ANINTRODUCTIONTOPHOTOGRAPHY(KS4/5)USINGTHRESHOLDCONCEPTS

Studentswillhaveachoiceofhowtodocumenttheirstudies,viatheirownwebsite/blogand/orviasketchbooks.AllstudentswillalsobeencouragedtokeepA5sketchbooksforclassnotes,sketches,experimentalcollagesetc.High-resolutioncopiesofallphotographsselectedforcourseworkusewillneedtobestoredsafely,anonlinegallerysuchasFlickr,mightbeconsidered.StudentsmayalsowishtosetupaspecificInstagramaccountforthecourse,forday-to-dayexperimentation.

THRESHOLDCONCEPTS Keyquestions/prompts PracticalapproachesPRACTICALTASKSUSETRADITONALARTGENRES-PORTRAIT,LANDSCAPE,STILLLIFE,‘GENREPAINTING’(DOCUMENTARY)–ASSTARTINGPOINTSFOREXPERIMENTION(ANDSUBSEQUENTRECONSIDERINGOFTHESEGENRES)

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MN1

TC#1:Photographyhasmanygenres,someold,someborrowed,somenewPhotographyhasmanygenres,someofwhichareborrowedfrompainting(e.g.stilllife,portraiture,landscape).Somearespecialtophotography(e.g.photojournalism).Artists/photographersoftenplaywithourexpectationsaboutgenreforcreativepurposes

Howmightyouorder/organisephotography,onewayoranother?Like/Unlike;Real/Unreal;Old/New;Analogue/Digital;Mirrors/Windows;Hunters/Farmers;Objective/Subjective;Right/Wrong…?Whataretheinfluencesofart(genres)onphotography?

• Notes,discussions,collaborativesorting(washinglines)ofawiderangeofimagesconsideringgenres(andthejudgementswe

make).• Avisualpresentationinbooks/blogs–arangeofresearchwithpersonalexplanationsandjustifications,presentedin

imaginative,experimentalandgraphicways(split/contrastingpages,playfulvenndiagrams,graphsetc.).• Independentexperimentsinresponsetocontrastingtitles(H/W)and/orgenretitles–asanintroductiontoselves.

• Aseriesofobservationalself-portraitrecordingsusing‘traditional’arttechniques(toemphasisedifferenceswithphotography

andprovokereflectiononrequiredskillsforartandphotography):Timedobservationaldrawing;timedpaintingtaskwithprimaries(FAUVISM/EXPRESSIONISM);collagetask(DADA)

TC#8:Photographsconsistofformalandvisualelementsandhavetheirown‘grammar’.Theseelements(line,shape,balanceetc.)aresharedwithart.Butphotographsalsohaveaspecificgrammar-flatness,time,focusetc.‘Mistakes’areoftenassociatedwith(breaking)the‘rules’andexpectationsofthisgrammar[…]Somephotographersenjoymakingbeautifulimages,othersaremorecriticalofwhatbeautymeansintoday'sworld.

Whataretheformal/visualelements?Whatwordsareimportantforaphotographystudenttoknow?Howcantheorganisationoftheformal/visualelementswithinaphotoinfluenceits‘reading’?Whataresomeofthedistinctivecharacteristicsofdifferentgenres?

• Discussionandstructuredwrittenanalysisofselectedimagesreinforcing/introducing:

o VISUAL:VisualElements:Colour,Texture,Shapeetc.,Composition:Balance,viewpoints,leadingtheeye,RuleofThirds,GoldenSectionetc.(PhotoSafari/Right/Wrong?)TECHNICAL:ShutterSpeed,Aperture,Depthoffield

o Introductiontoterms:CONCEPTUAL;CONTEXTUAL

• Produceaseriesofdiptychs/2frameimages,respondingtovisualelementsandcompositionkeywords

TC#7:Photographsarenotfixedinmeaning;contextiseverything.Themeaningsofphotographsareneverfixed,arenotcontainedsolelywithinthephotographsthemselvesandrelyonacombinationoftheviewer'ssensitivity,knowledgeandunderstanding,andthespecificcontextinwhichtheimageisseen.

