Photography
Overview
Introduction
Through offering a one-year GCSE course in photography in Year 9, we provide students with an excellent opportunity to achieve an additional GCSE. The course is carefully planned to both support and challenge students of all abilities to be able to achieve highly at GCSE level.
Students will be taught a variety of photography techniques to explore different artists and photography styles. Ideas for development and final pieces will then be explored creatively through editing images using Photoshop techniques. Students will also be taught how to develop written analysis techniques to understand and question how art and photography is made and why it looks the way it does. They then can confidently articulate their own ideas about their work.
Through the photography curriculum, we hope to nurture independence, encouraging students to have a ‘can do’ attitude and a positive, resilient mindset. We also seek to offer students a variety of opportunities to extend their learning and achievement beyond the classroom. We have three main aims:
- To develop personal and transferable skills through creativity, problem solving, research and analysis.
- To develop a broad range of artistic skills and contextual understanding of different artists and photography styles, providing students with a solid foundation to achieve highly at GCSE if they wish to study photography further.
- To explore a range of social, moral and cultural themes through photography.
We pride ourselves on a curriculum that is ambitious for all, striving for all students to leave lessons with a sense of pride and achievement.
Qualification
GCSE Art & Design: Photography
Awarding Body
Pearson
Course leader
Mrs T Rimmington
Assessment
- Examination: 40%
- Controlled assessment: 60%
Curriculum
Course content
Year 9 GCSE photography is a one-year course which is designed to engage, inspire and challenge. Projects are graded through four ‘assessment objectives’ (AOs): AO1 artist links, AO2 development of ideas, AO3 observations and recordings and AO4 final response.
The year will begin with building skills and knowledge of photography skills such as lighting, viewpoint, depth of field and compositions. Students then put these skills into practice to build a portfolio of work which combines multiple projects.
All projects start with AO1, artist links, where students study the work of existing artists through written analysis and visual means. This will inform the style of work they produce, as well as supporting them to be able to think critically and develop a deeper understanding of art and design.
Next students move onto AO3, observations and recordings, where they produce a variety of observational photographs displaying skills focusing on a range of subject matter. The observational studies are informed and inspired by the themes and styles of the artist studied in AO1. These two stages are then combined to produce work for AO2, development of ideas. Here students explore editing programmes such as Photoshop to create their own designs through experimentation, taking inspiration from the artist whilst working within the project theme. Through these experimental studies, students then refine their ideas to produce one final personal response to the project (AO4).
Topics
Non-examined assessment
- Component 1: Portfolio (AO1, AO2, AO3, AO4) | 60%
- Portraits project
- Light, movement and shadow
Examination
- Exam themes set by AQA
- Component 2: Externally set assignment (AO1, AO2, AO3) | 30% Exam (AO4) | 10 hours | 10%
Skills and requirements
Skills developed
Skills developed in GCSE photography are:
- Research and analysis: students develop their research and analysis skills through written and verbal analysis of their own work and the work of various artists and photographers.
- Skills and techniques: students work independently looking at artist and photographers to create a range of observational studies through photography. Students will also become competent in a range of photograph manipulation techniques using Photoshop.
- Ideas and creativity: students are asked to combine their knowledge of the artist's work and display their own skills by producing a personal response to the different project themes.