AS Photography Exam: Transformation
Transformation is the 2016 title for the AS Photography exam project. You will have a period of 8-10 weeks (plus the Spring half term and Easter holiday) to develop your ideas through preparatory studies before spending two days in the studio realising your final outcome as part of the 10 hour, controlled assessment. You should aim to be ambitious in your final outcome and presentation.
The exam paper is full of ideas to help you get started. Your photography teachers will also set class and home work tasks that will enable you to have the best start possible for your exam project. Make sure everything is documented clearly on you weebly.
Brainstorm
Go through the exam paper and highlight as many words/adjectives that could be possible starting points for further development, Use these to create a visualmind map of your ideas. Include images where possible. Below are some ideas to help you get started • sunrise, sunset, moonrise, northern lights • spring, summer, autumn, winter • age, growth, birth, restoration • adornment, rites of passage, weddings, funerals • cooking, burning, eating, cleaning, repairs, tools • dressing up, acting, masquerades, make-up, disguise • demolition, oxidation, erosion, mould, decay, recycling, weathering • agriculture, transportation, landfill, quarrying, machinery |
Portrait Transformation - Time
The quest to capture eternal youth is somthing that has facinated man through out the ages and has been the subject of many books and films. The evolution from youth to old age is something that will eventually effect us all. Task Take a portrait in the the studio and then find an image on the internet of an old face. Try to make sure the poses are similar. Using the photoshop tutorial opposite merge the two pictures and create an aged portrait. Homework 1) Looking at the work Bobby Neal Adams Photograph different members of your family and merge the faces together to show how the different generations in your family have evolved. 2) Ext (Optional) Look at the work of Julien Germain and using his work as inspiration create a body of work on an old family member or friend. Capture their life and their environment |
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Transformation of the camera Photography is a medium which is constantly evolving. The quest to fix an image has occupied the thoughts of men for centuries. Below are three different forms of photography that different generations have used to capture the image in front of them. 1 ) Pin Hole Camera 2 ) Film Camera 3 ) Digital Camera Task Use the three different cameras listed to photograph the same subject matter This could be a studio portrait or an image from around the school try to choose a subject matter that is visually interesting. When you have taken your images come back to the darkroom and the macs to produce your images and compare the different outcomes. Ext Try out other alternative processes that such as nivea print portraits (see link below) cyanotype and liquid light paper to produce more transformed images |
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Object Transformation.
Penn's approach to the still life evolved over decades; from the 1930s onwards, he arranged everyday objects to create assemblages, which transcended their origins and original purpose to become conceptual works of art.
In the case of Cigarettes however, Penn literally found his subjects on the street. By bringing them into his studio and carefully creating these minimalist compositions, he transformed one of the most widely consumed and discarded products of consumer society from that of pure detritus into a symbolic representation of contemporary culture. This transformative act resulted in one of the most elegant yet direct expressions of post-modern artistic practice.
Cigarettes sheds light on the development of the still life under Penn’s lens, whereby something as disposable and worthless as a cigarette butt is endowed with artistic value.
Penn's approach to the still life evolved over decades; from the 1930s onwards, he arranged everyday objects to create assemblages, which transcended their origins and original purpose to become conceptual works of art.
In the case of Cigarettes however, Penn literally found his subjects on the street. By bringing them into his studio and carefully creating these minimalist compositions, he transformed one of the most widely consumed and discarded products of consumer society from that of pure detritus into a symbolic representation of contemporary culture. This transformative act resulted in one of the most elegant yet direct expressions of post-modern artistic practice.
Cigarettes sheds light on the development of the still life under Penn’s lens, whereby something as disposable and worthless as a cigarette butt is endowed with artistic value.
American Beauty from Dave Ball on Vimeo. |
American Beauty - Directed by Sam mendes - 1998
Ricky Fitts: It was one of those days when it's a minute away from snowing and there's this electricity in the air, you can almost hear it. Right? And this bag was just dancing with me. Like a little kid begging me to play with it. For fifteen minutes. That's the day I realized that there was this entire life behind things, and this incredibly benevolent force that wanted me to know there was no reason to be afraid, ever. Video's a poor excuse, I know. But it helps me remember... I need to remember... Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in. |
Task
Using the work of Penn and Mendes as inspiration create a series of images that create beauty out of transforming everyday objects that you have brought into the studio. Think about the lighting colour of the background and the relationship between the objects in your set up. Shoot the work both on digital and analogue cameras in colour and B/W.
