Project Evaluation Prompts
Use the prompts below to help you structure a detailed, reflective account of any of your completed Component 1 Personal Project. Your evaluation should help the examiner understand how you have developed a response to a chosen theme over time. Use correct spelling, punctuation and grammar. Write in as much detail as you can. Use short, clear sentences. Explain (how?, why?) as well as describe (who?, what?, when?)
AO1:
Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
AO2:
Experiment with and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining work as it develops.
AO3:
Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
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.
AO1:
Develop ideas through sustained and focused investigations informed by contextual and other sources, demonstrating analytical and critical understanding.
- What theme did you explore? What were your first thoughts about the theme?
- How did your ideas and feelings change about it as you developed your work?
- Which artists/photographers have you researched during this project? How did you discover them? What have you learned from studying their work?
- Which of the Threshold Concepts (big ideas about photography) have you tackled? Explain how you did this.
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 different media, materials, techniques and processes and explain the decisions you made about how to refine and develop your work.
- How did you develop your investigation?
- What decisions have you made?
- How has it become more sophisticated over time?
- What changed along the way?
- Which Habits of Mind have you exercised the most?
- What have you found most challenging about working like an artist/photographer? How did you change along the way?
AO3:
Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.
- How have you used your website to record the progress of your thinking and making?
- How have you designed your Online Exhibition page to best reflect the quality and thoughtfulness of your work?
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 outcome(s) for this Personal Project in some detail.
- What were you hoping to create? Did it work?
- Do you think you have successfully explored the theme? Why/why not?
- If you had more time, what else would you have liked to try?
- What is personal about your work?
- What do you hope viewers will understand from looking at it?
Key words & phrases
Here are some words and phrases to help you evaluate your work. Evaluation is simply the process of explaining:
- your research about other artists' work and the ideas you have had
- your experiments and the way you have refined them
- the decisions you made along the way and how you have recorded your learning
- what you made, how you chose to display it and what it means
AO1: Research & Ideas
researched selected chose reviewed compared contrasted a range of a variety of decided responded appreciated imagined wondered considered E.g. I began this project by researching a variety of artists and photographers whose work expressed the theme of X. I particularly responded to the work of X. His/Her images are imaginative and skilful and I was keen to explore how to... The individual photograph that had the most effect on my own work was X. This is because... |
AO2: Experimenting, refining & developing
experimented played with explored learned how to... developed my skills in... watched online demos for... formal elements refined revised thought selected media processes techniques E.g. I have explored a range of media, processes and techniques in this project including... I selected the technique of X because... I chose to work digitally/in the darkroom because... Throughout this project my work developed in a number of ways. For example... I have learned a number of new skills. These include... I have refined my work in various ways. For example... I found the technique of X very challenging because... |
AO4: Resolving, presenting & evaluating
presented arranged displayed resolved personal meaningful satisfied/pleased with reflected reviewed audience viewed understanding represented outcomes E.g. I am pleased with my final outcomes because they represent how I feel about the theme of X. I have chosen to display them in a particular way because... If I had more time I would like to explore the theme of X in even more detail by... My photographs are personal because... I hope that viewers of my final photographs will understand that... |
Example #1: Component 1
During the creation of my final piece, I have taken inspiration from artists such as Brea Souders and Luigi Ghirri. For instance, Brea Souders' google street view series "Vistas" encouraged me to explore the application myself, where I noticed that the glitches present in almost every frame, to me, seemed to represent the ancient remains of mythological creatures but in a modern form. I was also interested in the work of Luigi Ghirri, specifically his project "Colazione sull'Erba" which investigates the artificial, perhaps man-made elements of nature, which are a result of the personal choices of individuals, and how they are embedded into our everyday landscape, disguised as "the natural".
In order to incorporate both of these concepts into my final project, I began by capturing photographs of hedges, as I believe they are a good representation of the idea Ghirri utilises in his work. Firstly, because hedges are often shaped or trimmed in order to satisfy the preferences of individuals. Moreover, I considered the fact that unfortunately many resources are distributed onto things like hedges in hopes of maintaining the false illusion of nature. For instance, pesticides can be used, in order to improve the appearance of gardens, however this act may be concealed as a method to 'protect' nature, though of course these chemicals are completely unnatural, and typically result in the damage of our wildlife. This encouraged me to consider the bigger picture, and how a similar sort of disguise is used in the world of photography, however this time not through the use of pesticides, but instead different sorts of chemicals. Previously, traditional fine art prints shot on film required vast amounts of chemicals to process and print them. Whilst it is true that digital photography does not require chemicals, the rapid advancements of technology mean that people are seemingly buying new cameras more often than in the past. Whereas, previously a photographer may have used the same camera throughout their career, nowadays you are required to update your equipment in response to the developers’ innovations, consequently affecting our environment. Aesthetically pleasing photographs perhaps conceal the process behind the photograph, which is, often, unsustainable and harmful.
