Component 1 Exam Brief

Personal Investigation brief.

Year two of A Level AQA Art and design subjects require students to develop their work in a way that they can explore their own themes.  To enable you to do this we have devised a series of advanced techniques and approaches to prepare you to conduct their own personal project.    Please be aware that the project is an investigation (it means you are trying to find something out) as such your work and approach will develop over a period of time, you must be prepared to work in an experimental and evaluative manner to be successful.

In summary below is the two components you will be expected t complete for year 2.

Please find attached a summarised copy of the specification.

Component details
Component 1 Personal investigation
This is a practical investigation supported by written material.
Students are required to conduct a practical investigation, into an idea, issue, concept or theme, supported by written material. The focus of the investigation must be identified independently by the student and must lead to a finished outcome or a series of related finished outcomes.
The investigation should be a coherent, in-depth study that demonstrates the student’s ability to construct and develop a sustained line of reasoning from an initial starting point to a final realisation.
The investigation must show clear development from initial intentions to the final outcome or outcomes. It must include evidence of the student’s ability to research and develop ideas and relate their work in meaningful ways to relevant critical/contextual materials.
The investigation must be informed by an aspect of contemporary or past practice of artists, photographers, designers or craftspeople.
The written material must confirm understanding of creative decisions, providing evidence of all four assessment objectives by:

·       clarifying the focus of the investigation

·       demonstrating critical understanding of contextual and other sources

·       substantiating decisions leading to the development and refinement of ideas

·       recording ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions by reflecting critically on practical work

·       making meaningful connections between, visual, written and other elements.

The written material must:

·       be a coherent and logically structured extended response of between 2000 and 3000 words of continuous prose.

·       include specialist vocabulary appropriate to the subject matter

·       include a bibliography that, identifies contextual references from sources such as: books, journals, websites, through studies of others’ work made during a residency, or on a site, museum or gallery visit

·       be legible with accurate use of spelling, punctuation and grammar so that meaning is clear. Annotation must not be included in the word count for the written material.

Students can present the written material in the form of an ILLUSTRATIVE ESSAY..

The personal investigation will be assessed as a whole. Evidence of meeting the requirements of all four assessment objectives must be provided in both the practical and written material in the form of a Blogger.

4.2 Assessment objectives

Assessment objectives (AOs) are set by Ofqual and are the same across all AS and A-level Art and Design specifications and all exam boards.

The assessments will measure how students have achieved the following assessment objectives:

• AO1: Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
• AO2: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops.
• AO3: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
• AO4: Present a personal and meaningful response that realises intentions and, where appropriate, makes connections between visual and other elements.

Transition week homework.

 Students are required to have completed the following

Techniques posts for

·       Sequencing

·       Animated Gif

·       Wide angle close up Photography

·       4 Portraits 4 ways

·       An Illustrated Project Proposal.

Illustrated Project Proposal will comprise. 4 sections.

Monday, 20 July 2015

Aim:        what do I want to achieve/find out.  E.g. my personal investigative study is to create a visual record of the British and British culture. The investigation will explore “The British abroad” and other holiday locations in the UK. I will also record the British within Urban environments. 

Background

Discuss in two paragraphs why you want to do this project.

Here you can discuss the type of photography you are most interested in and the type of photographers who might influence you…    There needs to be an expansion on the above aim i.e. why you wish to find more out about “British Culture” what you hope to achieve, what aspects of British culture do you intend you intend to focus on.

Photographers research:

List three to four photographers/artists that you think will influence your approach.   Explain:

·       why they are relevant to the investigation 

·       how their approach (technique, subject matter and location, etc.)  might influence your photographic approach

Illustrations

For each photographer,  Analyse  AT LEAST ONE, (MAXIMUM TWO) of their images discussing why they were chosen.   Use critical language to analyse the image in terms of connotations, denotations and technique used to create the images.

Techniques

Discuss the materials, techniques and processes that you intend to explore within the project.

e.g. Motion blur, animated gif,, black and white, colour saturation and shallow depth of field, I will also explore computer experiments and physical images. 

Illustrated Project Proposal

Project Proposal

Initial Ideas

Concept, Ideas and Issues

I would like to investigate the idea of nature. I would then like to look deeper into nature by looking at life and death of flowers. I would also like to look into the different colours and textures of flowers.  Although I would like to focus on flowers I think that I will also look at other elements of nature like leaves and trees and other plants that have interesting shapes, textures and colours. I would like to convey the delicacy of flowers and the intricate details within nature.

My personal investigation is... 

