Unit 1: Final Evaluation
Name: Rachael Adeyemo
AO1:
Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
Which artists’ work have you explored during the course? How did you discover it? How has this shaped your understanding of photography? (approx. 150 words)
(Don’t write about everything you have done. Refer to a range of specific examples from both the Techniques & Processes and Personal Investigations in your description and explain the impact they had on you. Which artists/photographers have influenced you the most and why?)
During the course of unit one, I looked at many artists and photographers whose works related most to the current theme I was focusing on. For example ,with the very first process we looked at - Cyanotypes - I looked at the work of Anna Atkins as an example of the type of images I was focusing on creating. Pierre Cordier is an artist I looked at during the Abstraction unit (personal project #4). I looked at his work on chemigrams in order to gain a bit of knowledge about the technique and then went on to create my own. I discovered each of these artists from the suggestion of my teacher and then took the suggestion into my own hands and looked further into each of their works, much like the other artists on my website that I explored throughout the course of the unit. Looking at these artists has really helped to shape the unit as it has helped me to form a sort of guide to work from.
What themes/subjects have you explored? Which have been the most successful and why? How have you sustained and developed your investigations? (approx. 150 words)
(Take care to explain the decisions you made in some detail. Remember you need to show critical understanding so explain the relationship between the artists you explored and the ideas you had.)
I have explored many themes and subjects throughout the course of unit 1, these include:
I think that out of all the units, the Work Experience one is the one I enjoyed the most. This is because I liked the fact that I was documenting a certain activity done over a period of time. I also liked this unit because the majority of the photos I took were in the style of street photography, which is something I’ve always been interested in. The unit that I think was the most successful is the Abstraction unit. This is because I felt the most engaged in this particular theme. I did some research to go with my theme which was looking at bodily features that aren’t immediately obvious as to what they are. I researched John Coplans and Bill Brandt and then applied the skills I picked up from their work into my own.
AO2:
Experiment with and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining work as it develops.
Describe the experiments you have carried out with a range of media, techniques and processes and explain the decisions you made to refine and develop your work. (Approx. 150 words)
Over the course of the unit, I carried out many experiments using different techniques and processes. This includes:
From the Cyanotypes and also the Photograms/Rayographs units, I learned that light has a big influence on photography, whether it be in the darkroom or out in the sunlight.; the final outcome all depends on the amount of light given in the exposure. With both process, I made two images each. This made it easier for me to refine and develop my work as I was able to learn from my mistakes from the first image I created and then apply the new skills I learned into my next image. I also experimented with Light Painting in unit one and was able to create some interesting images which I posted on to my website. I picked out three of what I thought were the best images and then used iPhoto to edit them to make them even better than what they originally were.
AO4:
Present a personal, informed and meaningful response demonstrating critical understanding, realising intentions and, where appropriate, making connections between visual, written, oral or other elements.
Describe your final outcomes for each of the Personal Projects in some detail. What were you hoping to create? Did it work? How have your ideas evolved over time? What have been the most important influences on our work? How does this work reflect your interests as an artist/photographer - the way you see the world, what you want to say, how you like to use the tools at your disposal etc? (Approx. 200 words)
During the course of unit one, I have completed a total of four personal projects and each one has had a different outcome to the last.
Mobile Photography: This was the first personal project that we did and it so it was the first time in the course that we had the opportunity to be more independent with our work. I looked at the work of Oliver Lang and documented my findings onto my website and then went from there. I made two collections of images at home and then went on to create some more images on a school trip to the Somerset House exhibitions. I did not make a final piece for this personal project as my skills in photography had not developed that much at that point. I think that my goal for that personal project was mainly to create a set of images that I was proud of which I think I accomplished.
Work Experience: This personal project consisted over the course of the two weeks of work experience in February 2013. The goal was to document the experience using photographs, post them onto the website and then evaluate the images. Because I worked in a nursery, I took photos of the journeys to and from the workplace rather than inside - for confidentiality reasons. I found this particular project quite enjoyable as I like the whole street photography idea. I researched the work of Ian McEachern as he focused on social documentary photography which was quite like the theme of documenting our work experience. At the end of the two weeks, I uploaded the images on to my website and then picked my favourite image and evaluated in detail what I liked about it.
