“A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words” Ansel Adams
If a picture is worth a thousand words it could be argued that the camera has done more to shape our opinions, our tastes and our view of the world than any invention since the printing press. Photography is now the most widespread form of image-making in the world. Newspapers and magazines and advertising hoardings feed us thousands of photographic images every day, and they are perhaps more influential than we care to admit. The camera is an instrument of record and information but in the hands of a Richard Avedon or a Helmut Newton it is also a potent instrument of persuasion and a powerful artistic medium. A photograph can make a career, destroy a reputation, sell a car, justify a war, make us laugh or move us to tears.
Iconic pictures by photographers like Don McCullin and Frank Cappa have also done much to shape our view of modern history: images of the marines hoisting the American flag at Iwo Jima, the naked child running from Napalm bombs in Vietnam, the twin towers burning, the 1966 World Cup team, Churchill’s victory salute – all captured in a moment of time through the photographer’s lens.
Since its inception photography has also been recognised as a major art form. Artists such as Cartier Bresson and Man Ray have shown us how to look at the world through new eyes. They inform. They provoke. They can delight us or dismay us. They paint with light and they repay study and appreciation.
This course may be for you as a future artist, photo-journalist, professional photographer or amateur enthusiast. One thing is certain – the skills and techniques you will learn will last for a lifetime and provide you with pleasure and fulfilment way beyond the confines of the A-level course.
LANDSCAPE GALLERY EXAM GALLERY
Who will teach you?
Simon Power:
"I have always been an "enthusiast" and have a real passion for the subject which I hope rubs off on the students. The course is completely digital, which utilises my many years of Photoshop skills both in industry and academia. I demand very high standards, and this has been shown in the results and, more importantly, in the final exhibitions, portfolios and increasing Photography school places in Higher Education."
Course Content
AS-level work will involve basic camera knowledge, learning correct terminology and standard computer imaging skills, as well as studying images, their meanings/interpretations and placing them in context. Units 1 & 2 will then be taught with students creating a substantial, and hopefully impressive, portfolio.
Course Delivery
The course will undertake looking at many different aspects of photography; from the technical to studies of experienced practitioners and past masters, applying techniques and creating unique and individual pieces of personal work. We will arrange trips to galleries and exhibitions where possible. Discussions and individual tutorials will take place throughout the course and this will be combined with traditional classwork and practical tasks.
Basic Requirements
A keen interest in photography
A proficiency in IT-related skills (photoshop)
A visual flair and creative mind
Stamina
Emotional strength, to cope with Simon
Your own camera, after the initial stages
Suggested reading
20th Century Photography: A complete guide to the Greatest Artists of the Photographic Age – Reuel Golden
The Photography Book – Ian Jeffrey
Photography of the 20th Century (Icons S.) – Taschen
The 20th Century Art Book: Mini edition (Phaidon Press) – Susanna Lawson
The Art Book : Mini Edition (Phaidon Press)
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