I will investigate the subject of nature. I would like to look more specifically at the delicacy and intricacy of flowers. I will also investigate the life and death of flowers and how nature visually changes, focusing on the different textures of living and dying flowers.

Background

I have chosen to look at nature, particularly flowers. This idea has been inspired by looking into a new technique called macro photography because I really liked the way that the images looked and the amount of detail these photos had. I am planning to travel to different places to capture photos for example a local area where there are flowers growing however I would also like to go to a flower garden in order to capture a wide range of different flowers rather than just flowers I may find nearer to home. 

I would like to start my project by just looking at flowers in their natural environment, for example in a flower garden and then I feel as though I can expand upon this basic idea and look into more experimental photography. I feel as though this will be a good starting point because I will be able to easily access different flowers in their natural environment. This can be done during lesson time and then in my own time I would like to travel slightly further and also bring some flowers back into the studio in order to capture photos that are in a natural and unnatural environment. If I plan to travel somewhere to take photos I will do so prior to my lesson so that I will be able to use lesson time to edit my images.  

Inspirational Images 

This image inspires me because it is looking at dying flowers. I like the way the image has been taken because these flowers are not taken in their natural environment therefore this image has connotations that someone has purposely killed the flower. 

This image inspires me because it uses the technique of macro photography which is something I would like to explore. I like the way that this flower has been photographed in its natural environment because the background of the image is very vibrant. I also like the depth of field used within this photo because this makes the flower the only focused part of the image, making the colours and textures of the flower stand out. This is something I would like to explore. 

I like this image because although this is not a flower it is another part of nature. I feel as though this is something I may want to explore in my work. I like the way that this texture is so different to any flower that I would be able to photograph therefore I may look into focusing on flowers as well as other parts of nature to show the unique beauty of different elements of nature. 

Photographic Techniques

I would like to explore multiple techniques within my project.


Firstly I would like to look at macro photography. I feel as though by using this technique I will be able to capture photos that are unlike any images I have taken before because they will be so intricate and detailed which is a style of photography that I really like.

I may also explore the use of animated gif. I believe I could incorporate this into my work by looking at the life cycle of flowers or other elects of nature and put the images together in an animated gif.


The final technique that I would like to look at is time lapse photography. I feel as though this technique will link to looking at the life cycle of flowers.

Photographer Research 

I have looked into some different photographers that I feel could potentially inspire me when progressing with my project. I have tried to focus on a range of photographers that look at some more creative ideas in which I could use to influence my creativity within the project.   

Patty Hankins

This is an image of a flower in its natural environment. This photo has been taken by Patty Hatkins. I feel as though this photo focuses on the colours of the flower. The flower is made up of vibrant red and oranges which is what Hatkins has focused on. I also like the raindrops in the image because this takes the intricate detailing even further. I feel as though the bright colours used represent happiness and positivity and also the summer season.  

This image could have been taken in a studio. You cannot see any background in the image therefore it may not be taking in its natural environment. I like that this image is so detailed and I feel as though this has been achieved by using a macro lens and studio lighting, for example soft boxes. This image has a very vibrant yellow in the centre of the image. The composition of this image could represent the sun in the centre and the petals surrounding it could represent the different elements around the sun like Earth. The colours that have been used are yellow and purple. These are opposite colours on the colour wheel and I think this is why they work so well. This makes the colours contrast each other.  

Irving Penn 

I like the images that Irving Penn creates because they are different to the previous photographer I have looked at. He takes flowers and presents them in an unnatural way which I think is very interesting. I like the way he looks at dried flowers which is something I would like to look at within my work. I would like to have a look at the difference between the textures of dying and fresh flowers and I feel as though Irving Penn emphasises the textures of dried flowers. This image is very sharp and focused which I believe he has done to emphasise the death of the flower and to show the way in which the flower has changed and altered during the process of it dying.   

I feel as though the image above is interesting because it looks as though the flower has been flattened or pressed. This inspires me to look at different ways of presenting flowers rather than just looking at them in their natural environment. Irving Penn uses a studio to take his photos. I like that by using a studio you can control the way the flower is positioned within the image. I also like the fact that it is possible to manipulate a regular flower and change it to something that looks very different. 

I believe that the images above have connotations of being outside of your comfort zone because these flowers have been removed from their natural environment and are still being photographed in a beautiful way. These images may represent leaving somewhere you feel comfortable and moving on. The fact that the flower that has been used is red could have connotations of passion and love. I feel as though this could also represent relationships and romance. I also believe that this is a poppy. This would mean that the colour red could have connotations of blood and sacrifice.    

