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EXAM GUIDANCE

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Examination dates: 15 hrs controlled test over 3 days
Group 13C: 2, 23 & 24 April
Group 13A: 2, 23 & 24 April
Group 13D: 3, 25 & 28 April
(please check your email from C Farrow re : dates + clashes)

RULES: No use of mobile phones. No talking to each other or ask teachers for help.

You will have access to the blog to produce blog posts, BUT no access to the internet.

The blog will only be available for you to access during exam times each day between 09:00 – 15:20. In other words, you will not be able to make any changes/ improve work outside of exam times.

It essential therefore, that you have done must of the preparatory work – research/ artist case studies/ photo-shoots/ evidence of creativity, development and experimentation of images – before the exam period begins on day 1.

Work to be done
1. PRINTS: Final selection of images in print folder above (ready by end of Day 1: Wed 2 or Thurs 3 April of the Exam)
2. PRESENTATION: Complete mounting all final prints
3. VIRTUAL GALLERY: Present final images using templates here: M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\EXAM 2024\Gallery mock-ups
3. PHOTOBOOK: Complete design and evaluate
4. BLOG: Review and complete all supporting blogposts
5. FOLDER: Label all final outcomes and put in Exam folder
6. SIGN: Student authentication form

DEADLINE: LAST DAY OF YOUR EXAM
FINAL PRINTS > PHOTOBOOK > BLOG POSTS

IN PREPARATION FOR YOUR EXAM MAKE SURE THE FOLLOWING IS READY BY THE END OF THIS WEEK:

  1. Complete and upload new photoshoots and begin to edit in Lightroom – make sure to produce blog posts showing selection process and experimentation of images.
  2. A draft layout of your photobook using BLURB templates in Lightroom – exam time is used to fine tune design with teacher’s approval
  3. Review Checklist on blog for overview of work that must be completed – improve, complete and publish missing blogposts.

Structure your 3 day Exam as follows:

DAY 1:
PRINTS: Complete editing photoshoots, select and prepare final prints. Make sure you have produced blogposts for each photoshoot with a clear progression of selection and editing.

BLOG: Produce blog post showing presentation ideas and create mock-up in Photoshop. Consider appropriate sizes and ways of presenting images as singles, diptych, triptych, multiple grids/ collages/ combinations in window mounts or foamboard etc.

You must save final images (see guidelines below) in print folder here by end of the day:
M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\PRINTS EXAM 2025

DAY 2:
Photobook: Experiment with photobook design using BLURB in Lightroom – show variation of layouts and creativity.

Blog: Evidence of photobook process
1. Research and deconstruct photobook used as inspiration. Comment on different design element such as: feel of the book, paper, binding, format, size, cover, title, design, narrative (if appropriate), editing, sequencing, image and text.

2. Write a book specification and describe in detail what your book will be about in terms of narrative, concept and design with reference to the same elements of bookmaking as above.

3. Produce a blog post showing your layout and design process in Lightroom using a combination of print screens + annotation.

4. Final layout of every spread and write an evaluation.

5. Upload book design in Lightroom to Blurb and order your book via Blurb account. Once uploaded produce an hyperlink to book browser – see below for more details.

6. Once you have received book in the post bring into school.

Those who are not making a photobook can begin to mount up final prints and follow instruction below for Day 3.

DAY 3
PRESENTATION: Begin to mount your final prints as per your mock-up plans. Each final outcome must be labelled and velcro attached too. Make sure all your final images are presented in a folder with your name.

BLOG: Produce a virtual gallery and write a final evaluation of the exam module and your final outcome. Consider the following:

Gallery mock-ups M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\YR 13 EXAM 2025\Gallery Mock-ups

– How successful was your final outcomes?
– Did you realise your intentions?
– What references did you make to artists references – comment on technical, visual, contextual, conceptual?
– Is there anything you would do differently/ change etc?

FINAL CHECK: Finish and publish any missing blog posts as per Checklist/ Go4School Tracking sheet and comments from teachers.

No students is allowed to leave until an authentication form is signed and teacher has signed off too.

