Lesson video

Hello, everyone.

How are you? Hope you're feeling great.

My name is Ms. (indistinct) and I'll be your art teacher for this lesson.

I'm feeling very excited about that 'cause our lesson is about photography, which is one of my very, very most favourite mediums. Our lesson is called Developing a Unique Concept For a Photography Project.

I wonder if you already have some ideas, some concepts in mind.

We are gonna be exploring it all in this lesson.

Our lesson comes from the unit of work, Finding Your Voice, an Introduction to The Creative Process.

So I hope you have some ideas.

I hope you have some enthusiasm and energy and focus.

And if you have all of that, we are ready to begin.

The outcome for today's lesson is I can develop a personal and unique concept for a photography project that reflects my artistic voice.

We have some keywords in our lesson.

Let's go through them.

Concept, inspiration and moodboard.

So what do these keywords mean? Well, concept is the underlying idea or message behind an artwork.

Inspiration, that's a source of creativity that sparks new artistic ideas.

And moodboard, a visual collage of images, text and materials used to explore ideas.

These are our three key words, concept, inspiration and moodboard.

Let's look out for them.

Let's listen out for them.

They will be coming up in our lesson today.

Today's lesson is called Developing a Unique Concept For a Photography Project, and it has two learning cycles, understanding and generating ideas and developing ideas with moodboards.

Let's begin by understanding and generating ideas.

So why do artists use concepts? Pause here and share with someone.

What do you think? Thanks for sharing.

A concept helps guide creative decisions from what you photograph to how you frame it.

Without a concept, your project can feel random or disconnected.

Think of it like a map for your creativity.

Good concepts are often connected to your own experiences, inspiration, values or observations.

They don't need to be complicated, but it should have meaning for you.

And here we see a silhouette of a person beside an aquarium window.

Pause the video and share with someone.

What do you think the concept is behind this artwork? Thanks for sharing.

Having a clear concept helps artists to develop specific ideas, projects and portfolios.

Try to make your concept personal, purposeful, clear, and we can see an image of a camera and a tripod viewing the landscape.

Concepts help to guide creative choices and express ideas.

Your concept should be something that inspires you as this will lead to thoughtful creative processes and a meaningful photography project.

We can see a silhouette of a photographer behind their camera on the tripod.

Examples of concepts artists have been inspired by include, in "Ancestral Memory", Maree Clarke explores the concept of personal identity and storytelling by reconnecting with indigenous cultural practises and ancestral knowledge using art to revive and share First Nations histories and traditions.

James Cohen explores the concept of architectural decay by capturing the beauty of abandoned spaces, revealing stories of time, memory and loss.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is the main purpose of developing a concept for a photography project? Is it A, to copy another artist's style, B, to make photos look more professional, C, to guide creative choices and express a personal idea, or D, to impress others with complex ideas? Pause here while you decide what the main purposes of developing a concept for a photography project.

Well done if you selected answer C.

Indeed the main purpose of developing a concept for a photography project is to guide creative choices and express a personal idea.

Concepts can come from a range of sources, including personal experiences or memories, emotions, feelings or states of mind, social or cultural issues, visual inspiration from the world around you.

And we can see in this photograph a person walking in a landscape.

A really stunning landscape.

For instance, artists and photographers may choose to explore the concept of cultural identity through portraits.

As a concept, this may be something which inspires them or they're interested in.

The concept then guides the kinds of photographs they will take.

And we can see a silhouette to a person at dusk.

Beautiful time of day.

Diana Blok is a photographer who explores identity and gender through their portraits.

In "Adventures in Cross-Casting", 1997, Blok created 40 large portraits of Dutch performing arts personalities from both onstage and backstage.

She invited them to choose a role originally written for the opposite sex to impersonate and bring to life with props and costumes.

And we can see the silhouette of the person in this image on the screen.

Think carefully about what interests and inspires you to reveal a concept for your photography project.

City spaces and isolation might be a concept generated by feelings of disconnection in crowded places.

Personal identity might be explored through photographing objects and items that the photographer values.

You can see in this image a figure walking in a mist.

Photographers who explore identity in their work include, Daniel Regan creates deeply personal works with emotionally rich concepts focused on mental health, trauma and recovery.

Campbell Addy showcases a personal artistic voice through fashion and portrait photography.

Cindy Sherman creates conceptual self-portraits that explore identity, stereotypes, fiction and media.

On the screen, we can see a photograph of dramatic lighting on stairs.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Which of the following is the best example of a strong concept for a personal photography project? Is it A, taking photos of random objects, B, exploring cultural identity through portraits, C, copying a famous photographer's series, or D, photographing anything interesting? Pause here while you decide which of these is the best example of a strong concept for a personal photography project.

Well done if you selected answer B.

Indeed, exploring cultural identity through portraits is a strong concept for a personal photography project.

And now it's time for your first task.

I would like you to generate ideas by responding to the given question prompts.

You could use the table below to organise your ideas.

So here are our questions.

What topics or issues do I care about? What emotions or memories inspire me? What visual themes do I enjoy exploring? So pause here while you take some time to generate ideas by responding to these question prompts.

And you can use the table given to organise your ideas.

Enjoy your task, and I'll see you when you're finished.

It is great to be back with you.

So how did you get on with that task? Generating ideas by responding to the given prompts, you might have said something like this.

What topics or issues do I care about? Environmental issues and concerns, climate change.

What emotions or memories inspire me? I'm inspired by feeling connection, time spent in nature in forests and trees.

