Unit 18 Research Guidance

This unit is fairly research heavy, so you need to make a start on it as soon as possible.

There are three aspects to the research. The usual artist research, but with focus on the characteristics of their location photography and potential problems they would have faced in conducting these shoots "Sundays" - Xavier Ribas and "Turn on the bright lights" Yelena Yemchuk. Other things you need to identify and explain how they were used include 'Media' e.g. the film, equipment and their techniques that they employed when shooting.
Equipment research - identify and explain the use of 6 different key pieces of equipment that is typically used in location photography... (1) Tripods of different types (2) Light baffles – different types and how they are used. (3) External flash different types and how they are used with particular attention paid to Fill-in flash. (4) Reflectors – different type and how and when they are used. (5) Light/flash meters different types and how they are used. (6) Backgrounds & their support systems – different types and how they are used.

Location specialties research (see the list below) Choose 4 of these - in the research for these identify the equipment, media and techniques used as well as details about what characterises these specialties and what challenges and problems are faced in the production of this type of photography.

Location Photography is almost any photography that takes part outside of the studio. So if you were in the studio at college taking pictures of me there and walked me outside into the Atrium that would then be Location Photography. Even if you then brought the studio lights out into the atrium and used them, that would still be location photography.

Location photography is basically photography where you have to deal with 'Ambient light' (Light that exists at the location). See the definition here https://www.shootfactory.co.uk/what-is-location-photography/

Location agencies - https://www.locationsdirect.co/?gclid=CjwKCAjw_-D3BRBIEiwAjVMy7BkKbyIMh7UJWUGipBleczRqozBkSeO3CUR4lkyFtnCx5KLwqNDC3BoCWE4QAvD_BwE
https://www.shootfactory.co.uk/

It is suggested that you produce research for at least 4 of the following specialties.

• Fashion Photography
• Wildlife Photography
• Portraiture
• Sports Photography
• Architecture Photography
• Landscape Photography
• Photo-journalism/documentary

Your research pages as you know are expected to conform to the format above. You can choose to combine the specialties in the 2 page format or produce two pages for each of the specialties. Needless to say the more you do and the more detailed, the higher the chances of attaining the higher grades. 

Guidance 

If you look at the criteria, there are key words and phrases that you can use as the prompts/headings when you layout the main page (Right-hand side). These include.

• Characteristics
• Equipment
• Techniques
• Media
• Challenges
• Production process*

Your initial response could simply be your knowledge and observations of your chosen specialties prior to doing the research e.g. what do you know already guided by the prompts listed above. 

*Production process isn't listed within the 'A' Learning aims but can be addressed in your research at this early stage. (See here for help with production process). 

Within the research you need to cover (Write about and illustrate with images) The characteristics of your chosen specialities. Write what makes them difficult and challenging, how much pre-planning and specialist knowledge is required in order to produce the images. Click on the images below...

This one below the legendary Annie Leibovitz. If you click on the links they take you to more videos of Leibovitz shooting at different locations.

When you write about the specialities that you choose to research, one of the key things that you need to write about (Analyse and explain) is the challenges you face...
Finding or locating the subject - which sometimes requires specialist knowledge.
Access - not only to the location itself, but to the country or region you need to shoot in.
Obtaining visas, work permits.
Finding specialist guides or security services to take you to the place and keep you safe.
Shooting in London - you can't just turn up as a pro photographer and shoot on the streets. Look at Southend councils terms, conditions and permits to shoot photography on the beaches in the Southend Borough.
Walking around Southend taking pictures is much safer than doing it in other towns that are only a few miles away. Areas within Towns themselves differ from street to street because of the demographics.

*You need also to write about the challenges in terms of the equipment and techniques.



Jont Davies Beach shoot
https://btecy01.blogspot.com/2019/09/location-photography-shooting-on-beach.html

Unit 18 - Location Photography basic requirements

This is the guidance blog for Unit 18 - Location Photography

*Note 2nd year work is expected to be of a far higher standard than 1st year.

The images that are produced in this unit are expected to form part of your portfolio and may be used in your end of year exhibition. 

Remember you now need to carry forward what you've learned in the previous units into this Unit and make decisions about which elements you carry forwards and use.

One of the key things you need to apply to this unit is the use of the Creative Process. It's therefore expected that your work follows the process and implements it. 

There is no page count, the more you do, the higher the chance of you attaining the higher grades. Pay particular attention to the criteria ensuring what you write addresses the criteria. 

Get started - 

• Create a folder and name it Unit 18 - Location Photography
• Inside that folder create sub-folders...

• Unit 18 shoots/images
• Unit 18 Design sheets
• Unit 18 Research 

Remember to designate a USB drive for all of your work - make sure you name and student number is on it and that you use it to save all of your work to. Transfer all your shoots to the USB drive as soon as you can and don't forget to back-it up frequently. Make sure you eject the USB drive from devices correctly. You must always have the USB drive when you're at college in order that your work can be monitored. 

