Final Evaluation

·       Final evaluation (A04)

o   emphasise how the work has developed and how it has been influenced by prior research.

Here you will need to summarise how your work has developed as a result of the shoots that you have undertaken.

·      How has your research (photographers research, research log) and preparatory shoots influenced the final series of images that you have created?

·      What have learnt/ how has your work developed as a result of the project, this can be:

o    technical (learning new techniques in camera operation, shooting)

o   aesthetic (new ways of presenting work)?

·       How successful were you in responding to the exam paper? Identify areas where your work is strong and areas where you might want to improve your work further.


The work that I have done has developed from outside shoots including one model, street photography using the general public and the decisive moment, to studio shoots using multiple models. I have quite often used a black and white theme and my edits have been inspired by multiple artists and photographers, one being Baldessari known for his black and white photographs in which he covered individuals faces and certain objects with colour.

I saw some art work in which the shoot of the model had been printed twice and their face had been cut out and crumpled up before being layered back on to its original position. This was a big part of the inspiration behind my idea of layering and crumpling and was prominent throughout a lot of my work and edits.

Before this project I was not particularly confident on Photoshop but towards the end have been able to create some meaningful pieces of work that aesthetically look pleasing. I also learnt how to properly set up a studio in preparation for a shoot which was something that I struggled with before hand.

I ensured that I stuck to the topic of framing devices throughout all of the work whether the shoots were outside and the framing was through buildings and architecture like doorways or windows or whether the shoots were inside and edited on photoshop.

Final Pieces

Final Pieces (A04)

·       Show the images the best images that you have created in a single post.  Ensure that the images selected work as a series and are linked to the exam paper.

Work Record 2

·       Contact sheet

·       Straight images (as many as you wish to post)

·       AO1: Develop ideas through sustained investigations informed by research and other sources.

o   Discuss your research influences including examples of their work and how they relate to the topic studied

o   Discuss your ideas for the exam topic, what you intend to do in response to the exam

·       AO2: 

o   (Demonstrate your ability to experiment with photographic media, techniques and materials.

o   Demonstrate your ability to review and refine work as it develops

o   including Computer experiments (if carried out during the exam)

o   Physical experiments (if carried out during the exam)

·       AO3: (Reflect critically on your work and progress, (evaluate the images you have produced in what way do the images link to your initial plans/the exam paper… )


Contact Sheet:

 Best Images:

When shooting these images, I was looking for similar things as I was in the previous shoot. I wanted peoples true reactions and emotions to show through my images. So my approach was to ensure my models were as comfortable as they could be in front of the camera, and to shoot pictures when they were not expecting it. This way I knew I would capture the models genuine reactions through their facial expressions and body language.

Aperture 1/125 - f.13

Aperture 1/125 - f.13

Aperture 1/125 - f.13

Aperture 1/125 - f.13

Aperture 1/125 - f.13

Aperture 1/125 - f.13

Images that require improvement:

A02: Explore and select appropriate resources, media, materials, techniques and processes, reviewing and refining ideas as work develops. 

I carried out this shoot in the studio with a white back drop and two soft box lights facing the models, one on the left and one on the right.  I was shooting full body portraiture shots with a Nikon on a tripod. I used an aperture of 1/125 and a shutter speed of f.13 and an ISO of 200 for each shot. Although the images were slightly dark I knew I would edit this on photoshop and brighten them. 

I have purposely chosen two best images of each model so that when editing, I could half the opacity creating ghostly effect. This will therefore show both of the images of the model, one slightly more faded than the other. 

The first thing I did when editing all of my images was brighten the image using the curve tool just to ensure that the images were nice and clear.

After this I converted my image to black and white, this is the theme I decided to stick to with all of my images as well.

Then I cropped my image just to remove any unnecessary negative space, and in some of my images the bottom of the backdrop can be seen on the floor.

After this I embedded another image of this model on to the first layer using the 'Place Embedded...' tool. 

Then I adjusted the opacity so that the one image of the model was more prominent than the image that is slightly more faded. I moved the images slightly until I was happy with where they were positioned and saved the image before using the magnetic selection tool to select a section of the background behind the model and use the paint bucket to fill this section in pink. I then proceeded to save this version too and printed off both of the images edits I had saved so far. 

Additionally I cut the purple section out with scissors and crumpled it up similar to some of my previous work, then I stuck this on top of the black and white layer with glue.

Before adjusting anything on this image I embedded another image of this model on to the first layer using the 'Place Embedded...' tool.

Then I cropped my image to a 5:7 ratio and adjusted the opacity so that the happier image of the model was more prominent than the image that is slightly more faded where the model doesn't appear as happy. I moved the images slightly until I was happy with where they were positioned and then I proceeded to use the curve tool to make my image brighter.

After this I converted the image to black and white.