PHOTOBOOK
Make sure you have a made a blog post that charts your design decisions, including prints screens of layout with annotation and write an ongoing evaluation. Final book design must be checked and signed off by teacher.

BLURB – ORDER BOOK
Inside Lightroom upload book design to BLURB, log onto your account on their website, pay and order the book.

Consider spending a few extra pounds on choosing better paper, such as Premium Lustre or Premium Matte in check-out, change colour on end paper or choose different cloth/ linen if needed.

LINK TO ONLINE BLURB BOOK

Your final blog post should be an online link to you BLURB book with an evaluation. If you have already written an evaluation as part of another blog post on your book design then add the online link to that blog post and change the date to make sure it sits at the top.

Log into your blurb account and click on Sell my book

Click on Privacy & Sharing

Copy link circled in red above.

Make a new blog post: MY PHOTOBOOK and copy in link from Blurb into the title of your book using Link button above.

FINAL PRINTS
Select your final prints (5-10) from various photoshoots or photobook and make a blog post showing ideas about how to present them.

In photoshop produce a mock display (create new document size A1: 594 x 841mm) using different image sizes, for example: A3 x 2, A4 x 2, A5 x 3

PREPARE AND SAVE IMAGES FOR PRINTING:

  • Add your images to the print folder here…M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\Yr 13 Exam
  • Complete any unfinished work from last term if you have time, For example check your coursework portfolio and mount up any prints from previous projects.

File Handling and printing...

  • Remember when EXPORTING from Lightroom you must adjust the file size to 1000 pixels on the Short edge for “blog-friendly” images (JPEGS)
  • BUT…for editing and printing when EXPORTING from Lightroom you must adjust the file size to Short edge for “high resolution” images (JPEGS) like this…
  • A5 Short Edge = 14.8 cm
  • A4 Short Edge = 21.0 cm
  • A3 Short Edge =29.7 cm

This will ensure you have the correct ASPECT RATIO

Ensure you label and save your file in you M :Drive and then copy across to the PRINT FOLDER in IMAGE TRANSFER:

M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\Image Transfer\PRINTS EXAM 2024

For a combination of images, or square format images you use the ADOBE PHOTOSHOP > NEW DOCUMENT + PRINT PRESETS on to help arrange images on the correct size page (A3, A4, A5)

You can do this using Photoshop, Set up the page sizes as templates and import images into each template, then you can see for themselves how well they fit… but remember to add an extra 6mm for bleed (3mm on each side of the page) to the original templates. i.e. A4 = 297mm x 210 but the template size for this would be 303mm x 216mm.

Making a Virtual Gallery in Photoshop

Download an empty gallery file…then insert your images and palce them on the walls. Adjust the perspective, size and shape using CTRL T (free transform) You can also add things like a drop shadow to make the image look more realistic…

The Photographers' Gallery - Gallery - visitlondon.com

Here is a selection of Gallery mock-ups that you can use to superimpose your own final images onto walls using Free transform tool in Photoshop.

M:\Radio\Departments\Photography\Students\YR 13 EXAM 2024\Gallery Mock-ups

Always ensure you have enough evidence of…

  1. moodboards (use influential images)
  2. mindmap of ideas and links
  3. case studies (artist references-show your knowledge and understanding)
  4. photo-shoot action plans / specifications (what, why, how, who, when , where)
  5. photo-shoots + contact sheets (annotated)
  6. appropriate image selection and editing techniques
  7. presentation of final ideas and personal responses
  8. analysis and evaluation of process
  9. compare and contrast to a key photographer
  10. critique / review / reflection of your outcomes

Photoshoot 3: Development and experimentation

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Final outcome and presentation:

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Final photos to use for mounting:

Experimentation in photoshop for my layout:

For my mounting, I will be presenting my photos on black mount board. Each photo will be raised as I will spray mount them onto it’s own individual white mount board, before using double sided tape to stick them onto the black board.

Final layout presentation:

Photoshoot 3: Planning and recording

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My plan:

Contact sheet:

First of all, I went through the contact sheet of this photoshoot and divided the photos into three groups:

1 or 2 stars = Red- the worst photos and I will most likely not use them.

