“You don’t take a photograph – you make it” – Ansel Adams
At Boldon School we aim to allow students to become confident and creative photographers. We encourage students to produce work in various ways; using different processes, techniques, materials and resources to generate different ideas and outcomes. We encourage creative and experimental thinking by covering a wide range of photographic techniques.
Key transferable skills are integrated into the course such as resourcefulness, oral communication and visual presentation. We also strengthen our students abilities in written communication and research skills. These form a solid foundation for many different study and employment opportunities.
In the Photography GCSE course, students will work within a number of different areas such as portrait photography, landscape photography, still life photography, photojournalism, experimental imagery, multimedia, photographic installation and moving image.
Students will go on photo shoots to collect primary source materials to support their work. Their portfolio becomes an extension of themselves, and students relish working at home on their photographs, borrowing equipment as needed. The faculty continues to be alive after school, with students working in the photography rooms every night, for the joy of creating. We have excellent facilities and resources, including a photo studio and a bank of excellent cameras. We work with local photographers to develop our students understanding of job roles in the creative sector.
Our end of year show is a school highlight, where students from all years can display their work for parents and the local community.
| Year 9 | Year 10 | Year 11 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Half Term 1 | Foundation Project – Portrait Distortion Students will be introduced to the GCSE Photography course. | Fragments Project They will create a personal, informed and meaningful response to the Fragments theme | Component 1 – Personal Investigation This half term students research, further experimentation or refinement, record their ideas or present purposeful responses to their intentions. |
| Half Term 2 | Foundation Project – Portrait Distortion Students will learn how to take good quality digital portrait photographs. | Component 1 – Personal Investigation In the first half term they will chose one photographer to research and create some experiments in the style of this research. | Component 1 – Personal Investigation Developing a final outcome which demonstrates an understanding of visual language and of the journey throughout their personal investigation. |
| Half Term 3 | Foundation Project – Portrait Distortion They will record their ideas using annotations and refine their work as it progresses. | Component 1 – Personal Investigation They will focus mostly on digital manipulation of images that they have taken themselves relating to their theme. | Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment The externally set assignment paper is issued to students after 2nd January. They will begin researching the work of artists and craftspeople, experimenting and refining ideas. |
| Half Term 4 | Foundation Project – Digital photography skills They will experiment with light, camera settings, expose etc to create their own set of images. | Component 1 – Personal Investigation This half term they will ensure they purposefully consider how their work is thoughtfully refined as their portfolio continues to develop. | Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment Students will develop their portfolio independently. |
| Half Term 5 | Fragments Project hey will generate some contextual research based on David Hockney’s joiner series and also Martin O’Neill’s collage style images. | Component 1 – Personal Investigation They will begin to make independent decisions about how they spend lesson and homework time while continuing to work within the parameters of the four assessment objectives. | Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment Realised their intention and present a personal and meaningful response. |
| Half Term 6 | Fragments Project Students will research the work of two more photographers and will create some more personal experimentation based on their findings. | Component 1 – Personal Investigation They should show that they are increasingly confident about how to generate evidence against the four assessment objectives. | Course complete |
Year 9
Half Term 1
Foundation Project – Portrait Distortion
Students will be introduced to the GCSE Photography course.
Half Term 2
Foundation Project – Portrait Distortion
Students will learn how to take good quality digital portrait photographs.
Half Term 3
Foundation Project – Portrait Distortion
They will record their ideas using annotations and refine their work as it progresses.
Half Term 4
Foundation Project – Digital photography skills
They will experiment with light, camera settings, expose etc to create their own set of images.
Half Term 5
Fragments Project
hey will generate some contextual research based on David Hockney’s joiner series and also Martin O’Neill’s collage style images.
Half Term 6
Fragments Project
Students will research the work of two more photographers and will create some more personal experimentation based on their findings.
Year 10
Half Term 1
Fragments Project
They will create a personal, informed and meaningful response to the Fragments theme
Half Term 2
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
In the first half term they will chose one photographer to research and create some experiments in the style of this research.
Half Term 3
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
They will focus mostly on digital manipulation of images that they have taken themselves relating to their theme.
Half Term 4
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
This half term they will ensure they purposefully consider how their work is thoughtfully refined as their portfolio continues to develop.
Half Term 5
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
They will begin to make independent decisions about how they spend lesson and homework time while continuing to work within the parameters of the four assessment objectives.
Half Term 6
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
They should show that they are increasingly confident about how to generate evidence against the four assessment objectives.
Year 11
Half Term 1
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
This half term students research, further experimentation or refinement, record their ideas or present purposeful responses to their intentions.
Half Term 2
Component 1 – Personal Investigation
Developing a final outcome which demonstrates an understanding of visual language and of the journey throughout their personal investigation.
Half Term 3
Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment
The externally set assignment paper is issued to students after 2nd January. They will begin researching the work of artists and craftspeople, experimenting and refining ideas.
Half Term 4
Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment
Students will develop their portfolio independently.
Half Term 5
Component 2 – Externally Set Assignment
Realised their intention and present a personal and meaningful response.
Half Term 6
Course complete