Photography Workshop: Portraiture, composition and lighting techniques Synopsis Students will work directly with professional photographer Anton Want developing their practical skills in portraiture photography and gaining a unique insight into his creative process and personal influences. Learning Outcomes Students will: Find out how Anton researched and approached his portraiture project/exhibition Learn about Anton’s creative influences Develop practical skills and techniques in portraiture photography, specifically looking at composition and use of natural light Critically review their practical work with Anton’s input Supports AQA Art and Design AS/A Level (Photography: lens based and light-based media) Cost: £50 per half day session Dates: 12, 13 February, 5, 6 March 2014 Duration: 2 hours. Two available sessions on each date: 10.00-12.00 or 12.45-14.45 Audience: GCSE (15-16 yrs) and AS/A2 Level (16-18 yrs) Photography/Art & Design students Group size: maximum of 15 participants Equipment: students will need to provide their own cameras (preferably fitted with a standard 50mm lens) and laptops (if available).
Format of the session Introduction to the exhibition and project Anton will give a visual presentation explaining the context of his photography commission, his intention and ambition for the project and how his creative approach has been influenced by other photographers. Practical session Anton will lead a practical photography session around the Museum site developing technical skills which focus on how to use and maximise natural light in portraiture photography. Students will respond to a brief Critique of practical work Anton will facilitate students’ critique of their work encouraging them to reflect on how to improve their techniques and develop and extend their ideas.
Introduction to ‘Pit Profiles Re-profiled’ Exhibition In 2011, the National Coal Mining Museum for England received funding from the Arts Council England to commission photographer Anton Want to portray workers at a Yorkshire colliery in the twenty-first century. The project was inspired by the work of H. Andrew Freeth (1912 – 1986) who was himself commissioned, shortly after the coal industry was nationalised in 1947, to record miners across the coalfields. His on-the-spot drawings were published with miners’ biographical stories as Pit Profiles in the NCB’s monthly magazine Coal, from 1947 to 1952. Pit Profiles: re-profiled provides a modern-day reflection on workers’ lives through the medium of photography and oral history interviews. Anton Want’s portraits and interviews offer an intimate portrait of contemporary mining life in one of Britain’s last remaining deep mines at Kellingley Colliery, North Yorkshire. Between them these two artists have created an important legacy, which honours one of Britain’s oldest industries and the people who have helped to shape it.
Anton Want Biography Anton Want’s portraiture is concerned with identity. He has received international recognition for his work and exhibited widely, including at the National Portrait Gallery, London. Born in Sheffield in 1971, Anton Want studied photography, design and photo-journalism and has worked as a professional photographer for twenty-two years on assignments around the world. His current practice is inspired by the nature of British society, believing passionately in the ability of photography to engage with people and enhance our understanding of the world. Over eight months, Anton Want visited Kellingley Colliery, creating a Pit Profile for the twenty-first century. Like the original, his portraits and interviews offer an intimate portrayal of contemporary mining life.
For further information about the workshop please visit www.ncm.org.uk/learning or contact a member of the education team by email education@ncm.org.uk or by telephone on 01924 848806