Portraiture A3: Recreate & Emulate
‘We are only beginning to learn what to say in a photograph. The world we live in is a succession of fleeting moments, any one of which might say something significant.’ Alfred Eisenstaedt
Assignment guidance: The aim of this project is for you to learn, understand and demonstrate knowledge and skill in a range of photographic practice, with a focus on creating an original photograph recreated and emulated from a portrait photographer of your choice. The project will allow you to develop your skills and apply your knowledge and understanding of portrait photography through exploring a range of digital techniques; photographing a range of different subjects in a variety of locations, exploring a number of exciting portrait methods. This project will enable you to develop your skills further and refine your development across all four assessment objectives. ● You will record your ideas and research in your sketchbook. The research that you culminate will be displayed as a series of final prints in response to the title ’A3 Recreate and Emulate’, under the theme ‘Portraiture’. You must reference the work of other artists/ photographers and make clear links to your own. Critically evaluate both your work and the work of other artists/ photographers. ●
The project will follow a number of camera workshops, demonstrations and experiments. You will be encouraged to photograph as often as possible in order to best further your technical skills and conceptual knowledge. You will complete the following tasks to the best of your ability to ensure a complete project:
For this assignment you should invent, prepare, explore, develop and create a unique portrait by either recreating or emulating the style of a portrait photographer of your choice. The concept for this assignment should be your own ideas / work. So long as you can justify the link and make connections to a photographer/ photographers of your choice, then this can be developed to suit. For example, the outcome could be a contemporary representation of an artist’s painting or historic documentary photograph - eg Alfred Eisenstaedt’s ‘Kiss’ or Da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’. It could be a depiction of a style of photography for example, Studio, Fine Art, Documentary etc. The outcome can remain abstract and ambiguous or have a narrative and clear purpose. Be creative and use your imagination. You may choose to continue to work and develop ideas following on from a photographer you may have previously studied or have been inspired by. You will need to show clear links between your work and the work of other artists/ photographers. Evidence will need to be shown of technical ability and progression of both digital camera and Photoshop skills through preparatory work. The dimensions and quantity of prints for this assignment should be dictated by you. The response should be created to fit your area of study accordingly. You will need to build a body of prep work prior to your final outcomes demonstrating your ability to research, resource, develop and refine your response with inspiration drawn from the work of other artists and photographers.
In order to gain the maximum marks for your coursework it is important to meet the criteria set by the examining board AQA. The four key words to remember are:
“Successful sketchbooks, workbooks and logbooks demonstrate genuine engagement with the subject and the ability to explore a range of ideas and processes. They can shed light on a personal journey of discovery and provide genuine insights into candidates’ intentions and the development and resolution of their ideas. They can also provide insights into the extent that candidates have been influenced by the work of others.”
We will be marking you on your ability to:
This assignment is to be done in your sketchbooks and any digital work should be completed in Photoshop whilst working in Mac. ●
Further develop and refine your skills in Photoshop. Create a series of tear sheets where you are presenting a range of cover ideas and studio tests.
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As preparation towards planning your photo shoots, photograph a range of locations and subjects in a variety of creative environments. Remember the rudiments of portrait photography, explore framing, composition, framing, focus, backgrounds etc.
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Justify your ideas, make sure the project flows. Always keep fluid paths in your sketchbooks detailing the development of your project.
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Learn how to use the research that you have gained to inspire your own work.
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Develop your skills in Photoshop, experiment merging a range of images together to work towards creating a final outcome that could perhaps represent a series of portrait photographers
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Understand the exam criteria, the weighting of your coursework in relation to your exam. Review and refine you work to develop and improve it.
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Be prepared to develop your research outside of school as well, always look for new ways to resource your projects. Attend Art/ Photography catch up sessions as often as possible, in order to utilise the resources and facilities available to you at the Academy.
TIPS: ●
Visit our online ‘Art Gallery’ to see more examples.
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Go to our YouTube page to watch demo’s and tutorials.
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Plan your assignment carefully using your sketchbook to write, explain and document your intentions and ideas. Utilise the resources available to you.
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Take time to assess your work as it progresses and make changes where appropriate. Be critical of your work and others. Get used to annotating all of your ideas in order to refine and develop your work as it progresses throughout the project.
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Learn how to annotate your work effectively and with meaning so that it can communicate itself to a larger audience.
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Think carefully about your composition. Take a step back and view your work objectively. Take the time to plan your photographs. Explore a range of presentation ideas, consider either a series of photographs in the form of a story or sequence eg. a diptych or triptych.
Do you have a smart phone? If so you can use the camera on your phone to access online resources to help you with this assignment. All you need is a QR code reader app, point your phone web browser to one of readers below: ●
http://reader.kaywa.com
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http://get.beetagg.com
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http://www.quickmark.com.tw/En/basic/download.asp
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http://europe.nokia.com/support/product-support/nokia-n80/phone-software/smartphone
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For iPhone users. Go to iTunes and search for: QR Code reader
Once you have a reader/ app on your smart phone. Simply take a quick snap of the code(s) below, and you will be redirected to the required resource, directly on your phone.
www.twava.co.uk.