PORTFOLIO

An artist's portfolio is an edited collection of their best artwork intended to showcase an artist's style or method of work. A portfolio is used by artists to show employers their versatility by showing different samples of current work.

Final Self Evaluation

Overall Evaluation
During Component 1 of A Level Photography I have learnt many things that I didn't learn in GCSE, I re-visited some topics that I was taught in GCSE and also was introduced to new projects that I've never touched upon before.

During the allocated projects, I have been researching into photographers and art movements surrounding the projects given. This research has influenced my work in a multitude of ways. Certain photographers, such as Corrine Day, have inspired me and the type of photography that I would like to peruse in the future. Day's photography has very powerful messages behind it which inspired my Documentary project. I decided to plan out a story that was based around a social issue before taking photographs so that I could tailor the photoshoots to the story and make the images have a strong deep meaning and back story. I believe that this gave my images more meaning. Thanks to Day's work, I now plan out my photoshoots in detail before taking the pictures. Barbara Kruger's work also gave me similar inspiration to Corrine Day's work. Before researching Kruger, I would never have added text to my images as I felt that it would look unprofessional. I learnt, however, that this was not the case; Instead, I now feel like text enhances the meanings of images and makes them more interesting to audience members. I will take this into consideration when creating edits in the future.

During Component 1 I have learnt many new technical skills. These include the use of Photoshop, setting up a studio and also camera settings. During GCSE, we were not encouraged to use manual settings on the camera and were told that Automatic Mode was easier for us a that stage. The A Level course however did the opposite. We were encouraged to use Manual Mode which allowed us to manually alter the ISO, Aperture and Shutter Speed depending on the environment and lighting around us. I also learnt how to set up a studio for photoshoots. The type of photography being taken, depended on how the studio was set up. For example; Commercial photography used a lot of harsh lights pointing directly at the object and also required reflectors which reflected light onto the products being photographed. Finally, My knowledge of Photoshop editing also increased. During GCSE we were introduced to many editing techniques, such as colour popping. Despite this, I learnt many more techniques. Primarily during the Composite Image project. I learnt how to manipulate images by adding things that weren't in original images, such as animals, into photographs.

Because of research and particular projects assigned to me during Component 1, the way I take photographs has changed in some aspects. I now plan out photographs physically instead of mentally so that I have a better idea of what to photograph. Also, by physically planning out my photoshoots, I can never forget an idea that I have and can also develop ideas further and I can mentally. The way I physically take photographs hasn't changed however. I believe that I can compose images in great succession as I do look out for imperfections within the frame before shooting the image. This helps me improve the images as a whole as there would be minimal distractions and the images look more professional as there is nothing out of place within the photograph.

During the projects, I have branched out and experimented by doing things in photoshoots that I wouldn't usually do. For example: I didn't particularly like using studios when shooting photos. However, this changed when I experimented in the studio after my tutor heavily advised the use of the studio for the Tone and Form projects. I also felt that photography should be electronic now that DSLR cameras are now primarily used by photographers. When experimenting why creating physical images however, I liked the outcome of the physical images more than I did than some of the photographs taken and edited electronically. This has taught me to experiment with many different types of photography and to not single out anything when coming up with ideas for projects.

After completing all of the different projects assigned, I see my work edging towards a certain type of photography. The work that I most enjoyed is the type of work that I feel I was most successful in. This will influence my choice of photography work that I will pursue in the future. Documentary and photography with deep moral and social meanings is the type of photography that I see my work edging towards. I also enjoy surreal art so I feel like my work in the future will be a combination of surrealism and documentary photography.

Throughout Component 1 I feel like I have been more successful in some projects than others. I feel like I was most successful in the Documentary and Physical Images projects for many reasons. One of these reasons was that more time was spent into planning the photoshoots and there was also a story created behind the images. Other projects were more difficult to create a story and therefore these projects, such as colour, were less successful. The Joiners project was, I believe, my most unsuccessful project. The reasons for this are because of the amount of time I had to complete the workload. This project required a lot of editing and I therefore found myself getting stressed because of the limited time I had to complete the images. I feel like this effected the quality of the final edits and is therefore my most unsuccessful project.

Overall, I feel like I have learnt a lot more about Photography that I have in GCSE and now know what type of photography I will pursue in the future.

Connecting Essay - Richard Avedon

Richard Avedon's Work
Richard Avedon's work is centred around portraiture. He photographs celebrities and used different types of body language and facial expressions to exert a certain level of power on the audience.

This portrait of power shows a former governor of California; Ronald Reagan. The way he is photographed allows him to exert a level of power over the audience. Also, when combined with the context of who the person is, an even higher level of power is portrayed.