3 stars = Yellow- photos that aren’t the best quality but I may use them.

4 or 5 stars = Green- my best photos and will definitely use.

This supported my organisation skills within the photoshoots so I could keep a structure.

Editing photos from a number of smaller photoshoots

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Original
Edit

I really like this low angle photo I took of the sun going down on the beach, the only problem is the patch in the sky is a little too over exposed. The only way I could fix this was to paint over the bright/exposed areas which I did with a brush which had an opacity of 80% so it blends in well and now it looks a lot nicer. I also did other small adjustments like increasing the shadows and lowering the highlights because I fell the photo would look nicer with a bit more shadow/darkness I also slightly edited the saturation of the orange to make the sunset in the sky look a lot stronger.

Original
Edit

I like the romantic feel this has wit the tower in it because it looks kind of medieval and the romanticists liked the medieval era. The photo doesn’t need too much editing done to it as it isn’t really necessary for this image bit I did crop so there wasn’t as many branches and foliage in the way and I added a vignette as it works well on the image.

Original
Edit

I like this photograph I took of a cliff as the weather is beautiful and the see looks lovely it was a challenging photo to take as I had to stand on this wooden fence to get the best shot. The photo is also quite similar to my artists I chose especially Joe Cornish as they both have taken stunning photographs of cliffs. I increased the blue in the image by using the colour mixes and adjusting the blues and cyans to make it more beautiful and vibrant and giving it a bit of a tropical feel. I also had to try and fix the top right of the photo as due do the powerful sun it was a bit overexposed. I did a blue overlay on the overexposed sky by colouring over it with a semi transparent blue brush which was colour matched with the sky in the area which fixed the problem, I also used the burn tool to darken the overexposed area on the cliff which definitely helped.

Original
Edit

For this photo I adjusted the hue and saturation of the orange and yellow to give the photo a golden hour feel to it I also increased the blue and cyan to make the sky look a lot nicer and added a small vignette to give the edges a bit of depth. Overall I think the photo looks a lot better now.

Experimenting when taking the photos

I decided to do a little bit of experimenting when taking these photos as I was wearing sunglasses and decided to try putting the glasses in front of the camera lens and the results looked surprisingly good. I like the way it looks like I have applied a filter in Photoshop/Lightroom when I actually haven’t edited the photo.

Final Images For print

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1st set
Second Set

Above I’ve put together some images that I may decide to use. The first set of images are photos from light room and the second set are from photoshop, which dive deeper into surrealism.

I picked the images I liked the most using a colour system and placed them in a separate folder.

Why did I choose these Images?

I chose the Images that stood out the most to me, while also taking into account how they would fit together once I print them. Since my way of presenting union was through the concepts of surrealism, I chose Images that I believed most represented this art movement.

I chose a few photos from my photoshoot which took inspiration from Mourants ‘Aomori’, because they remind me of dreams or thoughts of the past. The blue monochrome images make these images look and feel ancient and precious, like a dream that you want to keep remembering. Even though this is not surrealism, it still links with the ideas of surrealism though its ‘dreamy’ look. I also chose some edited photos, which I based the edits off real surrealist photographer (like man ray).

Below I explained, in further detail, why I picked some of the photos.

I picked this one as it instantly stood out to be as being a blurred memory. I took this image using a long exposure to create this effect. The bench is the only relevant thing in this photo, adding meaning to it and making the viewer question the meaning behind it. maybe it was where a loved one sat? or maybe its been taken as it brings back nostalgia?. This photo creates many questions which is why I like it.

I picked this one as I feel like it can break the eerie feeling that a lot of my other photos have. Its also very dream like as we all which we could fly.

I picked this one as the eye is very common in surrealist art work and photography.

I picked this one again because the eyes are what the viewer most likely will pay attention to. This is because at first glace you see the eyes looking straight into the camera, then you notice that the hand should be covering the eyes, so it makes the eyes the most dominant part of this photograph.