Whatgivesaphotographmeaning?Canaphotographercontrolthemeaningoftheirwork?Shouldaphotographrequireanexplanationortitle?Howdoesthisinfluencethework?Howmightthelocationorformatinwhichyouviewanimagealteritsmeaning?

PORTRAITS

TC#2:Photographyisthecapturingoflight;acameraisoptionalExperimentswithCameraObscura,pinholecameras,shadowprints,Cyanotypeexperiments

TC#10:Photographswarpoursenseoftime;theyremindusofthingslostCollecting,ordering,respondingtoarangeofpreviousphotographsofselves-fromchildhood,familyalbumsetc.

Produceaseriesofportrait/selfportraitexperiments:• formalstudioshots,exploringbasiccamerasettingsandlightingconsiderations.Responsestoearlypracticalapplications:

identityphotographs,cultural/ethnographicstudies(objectiveapproaches,introductiontoNewObjectivity)• Contrastwitheveryday‘selfies’,ephemeralsnapchats,snapshotsandmisleadingportrayals–BobRogersessay;Trish

Morrissey’s‘Front’;AmaliaUlman’sInstagramfeed;IrinaWerning;GillianWearing’s‘FamilyAlbum’etc.

TC#6:Photographsrelyonchance,moreorless.Chanceisveryimportantinphotography.Youcanfightchance,tolerateitorembraceit.Tosomeextent,allphotographsaretheresultofchanceprocesses

Canyoupredicthowaphotographwilllookoncetheshutterispressed?-Shouldyoubeableto?Towhatextenddoestechnicalknowledgelimitorenablechance?Whatfactorscanaphotographercontrol?Inwhatwaysisitpossibletomakeyourownluckinphotography?

Produceaseriesofportraitexperimentsthatareabstracted/distortedthrough:• useofshutterspeed;movement–ofsubjectandcamera/photographer;doubleexposures• choiceofviewpoints,focus,depthoffield;obscuringetc.• tactilepost-productiontechniques:collage;layering,tearing,foldingetc.andre-photographing• digitalmanipulation:introductiontoPhotoshop,useoflayers,lensblur,adjustmenttools

TC#5:Photographsareabstractions,shapedbytechnologyIntroductorynotesonabstractionwithinphotography(definingabstraction;earlyphotography/technicallimitations;AnnaAtkins;Stieglitz,PaulStrand,EdwardSteichen;Cubism,Futurismetc.).

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MN2

TC#4:Photographyisanartofselectionratherthaninvention Photographyisunlikeothervisualartsinthatitbeginswithaworldfullofthingsratherthanwithablankslate.However,photographyisalsoanartofproduction,notjustreflection.Itdoesthingstothesubjectsitrepresents.

Dophotographsdocumentorcreatereality?Howisphotographysimilartootherformsofart?Howisitdifferent?Howdophotographschangeourrelationshipstothings?Canphotographyshareandexpresstherelationshipsthatwehavewithothers?

TC#5:Photographsareabstractions,shapedbytechnology

IntroductiontoDocumentaryphotography.(Connectionto‘GenrePainting’)• Produceaseriesofimagesdocumentingfamilymembers/lifeinresponsetooneofthe

following:RichardBillingham,SallyMann,LarrySultan,MasahisaFukase,JulianGermain,BruceGilden

• WrittenanalysisofselectedimagesapplyingpriorlearningandreferencetoThresholdConcepts

• Classpresentationwithexplanation/justificationswithreferencetopriorlearning

TC#6:Photographsrelyonchance,moreorless

STILLLIFEIntroductiontoStillLifeanddocumentingenvironments/spaces/presencethroughobjects

• ProduceaseriesofimagesinresponsetoinputondiversephotographerssuchasWalkerEvans,WilliamEggleston,PeterFraser,ChristopherNunn

TC#3:Photographyisahybridkindofpicturemaking,democraticanddiverse.Photographycrossesdifferentdisciplinesbothintheoryandpractice.Itisahybridformofartinformedbythesciencesandthehumanities.Photographyisalsothemostdiverseanddemocraticofthevisualarts.Ithasmultiplefunctions,contextsandmeanings.Thesesometimesoverlapininterestingways.

