Now that you have had some time to consider your own ideas for this project and investigated what distortion photography can look like, you need to develop your understanding of some of the techniques you could use when creating your response to the project brief. To do this, you need to research the work of other artists and create your own responses to their work using the same techniques as they do.
It is important to look closely at the work of the artist in our research (not just including a biography of their life) because it is the work that we wish to be influenced by and therefore that should be main the focus of your page. Remember to include images on your page as well as writing, you should aim for at least 3 or 4 images.
Things to consider when choosing your artists in order to be successful:
Do you really like their work? If not - don't choose them!
Do you have lots of ideas for your own work inspired by their style?
Are the artist's style and techniques a suitable level of challenge for you? Not too easy/too hard.
Are they a professional photographer? The photographer you choose should have their own website and multiple images. Be careful not to choose a students work as you can't reference them in your project.
What a good artist paragraph looks like: Rachel Baran One of the artists that I have chosen to use to inspire my ideas is Rachel Baran. She is a portrait photographer who photographs people in a surreal, unusual way. This is one of my favourite pieces of her work because of the atmosphere in the photograph. The dull colours and the contrasting figure create a calm atmosphere, but the swooping dress and position of the body suggests more going on, perhaps the way the person in the picture is feeling. I like way the artist uses negative space and balance to draw attention to the figure, and the contrast between the textures of the sky and the sea are aesthetically pleasing. I intend to work in the style of Rachel Baran by aiming to recreate her atmosphere in my own work, and planning for a surreal approach to the way I photograph the figure. What makes this a good example? - artist's name as the title - clearly written - good use of English - Key information about their work - specific references to chosen photo(s) - analytical not descriptive - good use of technical language - what you think about the work and why you have chosen it - how you might take inspiration from it.
Task 1: Take a look at your mood boards/mind map and decide on one piece of work which you would like to influence your ideas as you move forward with this project. If you are having trouble picking an artist to research, try considering the photographic/editing techniques which you might like to use and choose an artist who also uses them. See the link below for a list of possible techniques you could use in your work:
Task 2: Add a title of '(the Name of your Artist)' to your site. Task 3: Create an artist research page directly onto your site by following the steps below. Green (grade 1-3) a) Find at least 3 images by your chosen photographer which relates to the theme of Distortion b) Add your three photos underneath your title. Resize your photos - equal sizes - beside each other. c) Underneath your photos write a paragraph about the work using the 3 Cs Context, Content and Comment - If you need help getting started, copy and paste the sentences below.
Context - About the artist/photographer (Name of artist) lives and works in... (name of country). They are best known for... (portrait/landscape/still life/ - type of art - style, materials, size they are known for.) Having read about their artwork/photographs, I have learnt that...
Content - About the artwork/ photograph I like the photographers use of … (compositional guideline - e.g. rule of thirds, leading lines, unusual angles I also liked their use of ...(lighting explain the type of lighting and the effect, or use of a principle of design like contrast, balance, emphasis, scale, repetition) I believe the artist wanted to explore… (possible ideas/reasons for making the artwork) - you could link this to a quote by the artist to help explain your ideas
Comment - What I like about the work and how it might influence me Three words I would use to describe the style of work would be... I plan to use the photographers...( e.g.lighting style, simple background, interesting use of props) I will use the ideas/techniques (of…) in my own work by…
Amber (grade 4-5) Green + Read the example of Rachel Baran above or Julian Opie below as inspiration within the Content or Comment section you want to include information about Formal Elements, Lighting, Principles of Design, Compositional Guidelines and Editing Techniques. Perhaps add bold to any key words you use like contrast or the type of lighting used. You should not be using sentence starters but rather writing using the examples as inspiration.
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You may answer these questions in your content paragraph - write in full sentences or bullet points.
Is it a black and white or colour photograph? Is it a digital or film photograph? Why might that make a difference?
Which compositional guidelines has been used and why? (simplicity, rule of thirds, fill the frame, leading lines etc)
What type of shot is it (LS, MLS, MS, MCU, CU, ECU)?
What viewpoint is the photo taken from eye level, low angle (worms eye view), high angle (birds eye view)
What do you notice about the background? Does it contrast with the subject so that the subject is the focal point?
How is the subject posed?
Does the subjects posture or facial expression convey any emotion?
Does the choice of clothes reflect the personality of the sitter?
Have parts been exaggerated or distorted if so why?
Which Principles of Design has been used in this image (balance, emphasis, contrast, scale, harmony)
What type of lighting has been used and what is the effect? (harsh, soft, spot, side, creative)
What materials and tools have been used to destroy the image and why?
What mood is created by the image?
What message might the photograph communicate?
What do you find interesting or unusual about this image? Why did you choose it to write about?
How might you be influenced by this artist/photographer? One of the reasons that I have chosen this photographer to inspire my work is because I like ...