• As soon as you receive the assignment/brief make sure that you start the research straight away and look to get it completed within the first few days in order that you're able to start to work out ideas. 
• Produce the work in a timely manner e.g. write it up in your Design sheets as you go along.
• Consider having design sheets for sections of the work - (1) Research pages. (2) Research reflection and 1st plan. (3). First shoot and Gibbs reflection and each of the subsequent shoots you produce as you develop and improve the work and use an increasingly wider range of MTP's. as well as their associated Gibbs reflections and plans. (4) The final evaluation.
• Finally, convert all of the work to PDF's and combine it into 1 PDF. 
• Work must be printed off in colour and submitted in a display folder.
• Deadlines will be rigid. 
• Work not submitted as PDF's will be referred.
• Referral deadlines will be rigid.
• Non completion of referrals will be a fail.

Learning Aims


Basic approach

Step 1. Read through the assignment and write up an introduction. Title it “The requirements of the brief”. In this introduction explain what you are required to do as a minimum, include the learning aims (On the front of the assignment) and also use some of the pass criteria when explaining what it is you have to do. Also explain the basics of the assignment including things like the deadline and the stages of the creative process. C.P5

Step 2.  Research the 2 artists – Xavier Ribas & Yelena Yemchuk, but focus on writing about the characteristics of the photography seen in their location work (‘Sundays’ Barcelona Xavier Ribas and “Turn on the bright lights” Yelena Yemchuk). Refer to the equipment, techniques and media used by both the photographers, use images as much as possible to explain what and how these have been used in the shoots. Explain in as much detail the challenges they would have faced when doing these shoots. A.P1, AP.2

Step 3. Produce  1- 2 pages of research into the equipment that is available and used in Location Photography. Where possible use images of you actually using the equipment or use images of the equipment from internet or books/journals. As a minimum (Pass) identify and describe the use of (1) Tripods of different types (2) Light baffles – different types and how they are used. (3) External flash different types and how they are used with particular attention paid to Fill-in flash. (4) Reflectors – different type and how and when they are used. (5) Light/flash meters different types and how they are used. (6) Backgrounds & their support systems – different types and how they are used.

As much as possible use images for this part of the work with annotations and information gleaned from product data sheets from websites that you use. A.P1

Step 4. Produce 2-3 pages using images as much as possible to illustrate the equipment, media and techniques used in 4 different location specialties. Also identify the problems, challenges and characteristics associated with the 4 chosen specialties. A.P1

Step 5 Write a detailed explanation of what a production process is in photography. (Do not copy/plagiarise my example). Write a more general explanation using my example and any others you’re able to find through researching.  When you produce your own images explain clearly the use to which your images might be put. Where would they be seen, who might pay for them, what genre/s of Photography do they fit and why they are fit for purpose and suit this purpose. (Note these points can be also discussed in your Gibbs reflections). C.M4

Step 6. Reflect on your research work using the Gibbs method finishing with a plan for your first test shoot. Make sure your plans are detailed as this is one of the key criteria Planned Intentions. B.P4

Step 7. Using the Plan-do-reflect approach (Creative process) conduct several test shoots trying different locations, subjects, light types, equipment, media and techniques. Each shoot needs to be planned in as much detail as possible planned intentions with a good selection of the images produced in your design sheets with annotations. Each shoot needs to be reflected on using the Gibbs method with particular attention paid to the what you’ve learned, analysing the use of light, equipment, media and the techniques you employ. Why where they fit for purpose, why were they problematic and what if you used them differently or didn’t use them – how would the images improve or suffer? Each time you conduct one of your test shoots identify 2 or more aspect of photographic practice on location that you need to improve making detailed suggestions as to how these improvements might be actioned. Also, within the Gibbs reflections explain how what you have done meets the requirements of the brief.  B.P3, B.P4, C.P5, C.P6

Step 8. Write up a final evaluation once you’ve completed your final shoot and evaluate the success of your final shoot. Break the evaluation down into headed sections (1). Why is my work fit for purpose mentioning the potential client and use of the images – where would they be seen and why are they appropriate? (2). How does my work meet my planned intentions Explain how your final shot met your planned intentions (Your plan). (3) My production process write a detailed account of your own production process and how and why it helped in the production of this work. (4). Future skills development Identify and explain in detail 6 or more areas of your practice that you need to improve in order to be a more accomplished photographer.C.M4, C.D3 

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Notes. They can approach the research in a number of ways.

The research can comprise of Artist research whereby they're primarily identifying the following aspects of the Photographers work...

Type and characteristics of the location photography looked at.(Irving Penn and In the American West)