Photography A-Level exam! Infomation sheet

[DropDead]

Hey,

Here is the exam sheet I was given for my A-level photography exam

Just thought you guys might want to check it out;

6PY02: Photography

Optional disciplines:
• film-based photography
• digital photography
• film and video
Possible starting points:

• Sometimes the only place to find sanctuary is in the arms of another. Children
automatically rush to their parents’ arms when threatened. The intimacy of an
embrace and the essential physical contact demanded in times of stress has
provided photographers with a continuous supply of moving and emotive images.
The 2007 National Portrait photographic prize-winner Jonathan Torgovnik’s image
Joseline Ingabire with her daughter Leah Batamuliza, Rwanda has similar emotive
qualities to Dorothea Lange’s Migrant Mother. In the same exhibition Simone
Koch’s Noam’s Knock on Effect has qualities reminiscent of Nan Goldin and Robert
Doisneau’s images of physical intimacy.

• Having a special place to retreat to where you can be at peace and allow time for
your thoughts is an essential element of the human condition. Sometimes there is
more than one location but each has its unique characteristics that afford comfort
in times of stress. Some photographers and filmmakers have attempted to capture
the qualities of these unique environments in their work. Derek Jarman’s beach
house and garden at Dungeness featured in many of his works with the garden
and its artifacts becoming a focal point for the strange nature of the place. The
film director on the crew of the soap opera Eastenders used Jarman’s beach house
as a metaphor for a location that offered a space for inner reflection.

• Security may often be a state of mind rather than a physical protection.
Photography by its very nature freezes time with every photograph becoming
history at the drop of the shutter. These can define places and cultures from a
romantic and nostalgic viewpoint and create a sense of identity. This aspect is
used to great effect in the film Blade Runner as the humanoid robots are given sets
of photographs to create an illusory past. Knowledge of one’s roots and heritage
can give great comfort. Martin Parr takes an ironic and humorous view of this
sense of identity in his Think of England series. Humphrey Spender’s Photographs
from Northern England 1937–38 presents a less romantic view.

• Losing oneself in wide open spaces and desolate landscapes can sometimes
provide spiritual solace. Photographers have often tried to capture the nature of
this sensation in their work. Some have realized that these places are of profound
importance. Eliot Porter and Ansel Adams were both politically active in using
their spectacular images of the landscape to try and preserve natural wildernesses.
Ansel Adams published 1938, Sierra Nevada: The John Muir Trail which had a
persuasive effect on the North American government who confirmed the decision
to declare the Sequoia and Kings Canyon areas as National Parks. Britain’s wild
areas are constantly under threat from developers. Filmmakers and photographers
such as Sabine Hutchinson continue to defend them by presenting their unique
qualities to wide audiences via gallery exhibitions and television

What's your guys thoughts? Any help if you've done this before?

Just somthing to talk about

<3

 

[MisterE]

So..........what are the questions?

 

[Holden Caulfield]

So..........what are the questions?

I think as the exam paper specifies the four 'statments' are starting points, using the optional disciplines of :-

&#8226; film-based photography
&#8226; digital photography
&#8226; film and video

So first of all you choose which 'media' you wish to use , say 'digital photography'

Then reading through the four statements consider how your photograpic assignment might link in to a philosophical/reflective statement which you could then use as an explanation/rationalle alongside your images when displayed.

Bearing in mind that the images should speak 'for themselves' conveying 'you' the photographers moitivation/ and vision.


For example Derek Jarman's work that links in to a basic human given of having a special place/ location where we can reflect and consider life.

His images will convay to the viewer that sense of 'special' , however he will also write a reflective statement explaining his intentions/ thoughts on the images.



What you have to consider is as a photographer you have to share not only the images but your motivations thoughts and feelings about the process, as this will inform the viewer to you intentions

If in doubt ask you tutor

Ps,

I would also try to view the photographers work mentioned in the exam paper to try to see what is being asked of you