Multiple Images: Personal project number three is the one where I started to explore a bit more. I looked at a range of different techniques that were used with the multiple images theme and I actually managed to create and mount a final piece for this section of unit one. My final piece was initially something that I made for homework but then decided that I liked it enough to become my final piece. It was a typology of the car’s license plates on the road that I live on. I then took a piece of text by Karl Marx and stuck the text where the license plates were originally. As this was my first final piece, I was quite happy with the outcome, as I mentioned in my evaluation.
Abstraction: Abstraction was definitely the personal project that was the most time consuming of them all. I spent many weeks refining and developing my work and ideas in order to get to my final outcome. I started off with my work on chemigrams before realising what my focus was. I was particularly interested in taking photos of hands and so in order to gain some perspective on my subject focus, I researched the work of John Coplans and Bill Brandt and looked at how they composed their work and what skills I wanted to take from their images and apply into my own work. I took a lot of images of peoples hands so that I had a lot to work from. I then edited the images in iPhoto, all in the same style, using the black and white effect and playing around with the contrast and saturation the most. To make my final piece, I chose eight of the images that I thought were the best and then stuck them on a board. To make my second final piece, I stuck all my hand images back to back, threw them on the ground, photographed where they ended up. I did this a few times on different background and then stuck the end result on a board. I'm really happy with both these end results because they took quite a long time and so it was nice to see the end results.
As a whole, over the year, I think that my skills in photography have really progressed and developed as I moved further along the unit. Going from taking simple images on my mobile phone, to taking more complex images using a proper DSLR camera. I have gained a lot of knowledge on different artists, photographers and techniques and processes.
Name: Rachael Adeyemo
AO1:
Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
Which artists’ work have you explored during the course? How did you discover it? How has this shaped your understanding of photography? (approx. 150 words)
(Don’t write about everything you have done. Refer to a range of specific examples from both the Techniques & Processes and Personal Investigations in your description and explain the impact they had on you. Which artists/photographers have influenced you the most and why?)
During the course of unit one, I looked at many artists and photographers whose works related most to the current theme I was focusing on. For example ,with the very first process we looked at - Cyanotypes - I looked at the work of Anna Atkins as an example of the type of images I was focusing on creating. Pierre Cordier is an artist I looked at during the Abstraction unit (personal project #4). I looked at his work on chemigrams in order to gain a bit of knowledge about the technique and then went on to create my own. I discovered each of these artists from the suggestion of my teacher and then took the suggestion into my own hands and looked further into each of their works, much like the other artists on my website that I explored throughout the course of the unit. Looking at these artists has really helped to shape the unit as it has helped me to form a sort of guide to work from.
What themes/subjects have you explored? Which have been the most successful and why? How have you sustained and developed your investigations? (approx. 150 words)
(Take care to explain the decisions you made in some detail. Remember you need to show critical understanding so explain the relationship between the artists you explored and the ideas you had.)
I have explored many themes and subjects throughout the course of unit 1, these include:
- Cyanotypes
- Photograms and Rayographs
- The Camera Obscura
- Pinhole Photography
- Light Painting
- Moving Images
- Mobile Photography
- Work Experience
- Multiple Images
- Abstraction
I think that out of all the units, the Work Experience one is the one I enjoyed the most. This is because I liked the fact that I was documenting a certain activity done over a period of time. I also liked this unit because the majority of the photos I took were in the style of street photography, which is something I’ve always been interested in. The unit that I think was the most successful is the Abstraction unit. This is because I felt the most engaged in this particular theme. I did some research to go with my theme which was looking at bodily features that aren’t immediately obvious as to what they are. I researched John Coplans and Bill Brandt and then applied the skills I picked up from their work into my own.
AO2:
Experiment with and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining work as it develops.