Howhasphotographybeenused,inmanydifferentways,toshapeandinfluenceyourlife?Can‘scientific’photographsbeconsideredart?Whenaphotographdocuments/witnesses‘art’,doesthephotographitselfbecomeart?

Aseriesoffurtherexperimentswithphotographingobjects-howphotographycanelevatethemundaneandevery-dayintosomethingofinterest.Developmentofstudioanddocumentaryapproachesinspiredbyarangeofgenresandartists:

• Experimentswithcamera(settings)asameansofunderstanding/revealingwhatwecan’tsee-WilsonBentley’sobsessionwithphotographingsnowflakes;DocEdgerton’sshutterspeedmotion/experiments

• Experimentswithlighting/subtlearrangementsofsimpleconstructedforms–inspiredbyFrancisBruguière,JaroslavRössler,Morandi,OwenKidd

• Playfulapproaches–Readymadesculpturesandrelationshipwithphotography(Duchamp)–inspiredbyFischlandWeiss’QuietAfternoonseries;GabrielOrozco

TC#7:Photographsarenotfixedinmeaning;contextiseverything. Themeaningsofphotographsareneverfixed,arenotcontainedsolelywithinthephotographsthemselvesandrelyonacombinationoftheviewer'ssensitivity,knowledgeandunderstanding,andthespecificcontextinwhichtheimageisseen.

Whatmeanssomethingtoyouandhowmightyoubegintoexplorethat‘meaningness’throughphotography?Howmightyouusephotographytocreatesomethingnewand,potentially,meaningful?Whatwouldyoulikeyourworktomeantoothers?Whatcontextsdoyouhavecontrolof?Whatcreativedecisionswouldyouliketomakeandwhy?

LANDSCAPE

TC#5:Photographsareabstractions,shapedbytechnology

ExtendingonStillLifestudioexperiments:

• Creatingownlandscapes(withStillLifeobjects/textures)–exploringform,scale,lightingetc.BrendanAustin,EdwardWeston,BarbaraHepworth,Surfaceofthings.

Developmentofaminipersonalinvestigation:

• Playfulexplorationofnatural/constructedenvironment–arandomlygeneratedlocation(TheBoyleFamily)opportunitytoapplyunderstandingofgenres/recentlearning-composition,objectivity/subjectivity,abstraction,distortion,typologiesetc.

TC#4:Photographyisanartofselection…

SPRING1&2

TC#9:Photographsarenotneutral;theyaresusceptibletotheabuseofpower.Photographscommunicatepowerfulideasabouttheworld.Theycanbeusedtopromotebothgoodandbadattitudes.Therefore,studentsofphotographymustbeverycarefultothinkhardaboutwhattheyseeinotherpeople'sphotographsandhowtheymaketheirown.

Howmightyouuseyourworkasaforceforgood,orasameansforinvestigationorself-improvement?Howwillyou–throughapplyingnewknowledge-makeyourmostpowerfulworktodate?

DEVELOPMENTOFPERSONALWORK*Studentstodevelopafinaloutcome:e.g.aseriesofimages,aself-publishedbook,orashortdocumentarystylefilm(incorporatingownstills),demonstratingnewlearninginanimaginativeandexperimentalway.Planning/outcomeshould:• Includeclearreferencestopriorlearningfromthisyear,andrelevantThresholdConcepts• Demonstrateimprovements-inthinking,makingandunderstanding• Incorporateindependentresearchandanalysis• Includequalitypracticalexperiments• Concludewithafinaloutcome(s)/bodyofworksuitableforexhibition• Besupportedwithawrittenpersonaljustification

*FORSTUDENTSTAKINGASPHOTOGRAPHY(IFYOUAREANINTERNATIONALSTUDENTONAONEYEARPLACEMENT,ORIFYOUARENOTINTENDINGTOCONTINUETOA2)THESTARTINGPOINTFORTHISWILLBETHEEXTERNALLYSETEXAMINATION.

ADDITIONALRESOURCES:WWW.PHOTOPEDAGOGY.COM;WWW.DEVNICELY.CO.UK