A level photography

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Hi guys

I am a geography teacher and my department is of a certain size and situation that we can justify taking on another member of staff, but only if I start teaching another subject. I decided that A level Photography might be interesting. A couple of my students do it currently but they have to go to another school as we don't offer it currently.

I think they are doing 'AQA Art & Design: Photopgraphy'. What concerns me is that a lot of the course is very art based, and there isn't much actual photography involved. There is, however, another school which the guys have told me about where the students mainly do darkroom practices and learn about the camera itself and how to use it and control images using different tecniques.

Just thought I would ask here if anyone knows of this course or a similar one. The OCR website is characteristically ambiguous and if anyone here has done one of the courses you might have some good feedback or ideas for me to persue.

Cheers
ped
 
I did Photography A-level back in 2000-2002 and I think it was AQA. This sounds just like what we did
the students mainly do darkroom practices and learn about the camera itself and how to use it and control images using different tecniques.
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but that was before digital was widely used so I guess it might be different now.
 
I started the A level "Photography" course and found it had hardly anything to do with photography. As you say it is mostly art based. Half the students didn't have a clue how ro use a camera and were quite frustrated that they weren't being taught what they had hoped. I spent most of my time teaching fellow students about shutter speeds, aperture and ISO and how each one affected the others, as well as composition etc.

The final reason for me quitting was when my tutor told me i had far more technical ability than she did. We were also told that every photographer HAD to use photoshop to produce a good picture. It was a total waste of time for me.

Sounds like the course you are looking for is far better.

Good luck.
 
Merc said:
I started the A level "Photography" course and found it had hardly anything to do with photography. As you say it is mostly art based. Half the students didn't have a clue how ro use a camera and were quite frustrated that they weren't being taught what they had hoped. I spent most of my time teaching fellow students about shutter speeds, aperture and ISO and how each one affected the others, as well as composition etc.

The final reason for me quitting was when my tutor told me i had far more technical ability than she did. We were also told that every photographer HAD to use photoshop to produce a good picture. It was a total waste of time for me.

Sounds like the course you are looking for is far better.

Good luck.
Click to expand...
It seems like photography A-level is quite hit and miss then. I had totally the opposite experience to you. All three of my teachers were excellent and really knew their stuff. I was one of a small group who really tried to get as much out of it as we could. We would finish the "required" amount of work before then end of term and then the teachers, if they had time, would show us extra techniques that were not required. I really learned a lot on the course, especially about 35mm film and printing. Sadly I only use digital now.
 
My Dad used to assist on a photography course at our local college. They focussed on the technical side of things, including processing B&W 35mm film. There was a lot of art involved too. In fact I'm pretty certain it was actually an Art course, but it certainly had a very good photography element. He wa stelling me how they had some World amous photographer come in and give them a workshop one day, although I can't remember his name. He was from Eastern Europe I remember that much!
 
I do A level photography! :)

My teacher told us that the AQA class photography as a form of "art".
This does not mean that we do any "art" in our lessons.
I am currently in my first year of the course and so far we have used a manual camera, learnt how to process film, develop prints etc. We are now moving onto digital cameras where we will edit them in Photoshop etc.

It is an amazing subject. :D
 
If this helps...
My son is doing Digital Photography A level, he’s half way through his first year …So far it includes a lot of photography art history, use of Photoshop and good introductions to the various styles and professional aims of today’s job markets. Hes expected to know how to use a camera, especially so because the basics where covered at GSE level, like the final practical was film shooting, 9 prints needed, 3 chosen for final examples of the chosen theme, all prints process by the pupil.
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Hes enjoying it and plans to use the A level as his ‘art based a level’ when he moves his studies on because his other A choices are all sciences and he needs at least one art based for his chosen subject.

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Mine was very darkroom based with a lot of history involved, I was lucky enough to have good teachers.
 
I'm also under-going a course. It's good but as mentioned above a lot of it can be history, written work (which is all fair enough) but it's also been pressed that Photoshop is GOD and to stick theres also a lot of 'text in images' and other things that are not of massive use.
 
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