Homework
Look for items of beauty in the world around you spend time simply looking at everyday places and objects in your local area that can be transformed into items of beauty. Capture images of beauty that require the viewer to look deeper and beyond the apparent imperfection of the object before them to realise its inherent perfection.
Using the work of Penn and Mendes as inspiration create a series of images that create beauty out of transforming everyday objects that you have brought into the studio. Think about the lighting colour of the background and the relationship between the objects in your set up. Shoot the work both on digital and analogue cameras in colour and B/W.
Homework
Look for items of beauty in the world around you spend time simply looking at everyday places and objects in your local area that can be transformed into items of beauty. Capture images of beauty that require the viewer to look deeper and beyond the apparent imperfection of the object before them to realise its inherent perfection.
Work below from previous student titled Found Beauty
Landscape Transformation
JR a photographer and artist who transforms enviroment by flyposting large black-and-white photographic images in public locations, in a manner similar to the appropriation of the built environment by the graffiti artist.He states that the street is "the largest art gallery in the world".
Between 2004 and 2006, JR created Portraits of a Generation, portraits of young people from the housing projects around Paris that he exhibited in huge format. This illegal project became official when the City of Paris put JR’s photos up on buildings.At the beginning of his projects, JR wanted to bring art into the street: "In the street, we reach people who never go to museums."
Task 1
Take a series of portraits of people around the school / Musewellhill place a white drop (piece of card) making their face the sole focus of the picture. When you have a number of different portraits come back to class and down load the pictures.
Task 2
Enlarge the image by breaking into A3 sections and print these out, then take the images and transform the blank stairwell space by pasting up your large portraits
JR a photographer and artist who transforms enviroment by flyposting large black-and-white photographic images in public locations, in a manner similar to the appropriation of the built environment by the graffiti artist.He states that the street is "the largest art gallery in the world".
Between 2004 and 2006, JR created Portraits of a Generation, portraits of young people from the housing projects around Paris that he exhibited in huge format. This illegal project became official when the City of Paris put JR’s photos up on buildings.At the beginning of his projects, JR wanted to bring art into the street: "In the street, we reach people who never go to museums."
Task 1
Take a series of portraits of people around the school / Musewellhill place a white drop (piece of card) making their face the sole focus of the picture. When you have a number of different portraits come back to class and down load the pictures.
Task 2
Enlarge the image by breaking into A3 sections and print these out, then take the images and transform the blank stairwell space by pasting up your large portraits
Three Strands
Once you have completed each workshop task above you need to determine three strands (starting points) for your project. The presentation of each strand must include a rationale (reasons why and links to the theme), connections to relevant contextual information, photographers and any other visuals.
The first set of observations should include each of the three strands. Do not spend weeks on one strand before moving onto the next etc.
The first set of observations should include each of the three strands. Do not spend weeks on one strand before moving onto the next etc.
Tate Modern: Performing for the Camera
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Document your visit to the Tate Modern. This should include:
Click here for the Artsnet review.
- An overview of the theme.
- How the exhibition has been curated.
- A discussion of three works / photographers in depth.
- Links to the exam theme (you can refer to other works you haven't already discussed here)
- Your opinion.
Click here for the Artsnet review.
Easter Holiday Preparation
AS Photography Exam:
Part 1: Thursday 14th April
During part 1 you will:
Part 2: Friday 22nd April
During part 2 you will:
This is just a guide. Your teachers will help you plan how to use your time however, in anticipation for the 14th April please answer the following questions as best as you can at this point. This will help you identify what you need to do during the holiday.
The theme that I am investigating for the exam is:
To develop my ideas further I need to:
Photograph:
(A successful project should have at least 6-8 sets or stages of development since you chose your preferred strand. Do you have to organise a particular shoot, studio time or borrow a particular piece of equipment to be able to photograph the images you need?)
Research:
(Do you need to find a relevant photographer to support your current development? Do you need to recap your development through a ‘development trail’ or ‘artist and me review’- see below? Is there a relevant exhibition?)