During the investigation of 'Constructed Landscapes' I have also frequently noticed the concept of the 'uncanny'. I am especially reminded of the intriguing images of Ray Metzker, where he obstructed seemingly ordinary landscapes with abstract forms. Metzker's practice of introducing a layer between the lens and the landscape allows for his photographs to, in my opinion, possess an atmosphere of the uncanny, as a landscape once familiar has now been skewed with this uncomfortable feeling, as if there is something not quite right, or unnatural about the image due to the perplexing abstract forms which cover parts of the ordinary landscapes. However, I also believe the google street view images I took inspired by Brea Souders are somewhat uncanny however, the glitches present in many frames are a reminder of the technology we are using in order to see these locations. In my maze, specifically in the video, I aimed to evoke this unnerving feeling in a viewer. Personally, I would say that my labyrinth video is somewhat uncanny as the displayed maze initially may seem representative of our surrounding landscape, containing ordinary trees, lawns and hedges. Perhaps a viewer might believe that the short film they are seeing is similar to a walk through their neighbourhood. However, of course, something is amiss about the entire video - this 'natural landscape' is made of paper and card. The familiar has quickly become strange and unusual.
Overall, I think my final project was a success, not only because I was satisfied with the final outcome visually, but because it has allowed me to consider our natural landscape more critically, consequently changing the way I view aspects of our surroundings. For example, when walking through Canary Wharf, I noticed the hedges placed in front of a bank, something, before this project, I likely would've ignored. What I may have previously seen as a welcome addition of natural elements to a largely concrete, steel environment, I now viewed as a barrier to prevent trespass after my reflection on the disguise of the man-made as natural. This reminded me of the familiar sight of hoardings around things like building sights - often adorned with images of trees, leaves and plants. These 'natural' images are designed to assure people that whatever lies behind will be for the common good, something that has been agreed is in our best interests. Again, this relates to the concept of nature being used to disarm critical analysis and disguise intention because it is viewed as completely organic and unchanged.
In order to incorporate both of these concepts into my final project, I began by capturing photographs of hedges, as I believe they are a good representation of the idea Ghirri utilises in his work. Firstly, because hedges are often shaped or trimmed in order to satisfy the preferences of individuals. Moreover, I considered the fact that unfortunately many resources are distributed onto things like hedges in hopes of maintaining the false illusion of nature. For instance, pesticides can be used, in order to improve the appearance of gardens, however this act may be concealed as a method to 'protect' nature, though of course these chemicals are completely unnatural, and typically result in the damage of our wildlife. This encouraged me to consider the bigger picture, and how a similar sort of disguise is used in the world of photography, however this time not through the use of pesticides, but instead different sorts of chemicals. Previously, traditional fine art prints shot on film required vast amounts of chemicals to process and print them. Whilst it is true that digital photography does not require chemicals, the rapid advancements of technology mean that people are seemingly buying new cameras more often than in the past. Whereas, previously a photographer may have used the same camera throughout their career, nowadays you are required to update your equipment in response to the developers’ innovations, consequently affecting our environment. Aesthetically pleasing photographs perhaps conceal the process behind the photograph, which is, often, unsustainable and harmful.
During the investigation of 'Constructed Landscapes' I have also frequently noticed the concept of the 'uncanny'. I am especially reminded of the intriguing images of Ray Metzker, where he obstructed seemingly ordinary landscapes with abstract forms. Metzker's practice of introducing a layer between the lens and the landscape allows for his photographs to, in my opinion, possess an atmosphere of the uncanny, as a landscape once familiar has now been skewed with this uncomfortable feeling, as if there is something not quite right, or unnatural about the image due to the perplexing abstract forms which cover parts of the ordinary landscapes. However, I also believe the google street view images I took inspired by Brea Souders are somewhat uncanny however, the glitches present in many frames are a reminder of the technology we are using in order to see these locations. In my maze, specifically in the video, I aimed to evoke this unnerving feeling in a viewer. Personally, I would say that my labyrinth video is somewhat uncanny as the displayed maze initially may seem representative of our surrounding landscape, containing ordinary trees, lawns and hedges. Perhaps a viewer might believe that the short film they are seeing is similar to a walk through their neighbourhood. However, of course, something is amiss about the entire video - this 'natural landscape' is made of paper and card. The familiar has quickly become strange and unusual.
Overall, I think my final project was a success, not only because I was satisfied with the final outcome visually, but because it has allowed me to consider our natural landscape more critically, consequently changing the way I view aspects of our surroundings. For example, when walking through Canary Wharf, I noticed the hedges placed in front of a bank, something, before this project, I likely would've ignored. What I may have previously seen as a welcome addition of natural elements to a largely concrete, steel environment, I now viewed as a barrier to prevent trespass after my reflection on the disguise of the man-made as natural. This reminded me of the familiar sight of hoardings around things like building sights - often adorned with images of trees, leaves and plants. These 'natural' images are designed to assure people that whatever lies behind will be for the common good, something that has been agreed is in our best interests. Again, this relates to the concept of nature being used to disarm critical analysis and disguise intention because it is viewed as completely organic and unchanged.