The image is in black and white and was shot in a studio with artificial lighting. The image was composed so that the model's waist up was in frame. The model fills up a majority of the space in frame.
My Work
To take this image I took inspiration from Avedon's work and altered it so that it had a personal twist to the image.

This image does not exert as much over over the audience as Avedon's does and this may be because of the context of both images. The model is a student simply smiling into the camera. This body language seems very relaxed as his hands are behind his back. This doesn't exert as much power as it could exert. A low level of power is portrayed because of the context and the composition.

This image is in colour and was shot in a studio with artificial lighting. The model fills up a majority of the frame.

How They Link
These two images link in a multitude of ways. The first way is the way that it is composed. By looking at the image it is obvious that they look similar despite their colour difference - They both contain a male figure and are both shot from the waist up. There is also a plain background on both images. Furthermore, the way that both of these images were taken was the same. They were taken in a studio with artificial light boxes poised onto the subject. Finally, they both exert power. Even though the level of power is different in both images, there is still a level of power within them.

Connecting Essay - David Hockney

David Hockney's Work
David Hockney is best known for his work with Joiners. This piece of art is a combination of photographs taken of a single person. The photographs are of different body parts that have been combined to create one image of that said person. This particular image is of an old lady.








My Work
This image was created during the Joiner project. To create this image I used the same method and followed Hockney's work. I took a lot of pictures of the different body parts of one person and then compiled them all together into one image. The image wasn't perfect as Hockney's work was also not perfect.










How They Link
Both of the images were created in the same style - A bunch of images were taken and connected through overlapping images to create one large image. Both images are not connected perfectly.

Connecting Essay - Thomas Ruff

Thomas Ruff's Work
This first image of Thomas Ruff's work is from his Portraiture projects. He wanted to take people's portraits in the style of passport images. This shows the models in their natural state, no editing on their faces and they are also not posed. There is a bright coloured background and a female within frame. The model has been shot from the chest up and her facial expression is blank - she is staring into the camera's lens. These images were taken in a studio.






My Work
My version of this image has many similarities. The image was a part of the portraiture project where we had to take portraits in different environments. This image has a vibrant coral coloured background and has a female model in frame. She has been shot from the chest up and she has a blank facial expression looking into the camera's lens. This image was taken in a studio with lights surrounding the subject.






How They Link
Both of these images link in a verity of different ways - both the visual aspects and the way the image was taken are very similar. The backgrounds are both vibrant which allows the model to stand out to the audience. The models both have blank facial expressions and are looking straight into the camera. The angle at which they were shot at is very similar and the fact that a studio was used to take the images. There is also a female model within both images.

Connecting Essay - Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams' Work
Ansel Adams work is based upon landscapes. All of his work is taken with a very wide depth of field so that all of the image is in focus. This particular image is of a large forest area that has a river running through and mountains in the distance. All of this image can be seen clearly: there is no blur within the image.




My Work
My image was taken with Ansel Adams' work in mind. This image is of a large housing estate with a tower of flats placed in the far right of the image. Furthermore, the sky in this image is dominant over the ground landscape. The majority of the image is in focus therefore there is minimal blur.



How They Link
There are not many ways that these two particular images link. However the way that they were taken are almost the same. Both of the cameras used to take these images were at a wide depth of field. I took my image at a F/stop of 22. Ansel Adams' work was taken at a similar F/Stop. This allowed us both to put almost all of the image in focus with minimal blurring. Both of the images were also taken from a high point of view. I took my image whilst standing on top of a large building looking down upon the landscape. Ansel Adams also took his image from a high point of view. This allowed us to put a large majority of the landscape into focus. Despite the similarities, there is also a few differences. Adams' image is in black and white and mine is in colour. You can also see more of the ground in Adams' work where as you can see more of the sky in mine.

Connecting Essay - Barbra Kruger

Barbra Kruger's Work

This image is one of Kruger's most popular images. It shows a simply a woman's face. One half is black and white and the other half also black and white but the colours have been reversed. The image is captioned with "Your body is a battleground". This was a poster created to fight for women's rights to choose in the late 1980's. The image itself is very powerful as it shows a woman with two different appearances which emphasizes the connotation of having the right to choose.

My Work

This image is from the physical images project. The image shows half of a woman's face and neck. There is a tape measure around her neck. My image is also captioned with the quote "Your body is a battleground" However, I used the quote differently. It was not intended to express women's right to choose but instead, their representation within the media. 

How They Link

Both of these images link in a multitude of ways. The first clear link is the caption used; even though they have been used to represent different things, the caption is the same. Another way that these images link is the way that they were created. They were both made with physical materials and  both bare a similar visual element. There is a red strip with white text on them; the font is also the same. Finally, they both link with their connotations as they are used to represent a feminist view. These connotations are about how women are treated within society: Unequally. I believe that I've created a successful image in the form of Kruger's work because of all of these similarities that the images have.