Red (grades 6+) - Amber + Use the writing guide and the pick and mix visual language below to help you analyse your chosen art work using suitable technical vocabulary and write key words in bold.
TIP - your writing must be in your own words, if you copy and paste from the internet then your work could be picked up for copyright infringement and your coursework could be discounted for the exam.
Lesson 2
As part of your research, you should take a look at the work of the artists you have chosen to be influenced by and create your own visual responses to their work. This process allows you to better understand the techniques they use and how their work is made which is knowledge that you can take forward with you into the rest of your project.
Task 1: Take a look at the research pages and responses below to get an idea of how your responses could relate to the artists you've studied:
Task 2: a) Add a title to your site of '(artist's name) Photoshoot Plan' b) Underneath you can either copy & paste the sentence starters below into a text box or download the template, fill it in and upload it to your site.
Download the template - Use the headings and complete the photoshoot plan - delete the questions highlighted in yellow.
Task 2: a) Add a title to your site of (Name of Artist) Photoshoot Plan' b) Underneath you can either copy & paste the sentence starters below or use your own words Green (grade 1-3) Copy and paste and finish these sentences: • I will do the photoshoot…… (where and when) because… • The props I will need for this shoot are… • The techniques I will use are…because… • The lighting will come from… which will give me a mood of… • My plans link to the photographer I have researched because....
Amber(4-5) Use the sentence starters below Links to photographer Before my shoot I investigated the artist… What I really like about the work is… From looking at this work I would like to incorporate… Equipment/Location For my shoot I will need… The location/s I want to use for this shoot are… Lighting I plan to take my photos at…because…. I will need to use.. to create…lighting Models For this shoot I will need…. My models will wear/ or will be styled by… The props I will need are… Red 6+ amber + use the sentences starter below Composition For my shoot I will try using… (rule of thirds, leading lines, framing etc). I will also try to use… Camera Settings I will use..camera angle (high, low, unusual). I will use a…shutter speed because I will use a …(narrow or wide depth) of field because.. Idea For this shoot I would like to try and capture…. My idea behind this shoot is to… Going for Gold You get extra marks for including sketches of how you would like your photographs to look/how you will set up your shoot, so consider drawing sketches, photographing them and inserting them as 'images' on your site. Take a look at the handouts and examples of plans below to help you.
Lesson 3
As part of your research, you should take a look at the work of the artists you have chosen to be influenced by and create your own visual responses to their work. This process allows you to better understand the techniques they use and how their work is made which is knowledge that you can take forward with you into the rest of your project. Task 1: Green (grade 1-3) Complete one shoot where you take 8 photographs recreating the style of your chosen artist.
Amber (grade 4-5) Complete one shootwhere you take at least 12 photographs which you will later edit to create your artist response. - Consider how you will edit your photographs after you have taken them as this will change how you take them. - Also think about lighting, (time of day if using natural lighting) angles, the overall composition of your images, your choice of model, costume, props and background. - Ensure that all of your photographs are in focus, and have used camera settings appropriately.
Red (grades 6+) Take as many photographs as you wish. Variety is key. Amber + - Try to vary the angles from which you take your photographs, how close you are to your subject, which parts of the scene you are zooming in on etc. in each of your photos.
Lesson 4 & 5
Task 1: a) Add a title underneath your artist research of '(Artists name) response contact sheet' b) Create a new folder in your Photography folder with the title '(Artists name) response contact sheet' and upload your photos to that folder. Then upload the folder to your Y9 Photography folder on Google Drive. c) Upload your photographs in rows of four onto your site, screenshot the photos & upload your contact sheet as one image. If you completed the red task during your last lesson then try to be selective with the photographs which you choose to include. You should have at least 12 photos in total, but they should be your very best ones. c) Choose your best two photographs and display them side by side underneath your contact sheet so that they are large and show off your best work.
Task 2: Underneath your photos, annotate your shoot answering the following questions: - What are the strengths of your photos and why? (props, lighting, costume, setting, expressions?) - If you were to complete your shoot again, what would you do differently to improve your shots? ( to ensure you created the right mood and that it references your artist)
Pupil responses to the work of Hannah Hoch
Task 3: a) Edit your photo(s) using Affinity/another digital manipulation software/by hand to resemble your chosen photographer. The techniques you choose to use when doing this will depend entirely on the photographer you have chosen to research. b) Upload and present your edited response underneath your contact sheet
Task 4: Green / Amber: Reflect on your response(s) using the sentence starters below (you don't have to use all of them, pick and choose the sentence starters which you feel are the most appropriate): To improve my edited image further I could... Other ways I could manipulate my photographs are by... If I were to take (artist's name)'s style and interpret it in my own way I would...
Red (grades 6+): Reflect on your response(s) using the sentence starters above and the help sheet below as a guide for what to write.