Example #2: Component 2
At the start of the unit I decided to choose the theme of Futurism. I decided this because I thought it was one of the more interesting and intriguing options from the selection, as many of the choices were ones which I had encountered before (such as street photography). I was interested in doing something which was unusual and new to me, in which I would be able to demonstrate that I could be challenged in different areas of photography, even if I was not familiar with them. In addition I thought it would be interesting to research an area of photography which would widen my knowledge of the subject, leading me to be more aware of the variety of types or genres of images you can produce. The theme of Futurism lead me to develop my techniques, such as experimenting with motion blur and being able to edit images within Photoshop. I learned to step outside the conventional way of creating photographs.
There are numerous example of ideas I developed over the course of studying Futurism. I began using motion blur by using a fairly basic app that allowed me to conveniently create blurred photographs. Using the app introduced me to the fundamentals of how motion blur worked, allowing me to develop further. I decided to travel around London, which you can see in my first set of images in Unit 2, and take motion blur photos of crowds, vehicles and moving lights using a simple device such as an iPod. I challenged myself to use a DSLR camera, experimenting with longer shutter speeds. I initially found this very difficult but practice was the key to success. I took photographs of real events and places all with their own successes and failures such as the Marathon, a busy restaurant and Trafalgar Square. I took many photographs and managed to create "favourites".
Throughout my project, I used a variety of ways to record ideas and the progress I made in terms of producing images that reflected the development of my knowledge on Futurism. An example of how I recorded my research was using different facilities on the web, such as: Pinterest and Popplet. The reason why I used these resources was because of the amount of different ideas which I had on the subject of Futurism; it was essential for me to find a space on the internet in which I would be able to conveniently place ideas and be able to simultaneously show off the different ideas on my website through the use of hyperlinks. Furthermore, the different spaces for planning on my website provided a space in which I would be able to select what techniques I wanted to use in my final piece; a storage space for the images which I admired by different photographers allowed me to examine what techniques I wanted to use. In addition providing the viewer of my website with different ways of presenting my images was something I had to think of throughout the process of developing my knowledge of unit 2. One example of how I presented the photographs I had made was using the Gallery format. I used this because it was one of the most simple yet effective ways of presenting my response to each of the subjects.
I feel that my two final pieces fully expressed the Futuristic aspects of the phrase "what a wonderful world". With the first final piece - using the images I had made from the science museum - I was able to combine my best two images and create a picture which looked Futuristic and fulfilled the brief.
Combining Futurism with "what a wonderful world" was exciting and challenging. I chose a wide range of subjects ranging my friends to the Science Museum to illustrate the theme. I had them jumping to illustrate what a wonderful life they have and then applied Futuristic movement to those images.
Developing my sub headings for "what a wonderful world" pushed the theme extensively and finally lead to my final photographs being a success.
There are numerous example of ideas I developed over the course of studying Futurism. I began using motion blur by using a fairly basic app that allowed me to conveniently create blurred photographs. Using the app introduced me to the fundamentals of how motion blur worked, allowing me to develop further. I decided to travel around London, which you can see in my first set of images in Unit 2, and take motion blur photos of crowds, vehicles and moving lights using a simple device such as an iPod. I challenged myself to use a DSLR camera, experimenting with longer shutter speeds. I initially found this very difficult but practice was the key to success. I took photographs of real events and places all with their own successes and failures such as the Marathon, a busy restaurant and Trafalgar Square. I took many photographs and managed to create "favourites".
Throughout my project, I used a variety of ways to record ideas and the progress I made in terms of producing images that reflected the development of my knowledge on Futurism. An example of how I recorded my research was using different facilities on the web, such as: Pinterest and Popplet. The reason why I used these resources was because of the amount of different ideas which I had on the subject of Futurism; it was essential for me to find a space on the internet in which I would be able to conveniently place ideas and be able to simultaneously show off the different ideas on my website through the use of hyperlinks. Furthermore, the different spaces for planning on my website provided a space in which I would be able to select what techniques I wanted to use in my final piece; a storage space for the images which I admired by different photographers allowed me to examine what techniques I wanted to use. In addition providing the viewer of my website with different ways of presenting my images was something I had to think of throughout the process of developing my knowledge of unit 2. One example of how I presented the photographs I had made was using the Gallery format. I used this because it was one of the most simple yet effective ways of presenting my response to each of the subjects.
I feel that my two final pieces fully expressed the Futuristic aspects of the phrase "what a wonderful world". With the first final piece - using the images I had made from the science museum - I was able to combine my best two images and create a picture which looked Futuristic and fulfilled the brief.
Combining Futurism with "what a wonderful world" was exciting and challenging. I chose a wide range of subjects ranging my friends to the Science Museum to illustrate the theme. I had them jumping to illustrate what a wonderful life they have and then applied Futuristic movement to those images.
Developing my sub headings for "what a wonderful world" pushed the theme extensively and finally lead to my final photographs being a success.