We offer a truly personalised Photography course where we build on each student’s strength and interests to create a unique learning experience. Students will be closely supported by staff and have access to our dark room.
Subject Information
Photography is subdivided into the following three disciplines:
- Film-based photography
- Digital photography
- Film and video
Our teachers will challenge and nurture students to extend their skills and experience through practical workshops which draw on our expertise and facilities. A process of peer support, group critiques and one-to-one tutorials will enable students to develop their own personalised lens-based work.
Photographers will develop practical skills and they will also be encouraged to develop theoretical and contextual understanding of a wide range of photographers, film makers and lens-based art forms. Students will take risks, develop resilience and nurture their own creativity and problem solving to become confident photographers. They will explore and express personal ideas about themes and issues important to them and enjoy producing meaningful photography work.
Course Details
- Unit 1: PERSONAL INVESTIGATION 60% of the total qualification
- Unit 2: EXTERNALLY SET ASSIGNMENT 40% of the total qualification
Both components allow students opportunities to generate and develop ideas, research primary and contextual sources, record practical and written observations, experiment with media and processes, and refine ideas towards producing personal resolved outcomes.
Assessment is based on a portfolio of work and will include sketchbooks, preparatory supporting studies, practical outcomes and a written study.
In addition to studio-based workshops and study students will have the opportunity to experience location-based photoshoots, study visits, exhibitions and visiting artists.
Subject Specific Entry Requirements
- Grade 6 in any Art and Design GCSE (for example, Fine Art, Textiles or Photography).
Where could Photography take me?
Photography students could expect to go onto further study and careers in many creative industries. Future pathways might include a lens–based foundation course and/or a degree in a specialist area such as photojournalism, advertising, media, design, fashion, animation or filmmaking.
Reading List
Books
- John Berger – Ways of Seeing (1990)
- Understanding a Photograph: John Berger (Penguin Modern Classics) Paperback – 7 Nov. 2013
- Photography: A Concise History (World of Art) Paperback – 9 Nov. 1981 by Ian Jeffrey
- The Photograph (Oxford History of Art) Paperback – Illustrated, 10 April 1997
- The Photographer’s Eye Remastered 10th Anniversary: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photographs Paperback – 15 Jun. 2017
- Thinking About Art: A Thematic Guide to Art History
- 150 Photographic Projects for Art Students by John Easterby Why Does it not have to be in focus – Jackie Higgins
- 100 ideas that changed photography by Mary Marien
- Masters of Photography Reuel Golden
- Photography: The Definitive Visual History Tom Ang
Galleries
- Check museumcrush.org for all current exhibitions
- National Portrait Gallery St Martin’s Place, WC2 npg.org.uk
- Royal Academy of Arts Piccadilly, W1 royalacademy.org.uk
- Whitechapel Gallery Whitechapel High Street, E1 whitechapel.org.uk
- Tate Modern Park Street, Bankside, SE1 tate.org.uk
- Micheal Hoppen Gallery London
- Huxley-Parlour Gallery London
- V and A Photography collection
Magazines/journals
- Portfolio (Contemporary Photography)
- portfoliocatalogue.com
- The British Journal of Photography – Incisive Media (Professional Weekly)
- bjp-online.com
