Art and Design - Photography

Photography is all around us and has documented the world around us and how we interact with it for 170 years.

The American documentary photographer Dorothea Lange wisely said ‘The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera’. The AQA Photography course will certainly try and do this as well as looking at the social, cultural and artistic context of photography. We have an extensive art and design library with over 3,500 titles. Trips are arranged so that photographers’ work can be seen in context. The department has its own IT suite running Adobe Creative Suite as well as an A1 printer and dedicated film scanner. There are also DSLR cameras as well as a range of film cameras including a 5x4 plate camera and a small darkroom.

Lower Sixth

The Lower Sixth course is experimental in design and leads to a more specialised approach at full A Level. You do not need your own digital or 35mm film camera although both would be useful. It is not a requirement that you have studied Art at GCSE but you will need to be self-motivated as much photography needs to be undertaken out of school time. During the first year of the course you will have the opportunity to experience both digital and chemical photographic processes and explore and understand the different genres. This phase provides the basis for one extensive practical project. Alongside this body of coursework you will be expected to build up evidence of your awareness of the context of photography within culture to complement and inform your practical work.

Upper Sixth

The second year allows for a continuation of the work begun in the first year but with a greater opportunity for, and emphasis on, an increased level of ambition, depth, complexity and sophistication.

Unit 1 Personal investigation (worth 60%). 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 aim being to produce a significant ‘body of work’ such as you might produce for a gallery exhibition. Unit 2 Externally-Set Assignment (worth 40%). Preparatory period - from 1 February. Your response to externally set questions. This involves a preparation period and 15 hour supervised time.