I chose this image as Its very surreal in the way the reflection is incorrect. The tree acts as the body of the person, or even the soul.

Virtual Gallery

Above I put together two virtual galleries, using photoshop. I used the distort tool to line the photos up on the wall. I decided to do two separate virtual galleries as I like how my photos based on Mourants project turned out, but I didn’t think it fit well with the rest of my images.

Above I used power point to decide how exactly I will lay out my images.

PHOTOSHOOT 2 –

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Beach shoot –

This was a short and very minimal photoshoot where I used my little sister as a model with a sunset in the background. These photos were taken down at St Ouens beach during sunset hours. My aim was to arrive at the beach at a time where the sun was set enough to capture silhouettes of her as she walked along the beach.

This shoot represented the theme of ‘UNION’ as it shows the union between the various blend of colours in the sunset. All the different hues and shades of yellows, oranges and blues. These colours give me a sense of peace and comfort, tranquillity filling the air, knowing in these moments I can be free and relax without any worries whatsoever.

The second way it represents ‘UNION’ is the connection between nature and mankind. My sister walking along the beach brings two things together in union as she spends her time out in the nature taking it all in and enjoying being in her surroundings.

Another connection I want to mention is how both the sunset and my sister bring me Joy, comfort and peace. spending time with my sister makes me feel at ease in the same way that being surrounded by a sunset in nature also makes me feel.

I took these images using an iPhone 12 pro camera and had my sister taking a natural walk along the beach. There was no direction involved when taking these images it was all raw and natural.

Photoshoot 3 edits –

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Photoshoot –

These are the 3 photos I’ve decided are the best to edit out of the group of 46 images. They were easy to shorten to 3 photos due to some images being to inappropriate to have for this project, and also the overall quality of the photos were not good.

Edit 1 –

Final edit –

Edit 2 –

Final edit –

Edit 3 –

Final edit –

Virtual gallery and evaluation –

This photoshoot was definitely not the most successful, however it did show what I wanted it too. Its difficult to differentiate between the kind of relationship that my sitters have.

In some aspects, this is impactful, because it leaves an open end for anyone to interpret and relate too in any way. The natural lighting worked very well in this shoot and extenuated exactly what I wanted it too, with only a few tweaks to the highlights and shadows through editing.

Virtual Gallery

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UNION: Joiner 5 Development

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I started off by making a mock-up on Powerpoint.

I then colour-coded the images I used and cropped them.

I then made this joiner in Photoshop.

After finishing putting this joiner together in Photoshop, I changed the brightness and contrast of each of the images. I also added another image fragment to the bottom left.

I made a few more small tweaks and this is my final result:

I also made a version using Gaussian Blur:

Experimenting with Joiners

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I have taken the same photograph of my mum and dad on the couch at slightly different angles and times, so that I can create a joiner that displays different perspectives at the same time.

Photos Used

How?

Photoshop:

Firstly, I created virtual copies of the images I wanted to use to create my joiner. Then, I cropped my images, so that I could overlap these images onto one A4 sheet of paper to display different perspectives.

Then, I imported the images into photoshop and adjusted the size and positioning of them, until I liked them.

At first I experimented with having them in line and I used the opacity feature to do so to get them in line as best as possible.

However, I had already done this in my previous photoshop work of combining facial features, so I wanted to try something different and not have them all in line.

Next, I wanted to experiment the blending tool in photoshop to see if I could make my image more fun.

I did this by selecting which layer I wanted to alter and then selecting normal and using the arrows on my keyboard to change the appearance of that layer.

Evaluation

I think the creation of these joiners using photoshop went well, as I was able to present different perspectives all at once, similarly to cubism, which I have previously researched and done work based around. I also enjoyed experimenting with the blending tool as it allowed me to add different colours and tones throughout my image as well as perspectives, which some cubist also do in their work.

The concept of these joiners is that all the pieces are unified together, just how my mum and dad are unified together. It also takes a lot of time to take these photographs and edit them together, print them out and piece them together in an aesthetic way, which also symbolises time and how the union of marriage and family will last until the end of time.