Photography
This is one of the options offered by the Art Department. You may also be interested in Art and Design
Student who chose this option will take the qualification AQA GCSE Art and Design
Course Description
The Photography GCSE taught in KS4 is under the AQA GCSE Art and Design. This course involves completing a minimum of two coursework projects and one exam project. The coursework is worth 60% of the grade and the exam 40%.
Coursework is completed throughout the course and involves working with digital cameras and Adobe Photoshop (and other graphic editing apps) to produce photographic imagery. Through research and analysis students will gain a valuable insight into how artists and photographers work. This insight will then influence the development of their own ideas towards producing a range of photographic personal responses.
Who would this course be suitable for?
GCSE Photography is suitable for all students who like taking photographs, using computer based graphics editing apps and those who have enjoyed studying Art throughout the lower school.
To achieve in the GCSE Photography course, you must be enthusiastic about Art and Photography and confident in your ability. You should have an open mind and be willing to experiment and work with new processes and techniques. You should be comfortable taking portrait photographs of yourself, your peers and in front of other people. You should be motivated to create the best piece of work you can even when it becomes challenging.
Potential career paths
View this file - Careers in Art & Design or Photography
There are a variety of different paths that you could follow after studying GCSE Photography.
Most students go on to study an Art or Photography course at A level although some pursue the BTEC vocational route in college going on to study a level 3 qualification. Both routes can lead to a place on a university course.
To investigate Art or Photography careers further please visit: https://icould.com/explore/categories/subject/art-and-design
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/tags/zkjnwty/jobs-that-use-art-and-design/1
What do students say about this course?
"I love this subject because it teaches you to look further than what is on the surface. You learn to dig deep to see that everything has a meaning. It is such an eye opening subject that teaches you that there is more to life than what you see at first glance."
"I enjoy doing GCSE Photography because it is fun taking pictures and making edits on Photoshop."
"It allows us to be creative and we learn about different photographers and different styles of photography."
"I enjoy working independently because you get to learn a lot of skills and you also learn how to use a camera."