A2 Project brief
Unit 3
The A2 photography assignment is divided into two parts.
 A practical outcome
 A written study.
1. You will be expected to produce a practical coursework outcome consisting of
final prints and a well documented sketchbook on a chosen theme.
2. You will also need to complete an illustrated essay of approximately 2000-3000
words relevant to your chosen area of photography; looking at the work of other
photographic practitioners and artists that show links and connections to your
practical work.
3. In addition to the contextual study essay you will need to show evidence of your
research in an accompanying scrapbook of collected images, biographies and
information.
Now is the time to loosen the reigns and give you the freedom to choose your own theme for unit 3,
alternatively you may want to choose from the genres listed below.
Suggested photographic themes:Landscape, Seascape, Rural landscape and urban landscape.
Photographers: Simon Norfolk, Nadav Kander, Ansel Adams, Robert Adams, Joel Meyerowitz, Joesph
Koudelka, Peter Lik,
Architecture
Ernst and Hilla Becher, Andreas Gursky
The human figure, Nude, the body
Robert Mapplethorpe, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Nadav Kander, Francesca Woodman
Portraiture, people, families
Jill Greenberg, Julia Margaret Cameron, Cecil Beaton, Philip Lorca Di Corcia, Nicholas Nixon, Sally Mann,
Elinor Carucci, Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, MILK exhibition, Cindy Sherman.
Still life, Flowers, Macro
Georgia O’Keffe, Robert Mapplethorpe, artsconnect.com.au, Karl Blossfelt, Man Ray,
Documentary, war, travel, events, festivals, music
Martin Parr, William Eggleston, Henri Cartier Bresson, Dorothea Lange, Magnumphotos.com, Robert Frank,
National Geographic, Steve McCurry, Walker Evans, Gordon Parks, Gered Mankowitz, Andy Earl, Ana Black
Surrealism, fantasy, dreams, visions, fiction, illustration
Salvador Dali, Man Ray, Hannah Hock, Maggie smith, Jerry Uelsmann, Simon Marsden, ParkeHarrison,
David Lachappelle, Pierre et Gilles, Loretta Lux, Jeff Wall, Gregory Crewsden, Frank Herholdt, Francesca
Woodman
Fashion
Nick Knight, Mario Testino, Paolo Reversi, Guy Bourdain, Serge Normant, David Bailey, Joshua Allen,
Andrew Yee, Rony Shram, Kayt Jones, Jamie Nelson, Xander Angeles.
Photomontage, mixed media, alternative printing processes
Peter Kennard, Hannah Hock, Richard Walker, alternativephotography.com, Polaroid.com, Yuko Ishii,
Linda McCartney, Andrei Tarkovsky and lomography.
Sequence, movement
Duane Michals, Edweard Muybridge, Francesca Woodman
Wildlife, animals
Tim Flach, Jill Greenberg, National Geographic, Jose a Gallego.
The Essay and Practical assignments
Now that you have started your A2 you need to begin the initial research for the two aspects of unit 3. For
your practical project you need to start working on the following;
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Produce spider diagrams which help you decide on a theme and title for your project.
Start to research photographers and artists that relate to your chosen theme.
Analyse Photographs by relevant famous photographers.
Begin planning photo-shoots for your own work.
For your essay you will need to start working on the following;
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Decide on a theme for your essay. The theme must relate to your practical project.
Research relevant Artists and photographers. This can also be done in your practical project
sketchbook.
Produce a timeline showing where your chosen theme fits into the history of Art and photography.
This will help to contextualise your theme. When researching photographers look into their
biographies and find out some history about the time in which they worked and how their
photography relates to society.
Use iLearn to help you with your research. Both the A2 Photography iLearn and The Photography
Research pages offer lots of help, guidance and links to aid your investigations.
The written assignment should contain the following:
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Front cover
Contents page
Artist’s biography
A selection of chosen photographs to analyse
A compare and Contrast analysis
A conclusion
Bibliography
It is advisable to buy a large A3 Sketchbook for your practical project and a smaller A4 notepad/journal for
your essay scrapbook.
Good websites to get you started;
www.magnumphotos.com
www.masters-of-photography.com
www.masters-of-fine-art-photography.com
www.tate.org.uk
www.google.com