Photography A Level

Board: Pearson Edexcel

Photography at A Level is essentially an Art and Design based course. It will build on the skills, knowledge and understanding acquired at GCSE but it is not essential. An Art GCSE, or experience and an interest in Art outside school, would be advantageous.

Students will be able to access careers and higher education opportunities in the following areas: Animation (stop motion, cartoons, digital, games), Marine and Natural History Photography, Conservation/Restoration, Fashion, Film & Television, Photo Journalism, Fine Art, Gallery/Museum Curator, Photography, Set Design and Web Design.

Students will go on a variety of gallery and city visits to record experiences and ideas. There will also be the opportunity to visit a European city of culture for 3 days in March. Previous visits have included Florence and Berlin.

• Photography — lens and light-based media includes works in film, video, digital imaging and light-sensitive materials.
• Sometimes, techniques and processes are used to convey messages and create works related to other disciplines, such as web-based animations, photographic images in printed journals, light projections within theatrical or architectural spaces.
• Work in photography — lens and light-based media should form a means of personal enquiry and expression involving the selection and manipulation of images.
• Students must employ creative approaches which go beyond mere observation and recording.

Component 1—Personal Investigation (60%) Part 1: practical work. From personal starting points students will submit supporting studies and personal outcomes Part 2: personal study (forms 12% of the 60%) Students submit a piece of continuous prose of a minimum of 1000 words

Component 2—Externally set assignment (40%) Externally-set, broad-based theme released to teachers and students on 1 February. A sustained focus period of 15-hours controlled assessment in which students create final response(s) to the theme. Students will submit preparatory studies and personal outcome(s)

For more information about the course, please see Mrs Thomas