Nick Knight 

The image above is a photo of flowers which have been arranged outside of their natural environment. The fact that this image has been taken in a studio has connotations of humans being able to destroy nature and that humans are constantly ruining the world. This image focuses on the intricate details of the flower itself. I like the way that the image has been made to look slightly grainy because it gives the effect of the image being a painting. I feel as though Nick Knight wants to incorporate photography and art together in a way that compliments one another. This is an image of multiple flowers that have been laid out in a precise way to create a beautiful arrangement of flowers. I feel as though this image could have connotations of simplicity and peace because the background is very plain which attracts your attention then then flowers. The flowers are also laid out in a very simple elegant way which portrays the idea of simplicity. The photo looks as though the flowers are arranged to look as though they are upright. I feel as thought this gives the illusion of a vase being behind the flowers however the fact that its not there gives the image more negative space.   

This photo is an image of flowers that have been modified to look as though the colour is running. Nick Knight uses the idea of nature and incorporates artistic concepts to create an image that is very different to the usual photos of nature you always see. I am not entirely sure how this photographer has created this image meaning whether he has physically manipulated the image or whether he has used photo shop to give this effect. It looks as though he has taken the image and dragged the colour downwards giving it the effect of using water colours. I feel as though this image could have connotations of feeling out of control of something because the colours have fallen in a way that was out of the artists control and maybe this is the idea he wanted to portray within the image itself.

This is an image by Nick Knight. He created this as an album cover for 'The Massive Attack'. On the right is the original photo and then on the left is the edited version of the flowers. This is so interesting because at first glance it just looks like the image has been darkened however there is a lot more to the image than it looks. Nick Knight has subtly added in different elements to the image, for example a skull within the flower and it looks as though a missile and a gun have been placed within the structure of the flower. I believe this has connotations of death and war. The gun and the missile that he has added in represent war and the fact that he has used weapons represents violence and destruction within the world. I think he has used photoshop to add the details within the original image he has taken. I believe he took images of the different objects he wanted to incorporate and has used layers to add them in. I really like the idea of manipulating an original image and turning it into something with deeper meaning. I believe that this would be a challenge for me within my project and I would like to explore this idea in more depth and create my own ideas based on Nick Knights work. 

 

Experiment - Zoom Lens

Zoom Lens

Definitions 

Zoom Lens - A lens allowing a camera to change smoothly from a long shot to a close-up or vice versa by varying the focal length.

Wide angle lenses (short focal length) - capture more because they have a wider picture angle

Telephoto lenses (long focal length) - have a narrower picture angle

A longer focal length - associated with larger magnification of distant objects, and a narrower angle of view.

A shorter focal length - associated with a reduction of objects and a wider angle of view.

The image below demonstrates this technique. 

FOCAL LENGTH

The most important factor in any camera lens is its focal length. This determines which type of lens it is, and what subjects it will be able to photograph. Focal lengths range from just a few millimetres up to over a metre. 

The different focal lengths can be grouped as followed:

Image Bank 

My Images - portrait 

18mm focal length

24mm focal length

35mm focal length

55mm focal length

By creating these images I have discovered that as the focal length increases the image becomes more focused on the subject of the photo, in relation to portraiture. When using a shorter focal length more of the background is visible and the background is also slightly distorted which I believe is effective as it gives the image a surreal feel to it. I also like the larger focal length because the focus is on the model in the image and I like the way that I am now able to visibly see what the difference in focal length can do to an image.

My Images - Landscape

18mm focal length

24mm focal length

35mm focal length

55mm focal length

I feel as though when taking photos of the landscape I did not see as much of a difference in using the focal lengths as I did when looking into portraiture. I think that this is because when using a model it is easier to see that the model is becoming the focal point of the image however when taking the images above there is no obvious focal point therefore I think it isn't as obvious that the focal length is being altered. I do think that there is a difference in the different images. I think that as the focal length is increased the image is focusing on a smaller area.

To take each of the images above I used an aperture of f/10 - f/11 and a shutter speed of 1/200 - 1/250. I used this aperture because I wanted to create a wide depth of field. I also used a relatively fast shutter speed because I aimed to freeze motion rather than capturing it. I also used a tripod to capture these images because I wanted the image to be in the exact same position because this made the use of different focal lengths a lot more clear.  

 

Evaluation 

I feel as though my portrait images were successful because it is clear that each photo is using a different focal length. As I mentioned above I believe this is more clear in the portraiture images I have taken.  After completing this activity I believe I understand how using different focal lengths can alter an image.

A weakness of my landscape images is that they are slightly over exposed which is due to the camera settings that I have used. 

Progression 

I feel as though I could experiment with the zoom lens technique in my future work when photographing landscapes.