What visual themes do I enjoy exploring? Digital, mechanical technology and natural forms. Well done for having a go at this task and for generating ideas using those question prompts.

Pause here now and share your responses with someone nearby and notice the similarities, connections or differences between your answers.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for sharing with each other.

And now we're onto our next learning cycle, developing ideas with moodboards.

A moodboard is a collection of images, words, textures or colours that reflect your concept.

It helps clarify your vision and serves as a guide to inform your decisions when you begin creating photographs.

And we can see an example of a moodboard there.

Pause here and share with someone your impressions of this moodboard.

Thanks for sharing.

Ideas can be developed, refined and visualised through moodboards.

Making a moodboard helps you to explore and visualise your concept, make it feel real and also guide future photography choices.

Pause here and share with someone, what do you think the idea or concept is behind this moodboard that we can see on the screen? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Lots of green there.

Lots of images from nature, so perhaps something to do the connection to nature.

Discuss with a partner what you might include in your moodboard to explore your concept further.

Pause here while you do this.

Thanks for having that discussion.

Let's hear some responses.

Here's Sam.

"I'm interested in how nature and technology can come together to create positive change in the world.

I could include plants, natural forms and human-made devices in my moodboard." Great thinking.

And Alex, "Dreams and memories is my concept.

I'll use quotes, torn photographs, faded colours and layered textures to explore this concept." Really lovely idea.

Pause video and share with someone.

Can you think of any other ideas of how Alex could explore the concept of dreams and memories aside from the ideas already shared? Thanks for sharing your ideas.

Let's have a check for understanding.

Why do artists create moodboards? Is it A, to explore and visualise ideas before creating artwork, B, To practise photography techniques, C, to make a scrapbook of memories, or D, to collect unrelated images they like? Pause here while you decide why artists create moodboards.

Well done if you selected answer A.

Indeed, artists create moodboards to explore and visualise ideas before creating artwork.

Moodboards help you to, can you finish the sentence? Pause here and share with someone.

What do moodboards help you to do? Thanks for sharing.

I wonder if you had some ideas like this.

Moodboards help you to focus your concept visually, try out ideas, communicate your ideas to others, spark inspiration.

And we can see an example of a moodboard on the screen there.

Pause here and share with someone, what do you think the concept is behind this moodboard? Thanks for sharing.

Maybe something around renewable energy perhaps.

In your moodboard, it's important to choose images that are personal and clearly connect to your concept.

"Each of these pictures makes me think of nature and technology," says Sam.

Consider how each image represents your concept and avoid including random images that don't support it.

You can add short notes around your images to explain why you chose them.

Symbolises green energy.

Advanced futuristic technology sources.

Drones to improve farming and everyday life.

Annotations help show your thinking and make your artistic voice more distinct.

You can choose how deep to go with your concept.

Here's Sam.

"I chose my concept around nature and technology, partly because I was feeling concerned about environmental issues, but also because I thought that combining the two themes would create an interesting visual juxtaposition." I like your thinking.

Simple, honest concepts that you are interested in can be just as powerful as complex ones.

Let's have a check for understanding.

What is the most important thing to include on your moodboard? Is it A, photos with the highest quality resolution, B, as many different pictures as possible, C, only black and white images, or D, images that are personal and connect to your concept? Pause here while you decide what is the most important thing to include on your moodboard? Well done if you selected answer D, images that are personal and connect to your concept are really important to include on your moodboard.

And now it's time for your next task.

I would like you to begin creating your moodboard to develop ideas in relation to your concept.

You should use magazines, printed images or digital resources.

Make sure your moodboard communicates a clear concept, feeling or message.

And add three to five annotations that reflect your concept.

So pause here while you have a go at this task of beginning to create your moodboard to develop ideas in relation to your concept.

Enjoy your task and I'll see you when you're finished.

So how did you get on with that task of beginning to create your moodboard to develop ideas in relation to your concept? You might have said something like this.

Here's Sam, "My moodboard is based on the concept of nature and technology.

I chosen and collage pictures, words and graphics that match this theme." Let's take a look at some of those words.

So we've got symbolises green energy, advanced futuristic technology sources, and drones to improve farming and everyday life.

And this moodboard is about nature tech.

Pause here and share with someone, how well do you think Sam's moodboard is representing the concept of nature and technology? Pause here and share with someone.

Thanks for sharing.

And now I would like you to share your moodboard with somebody else, but without saying what the actual concept is and see if they can work out from your images and annotations what the concept is behind your moodboard.

Pause here while you have a go at this.

Thanks for sharing your moodboards, and hopefully you were able to work out what each other's concepts were based on your annotations and images.

In our lesson, Developing a Unique Concept For a Photography Project, we've covered the following.

Artists use personal experiences, inspiration, interests and emotions to shape creative concepts.

A strong concept forms the foundation of a successful photography project.

Moodboards can help develop and refine creative ideas.

Well done, everyone, for joining in with this lesson.

It was great to explore this topic of Developing a Unique Concept For a Photography Project.

I hope that you've enjoyed using your personal experiences, emotions, identities to help you come up with your concept and hope that creating your moodboard has really helped you to explore your concept and work out a little more about where you'd like to go with it.

I hope you've enjoyed this lesson.

I've really enjoyed teaching you.

Photography is just one of my most favourite things that there is.

So I've loved this, and I'm looking forward to seeing you at another art lesson soon.

Until then, stay creative.