 For some reason there was a light strip on the left side of my image, so I used the magnetic tool to select this area and make it another layer before using the brightness tool to make this layer slightly darker to match the rest of the image.

After all of this I saved my image before using the magnetic selection tool again to select a section of the background behind the models head and use the paint bucket to fill this section in red. I then proceeded to save this version too and printed off both of the images edits I had saved so far. 

Additionally I cut the red section out with scissors and crumpled it up similar to some of my previous work, then I stuck this on top of the black and white layer with tape on each corner.

I followed the same steps for this image as well, the only difference in this image is the colour that I used which was purple. 

I followed the same steps for this image but decided that I would continue to edit this image on photoshop rather than printing it off and making physical alterations. 

I selected an image I had shot of the sky and cropped out part of the street that I didn't want in the image. I had an idea that I wanted my sky to have a purple tint so that it is more intimate. I did this by adjusting the hue to +29. 

After this I used the 'Place Embedded' tool to layer this over the Image of my model on the top area of the image. Then I adjusted the opacity so that it didn't cover her head completely but appeared faded. 

For this image I followed the same steps in regards to cropping my image, adjusting the brightness and converting it to black and white. I also embedded another image of my model but waited until my adjustments were made to change the opacity.

I wanted to use my idea with the previous image and progress from it somehow. I embedded the image of the clouds and duplicated the layer twice so I had three of this image. I adjusted the opacity so each one was equally faded and left equal spacing between each one. This left me with my final result.

A03: Record ideas, observations and insights relevant to intentions, reflecting critically on work and progress.

My Idea was to use framing devices as a topic throughout my work. I decided to do this through the use of layering, sometimes including crumpling and adding colours or images e.g the clouds. I am not a particularly confident user of Photoshop and therefore decided to take the physical editing approach. However towards the end of this project I was able to create some pieces of work on Photoshop that I was proud of. 

I have lots of deeper meanings and underlying messages in my final edits that I will explain under each image. But these idea's are what inspired my images and the editing process. The layering and crumpling technique was something that I saw during the preparation for this exam and a good idea that I decided to pursue throughout the majority of my work not only because I was confident with this method but I feel like it looks aesthetically pleasing and works well with the underlying meaning of the images.

The opacity tool was another part of the editing process that really represented what I wanted it to and makes the deeper meaning of the images a lot clearer. Ultimately though, the final images are subjective and can be understood and perceived in many different ways.

In regards to my shoot I think it went fairly well. I got at least five images of each model so that I could pick the best ones. I knew how to use all of the equipment and it all worked fine for the shoot. The images could have been slightly brighter before being edited and I could have tackled this issue by brightening the flash on the soft box lights or adjusting the camera settings to a higher ISO or something along those lines.

Final Images:

All of these images appear a lot darker than they actually are due to the scanning process.

The idea behind this image was that the character here appears happy but quiet on the outside, her body language shows it especially through her feet slightly pointing inwards and her right hand holding her left. This is the more prominent figure that appears at the forefront. However the faded version of the girl is bigger and almost lost or worried, the idea is that this girl is someone who has a lot of deep worries and anxieties but is very good at hiding it though her happy nature. The coloured section is highlighting her body language where she is holding her hand, to emphasise her nervousness.

This image has a similar idea, the clearer version of the girl appears happy and confident, this is how she portrays herself to the world. However the idea is that really she is insecure, and cares a lot about what others think, the faded version of the girl does not appear as laid back and is standing up straight. The crumpled red layer over her face suggests that she doesn't present a true reflection of who she really is to those around her and that they aren't seeing the full picture, the tape quite literally shows that she is wearing a mask.

Again this image is very similar in that the clearer version of the boy in the forefront appears happy and carefree, but the faded version of the boy is in deep thought. The idea here is that this is the kind of person who appears almost careless about most things, however inside he overthinks and worries. Again the coloured section here highlights his relaxed body language with his hands in his pockets. 

The meaning of this image is fairly obvious, it depicts a girl with her head in the clouds. She is most likely living in a fantasy because she is young and naive, not realising the seriousness of what is to come, maybe not as prepared for the future as she should be. Like the other images the clearer image of the girl is smiling and relaxed with one hand in her hair and the other in her pocket. Whilst the faded image of her had her legs crossed and a depressed face.

The idea of this image is that the girl protects herself by keeping her head in the clouds, she uses this as a shield and a distraction from reality so that she doesn't have to feel pain or emotional struggle. Again the clearer version of the girl is laughing, and appears happier than ever, but there is a more vulnerable girl behind.

This was a similar idea as well, the original print is in colour but I stuck black and white strips over the top which symbolises that the girl is learning that life is not always black and white. She shielded herself with the idea that life was simple but has come to learn and face the reality that life is complex and a real spectrum of colour.