The Art faculty consists of Fine Art, Photography and Art, Craft & Design. If a student opts for the Art faculty, they will experience all these three subjects through holistic projects throughout Year 9. These are classed as foundation subjects.

Overview of KS4: Photography

KS4 GCSE Photography follows the AQA Art Craft and Design Photography and Lens Based Media Endorsement. The course is divided into 60% coursework and 40% exam which is sat during Y11. Students should work in one or more areas of lens-based and light-based media such as those listed below. They may explore overlapping and a combination of areas:

• Portraiture
• Landscape photography (working from the built or natural environment)
• Still Life photography, (working from natural or manufactured objects)
• Documentary photography, photo journalism, narrative photography, reportage
• Fine Art photography, photographic installation
• New media practice such as computer manipulated photography and photographic projections

Candidates are required to integrate critical, practical and theoretical study in lens-based and light-based media that encourages direct engagement with original work and practice.

An example project could be based on ‘Close ups’. Students would look at photographers work that have used close up photography techniques and then apply these skills to their own photographs (for example a photograph of food). They then look at ways of enhancing their photographs with photo shop or artistically and select the images that best answer the question ‘Close ups’.

Homework

Photography students research different photographic artists and styles of photography. They look at different effects, compositions and presentations of photographs such as close up, lighting, perspective and using a range of camera settings. Students manipulate images both manually and digitally using phone apps and the printed image. They will also be required to collect a large assortment of images that relate to current projects.