Describe the experiments you have carried out with a range of media, techniques and processes and explain the decisions you made to refine and develop your work. (Approx. 150 words)
Over the course of the unit, I carried out many experiments using different techniques and processes. This includes:
- Cyanotypes
- Photograms and Rayographs
- Pinhole Photography
- Light Painting
From the Cyanotypes and also the Photograms/Rayographs units, I learned that light has a big influence on photography, whether it be in the darkroom or out in the sunlight.; the final outcome all depends on the amount of light given in the exposure. With both process, I made two images each. This made it easier for me to refine and develop my work as I was able to learn from my mistakes from the first image I created and then apply the new skills I learned into my next image. I also experimented with Light Painting in unit one and was able to create some interesting images which I posted on to my website. I picked out three of what I thought were the best images and then used iPhoto to edit them to make them even better than what they originally were.
AO4:
Present a personal, informed and meaningful response demonstrating critical understanding, realising intentions and, where appropriate, making connections between visual, written, oral or other elements.
Describe your final outcomes for each of the Personal Projects in some detail. What were you hoping to create? Did it work? How have your ideas evolved over time? What have been the most important influences on our work? How does this work reflect your interests as an artist/photographer - the way you see the world, what you want to say, how you like to use the tools at your disposal etc? (Approx. 200 words)
During the course of unit one, I have completed a total of four personal projects and each one has had a different outcome to the last.
Mobile Photography: This was the first personal project that we did and it so it was the first time in the course that we had the opportunity to be more independent with our work. I looked at the work of Oliver Lang and documented my findings onto my website and then went from there. I made two collections of images at home and then went on to create some more images on a school trip to the Somerset House exhibitions. I did not make a final piece for this personal project as my skills in photography had not developed that much at that point. I think that my goal for that personal project was mainly to create a set of images that I was proud of which I think I accomplished.
Work Experience: This personal project consisted over the course of the two weeks of work experience in February 2013. The goal was to document the experience using photographs, post them onto the website and then evaluate the images. Because I worked in a nursery, I took photos of the journeys to and from the workplace rather than inside - for confidentiality reasons. I found this particular project quite enjoyable as I like the whole street photography idea. I researched the work of Ian McEachern as he focused on social documentary photography which was quite like the theme of documenting our work experience. At the end of the two weeks, I uploaded the images on to my website and then picked my favourite image and evaluated in detail what I liked about it.
Multiple Images: Personal project number three is the one where I started to explore a bit more. I looked at a range of different techniques that were used with the multiple images theme and I actually managed to create and mount a final piece for this section of unit one. My final piece was initially something that I made for homework but then decided that I liked it enough to become my final piece. It was a typology of the car’s license plates on the road that I live on. I then took a piece of text by Karl Marx and stuck the text where the license plates were originally. As this was my first final piece, I was quite happy with the outcome, as I mentioned in my evaluation.
Abstraction: Abstraction was definitely the personal project that was the most time consuming of them all. I spent many weeks refining and developing my work and ideas in order to get to my final outcome. I started off with my work on chemigrams before realising what my focus was. I was particularly interested in taking photos of hands and so in order to gain some perspective on my subject focus, I researched the work of John Coplans and Bill Brandt and looked at how they composed their work and what skills I wanted to take from their images and apply into my own work. I took a lot of images of peoples hands so that I had a lot to work from. I then edited the images in iPhoto, all in the same style, using the black and white effect and playing around with the contrast and saturation the most. To make my final piece, I chose eight of the images that I thought were the best and then stuck them on a board. To make my second final piece, I stuck all my hand images back to back, threw them on the ground, photographed where they ended up. I did this a few times on different background and then stuck the end result on a board. I'm really happy with both these end results because they took quite a long time and so it was nice to see the end results.
As a whole, over the year, I think that my skills in photography have really progressed and developed as I moved further along the unit. Going from taking simple images on my mobile phone, to taking more complex images using a proper DSLR camera. I have gained a lot of knowledge on different artists, photographers and techniques and processes.