Annotate:
(Annotate all set tasks, clearly linking them to the exam theme. For the development of your own themes make sure you clearly state your intentions, How it either links to the theme or you previous development, what went well, even better if and what is next)
Part 1: Thursday 14th April
During part 1 you will:
- either edit your images depending on your intentions and order prints from Photobox
- or bring images in to create an installation or sculptural piece.
Part 2: Friday 22nd April
During part 2 you will:
- either mount the images you ordered from Photobox. (Make sure you have discussed how you want to mount your work. The department has a limited supply of thin card and mount board but you will have to provide your own, specialist materials if necessary.)
- or continue with the installation or sculptural piece depending on your intentions.
This is just a guide. Your teachers will help you plan how to use your time however, in anticipation for the 14th April please answer the following questions as best as you can at this point. This will help you identify what you need to do during the holiday.
The theme that I am investigating for the exam is:
To develop my ideas further I need to:
Photograph:
(A successful project should have at least 6-8 sets or stages of development since you chose your preferred strand. Do you have to organise a particular shoot, studio time or borrow a particular piece of equipment to be able to photograph the images you need?)
Research:
(Do you need to find a relevant photographer to support your current development? Do you need to recap your development through a ‘development trail’ or ‘artist and me review’- see below? Is there a relevant exhibition?)
Annotate:
(Annotate all set tasks, clearly linking them to the exam theme. For the development of your own themes make sure you clearly state your intentions, How it either links to the theme or you previous development, what went well, even better if and what is next)
Exhibitions - Our Top 5
Strange Strange and Familiar:
Britain as Revealed by International Photographers Barbican, Silk St, London EC2Y 8DS This is an exhibition for anyone who has ever queued for a bus, stared longingly into a cake shop window, blown bubbles just for the fun of it, picknicked in the car in the rain, been in love, worn a hat, walked down a high street… If you don’t recognise yourself in that list, or in the photographs in this show, then I’m calling you out, you droid. Selecting 23 photographers from overseas who have come to these shores armed with rampant curiosity and a killer eye for a great shot, ace photographer Martin Parr has put together one of the most involving and moving exhibitions of the year. It’s chock full of photography legends – ‘eye of the century’ Henri Cartier-Bresson, the staggeringly compassionate Robert Frank – and charts the rise of the medium from the 1930s to now. |
Vogue 100: A Century of Style
National Portrait Gallery, St Martin's Place, London, WC2H 0HE Fashion may be fickle, but the fashion photographer’s lens is also a mirror. ‘Vogue 100: A Century of Style’ is as much a reflection of a hundred years of our history as it is a celebration of the original glossy.
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Saul Leiter: Retrospective
16-18 Ramillies St, London W1F 7LW It seems an irony that Saul Leiter always considered himself more a painter than a photographer. Firstly, because it was the latter that made his name. Secondly, because he was pretty bad at the former. Leiter moved to New York in the 1940s, soaked up the abstract expressionist scene, and occasionally showed his twitchy, garish, overworked paintings in galleries in the East Village. Fortunately, alongside the art exhibitions, he also visited a show of Henri Cartier-Bresson’s photography in 1947. Soon after, he bought a Leica and started taking pictures on the city’s streets. And out of an alchemical relationship between the two disciplines, there came a long and astonishing body of photographic work defined by a kind of elegant, painterly formalism. |
Julia Margaret Cameron: Influence and Intimacy
Science Museum, Exhibition Rd, London SW7 2DD We take it for granted today but when photography was first invented, it must have been extraordinary to witness a moment in time captured forever as a static image. When you look at Julia Margaret Cameron’s photographs from more than 150 years ago, you are reminded why photography was, and still is, so enchanting. Cameron received her first camera as a forty-eighth birthday present from her daughter in 1863 and quickly created an unprecedented number of images. To celebrate the bicentenary of Cameron’s birth two museum displays pay tribute to an experimental photographer whose innovative approach was artistically revered but also critically condemned due to her unorthodox methods. |
Paul Strand
V&A, Cromwell Rd, London SW7 2RL The American photographer Paul Strand (1890-1976) was one of the first to make a photographic abstraction (intentionally). Inspired by the latest trends in European art – which he saw in shows of Cézanne, Picasso, Matisse and others in New York – he was applied a new-fangled language of geometric surface design, and a new way of looking at the modern world, initially to objects such as furniture (and its shadows), then to the streets of Manhattan. |