’ve been able to merge all the above to produce high-quality outcomes that meet your intentions. You said you’d do ‘A’ using ‘B,C,D and E’ to produce ‘F’ and the evidence in the form of your images and the supporting written content demonstrates this.

·         Technical competence sustained throughout development and execution

This relates to all of the above being evident throughout your work across all of the developmental stages from the start to the very end. 

A1:1 Informing Ideas - Over-view

 

Distinction criteria

Going forwards from now on, your research needs to include to key components. Within your research, you should always make reference to the clients, audience, users, and their needs. You should also discuss the purpose and the function of the work, whether the work is intended to; stimulate, express opinion, provoke or to inform. As part of your research’ you should also try and identify demographic details in the form of what types of people are interested in seeing the work. You should try and also analyse the work in terms of social and economic indicators.

Also - what sort of photography is it, where is it seen, what does the finished product look like? What is its function and use, how does the photographer make a living through the production of this type of photography (provide evidence). 

Once you have discussed the client, audience etc, you should find one of the more interesting pictures that you collected as part of your research and then deconstruct and analyse the image in terms of visual language and how the picture conveys meaning and narrative. Prompts for both aspects can be found on the blog here. https://bteclinks.blogspot.com/2022/05/research-prompts-2022.html

It's essential that one of the photographers that you choose to research ties in with your research more directly - informing the progression of your own work and longer term goals. To this end, when you reflect on your research (Once its completed) you explicitly explain/analyse the connection with your work, explaining what it is you're influenced by and what it is about the research that informs your  work, it might be something as simple as the lighting or it maybe there's a range of aspects within the research you're borrowing to inform and influence your work and progression.

Additional photographer research can be added to your work as the project develops to inform new ideas and approaches. 

Remember your research helps you to generate ideas and to understand what Photography’s purpose and aims are – the more photographers you have some knowledge of, the greater your own potential to come up with your own ideas

Technical aspects to it include the necessity to produce and use...

• Quotes
• Bibliography

The advised approach______________________________________________________

With regards the significant bodies of research you need to do, aim to produce something like the example below - 3 pages? Use plenty of images, but do deep research - search hard using a range of resources not restricted to the ones we suggest. Read the articles and watch the videos - this is an important part of your journey as a Student Photographer. 

The Lesser research______________________________________________

As you produce your work, there's an expectation that you might do further research mid-way through the project that's connected to your practical activities. If say you decided that one of your developmental/experimental shoots was to be produced using liquid emulsion, it might be that you then worked out some ideas by researching a photographer that used liquid emulsion. That research could be added as in the example below- the equivalent of a column? To get maximum benefit from your written content your commentary should be identifying operational context aspects, clients, audience and use all of the things that relate to how the photographer makes a living through photography. 

*Note because there's no use of quotes in the above version - quotes will need to be used in the lesser research as identified in the  blue text. 

In this example 7 additional photographers have been researched with a column per photographer except for the final one where 2 have been used.

You don't have to do 7, but an additional 2 Photographers would be fine.

.

Look books - posing ideas AC2, AC3, AC4, AC5

Note S&K updated 27/6/24

One of the problems (AC2) when you're shooting in the studio is communicating (AC5) your idea with your model, how you want them to pose, what sort of vibe you're looking to create. If you compile a look book (AC3) which is a professional strategy (AC4) and allow the model to see what your ideas are this massively helps in photoshoots. It not only reminds you what your plans are and what your pose ideas are, but enables the model to understand more clearly. 

If you're own self-directed project is fashion or portrait based, this work is probably best seen as part of your plans in your main design sheet. Other than that this is basic knowledge and should appear in your S&K design sheet under the professional practice heading. 

The best way to do this is to create a couple of pages with a series of your favourite or standard poses that you use as a starting point. All you need to do is go onto a website like the ASOS fashion site and copy a whole series of poses and compile them as below...

S&K pages with pose references

Each time you shoot simply print it off and use when you shoot. *Top tip photograph it in the studio on the floor or with your model looking at it as one of your wide shots - of your set up to show that you actually use it.

Watch this video here to see this for real...From around 20 seconds into the video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yStCqKB11-4&t=33s