Photography Summary

Photography and visual communication affect almost every aspect of the world we live in and how we interact with that world. Photography is our collective memory; we use it to record and document; it influences our shopping habits, how we communicate with our friends and family; it is our knowledge of places we haven’t been and places we have. Photography defines the very boundaries of society through our understanding of what is normalised. Understanding visual language is more important now than ever before – it’s how we create and read visual messages – the kind that influence us all the time. As part of the photography course, you will look at contextual resources, learning to analyse and read imagery. You will respond to the work of artists, and be responsible for managing your own time, planning and preparing photoshoots both on location, and using the studio equipment. You will learn to work with a range of materials, including digital and darkroom methodologies. You will combine ideas, synthesising several sources, and making experiments to find your own style of working. There is also an accompanying 3000 word written element to be completed and handed in alongside coursework.

Entry Requirements

Standard Swanwick Hall Sixth Form entry criteria 

Course Duration

2 years full-time

Specification

AQA

How you will study

You will start the course with a series of smaller projects to give you the analogue and digital skills you need to harness your natural creativity and manifest your ideas into a high-quality exploration through photography. Once you have completed the smaller projects you will start working independently, with teacher guidance, on your personal investigation which is on a topic of your choice. Towards the end of the course is the NEA.

Component breakdown

Component 1 60% – Personal Investigation (Coursework Project)

Component 2 40%– (NEA) Non-Exam Assessment with preparatory period and 15 hours supervised time

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