Lesson video

Hello, my name's Mrs. Alton.

Welcome to this lesson on art and design.

Today's lesson is all about the role of a photography journal in developing your style, and that's from the unit finding your artistic voice: an introduction to the creative process.

So let's get started.

So I hope that by the end of today's lesson, you can use your photography journal to develop your own style and guide your artistic choices.

Let's look at some keywords for today's lesson.

Develop is to improve and refine artistic skills, ideas, or techniques through practise and experimentation.

A journal is a personal space to explore, experiment, and develop artistic skills.

Our lesson today has been broken down into three learning cycles.

The first is how photographers use journals, the second is developing your own style in a journal, and the third is reflecting on journal entries.

So let's take a look at learning cycle one.

In photography, a journal can be physical or digital, and it's really important to remember that it can take any form as long as it documents your learning journey from that initial starting point through to the end outcome.

You might want to take a moment to think about your preferred way of working.

What would really suit the types of work that you'd like to produce? So for some people that might be a digital display, and for others that might be a very physical book or something that you can hand manipulate.

Have a think.

Take a look at this image.

What are the different ways that this photographer has used their journal? Maybe you've noticed that they've identified themes within their work.

So we can see here that they've used these keywords, and they all stem from the idea of contrast.

They've also researched inspirational sources, and we can see there's a really good selection that, again, relate to that theme.

So we've got a common element starting to appear in their initial pages of research.

We've also got some text, so we've got some information, some kind of deeper research on some of these ideas.

And that's the idea of contrast.

We have a definition there.

We've got some relationship to space composition.

So they're starting to look at these elements of art within their initial research.

What are the different ways that this photographer has used their journal? Take a look.

So you may have realised that this student has used their journal to document their contact sheet.

They've also included a title and selected images to meet their intention.

So they're showing that they're reviewing and refining their process as they develop their ideas.

They've also explained their work as well as they've gone along.

And that really helps the examiner when they're looking at the quality of your recording.

What are the different ways that this photographer has used their journal? Take a look.

So well done if you identified that, again, they've reviewed and evaluated.

And we can see they've used a highlighter pen, and that really draws the viewer into those key points that you want to really grab their attention with.

They've also made sure that they've labelled things.

And they've made connections, so they're researching as they go.

You can also see that there's some comparing and analysing, and they selected key images and used a highlighter pen just to show how they've maybe played around with the positioning of objects within their photography.

So the journal is a special place for a photographer to develop their own style.

And a style is what makes their work unique.

So sometimes we can identify somebody's style just by looking at a collection of images, and there's a light bulb moment when you suddenly realise, "Oh, I know that photographer or I know that artist," because of the types of way maybe they use colour or they devise their composition, for example.

So how does your journal help you develop your own unique style? Photographers might use their journals to: record contextual and other sources; gather visual inspiration and resources; plan a photo shoot location, layout, or lighting for example; test out ideas and express thoughts and feelings; manipulate photos to experiment with new materials, techniques and mediums; document and evaluate.

So all these things we've just looked at within these examples that we've seen.

A quick check for understanding.

Which of these are most likely to be found in a photographer's journal? Is it a, experiments with new materials, techniques and mediums, b, drawings and paintings from life, c, visual inspiration and resources, or d, long extensive written texts? Well done if you identified it's a and c.

Lots of experimentation and lots of visual inspiration and resources.

Photographers try out new ideas and express thoughts and feelings in their journals as we've seen.

And it's a really good practise to maybe go back into your own and just check that you've also done that in yours.

Photographers also experiment with new materials, techniques, and mediums. Again, have a look back through your sketchbook.

Where are you showing evidence of these things? Because they're all gonna be really important in your end assessment.

And lastly, photographers make detailed plans before taking a photo shoot and documenting it.

Have a look at this image here.

How did this photographer prepare for their photo shoot? And you may have noticed that this shoot's all about mould.

So what they've done is prepare a surface where the mould can grow and actually document that process.

So sometimes photo shoots can take quite a lot of planning and a bit of time to organise.

Which of these is most likely to be found in a photographer's journal? Is it a, contact sheets, b, essays about art history, c, new ideas, or d, perfect final pieces? Well done if you recognise it's a, contact sheets, and c, new ideas.

Photographers gather visual inspiration and resources in their digital journals, which often include apps.

Journals are part of the creative process and used in many jobs in the creative industries.

And here we can see images that have been collected on a digital platform.

And this really acts as a digital endless piece of paper where you can keep adding to the journey as you progress.

It's also a great way to share a board with others, so other people can upload images that they think might be useful to you.

So in that way, it can grow quite organically.

For many photographers, their journal practise is a vital tool.

And journaling isn't just for exams, but part of the process.

Kofi Allen, previously known as Clive Kofi Allen, was a British photographer exploring identity culture and the Black experience in the UK.

His photos act as an archive journal, documenting communities and capturing feelings and memories that shaped his creative journey.

Hannah Starkey is a British photographer known for her portraits on women's identity.

She uses the walls of her studio as a journal to connect, plan, and reflect on her ideas and images.

So she'll often gather all of her work on display and revisit things and think about how even older images, how she could reuse elements of that into her current work.

Martin Parr is a British documentary photographer known for his humorous photos of British life.

And documentary photographers take photos of real life scenes as they happen.

Parr has created a large archive of printed photographs, and they're all stored in boxes at a special foundation.

Zanele Muholi is a South African photographer and visual activist.

And they use their photography to highlight the stories of Black LGBTQIA+ community in South Africa.

Muholi advocates for human rights using their photography as a journal to capture personal reflections and the deeper meanings behind their powerful images.

So over to you for our first activity.

Look through yours or another photographer's journal and reflect and make notes about the various ways it has been used.

You could consider in what ways are techniques experimented with? How are inspirations and ideas recorded within the journal? How has the journal been used as a tool for planning and developing thoughts and ideas? And what does the journal reveal about the photographer's creative journey? Does a journal have common characteristics that create a sense of photographic style? So a lot of prompts there to get you started.

Pause the video here while you look through a journal.

How did you find that? There are lots of possible answers to these questions.

This student, looking at this example, commented that there are so many playful techniques and materials in this journal, and the photographer has made their own stencil and spray painted their image to develop their ideas.

So there's a lot of crossover here between the way that you can manipulate images with a range of art techniques.

This student noticed that they like the way that this journal has been documented, in particular the way the images have been edited.

And it shows how they are making decisions and planning their final piece.

So we can see next to the images just screenshots of that editing process.

And that's a good way to show how you are reviewing and refining ideas.

In this example, we could see how the student's communicating their key ideas and making plans for their next piece of work.

So let's move on to learning cycle two, developing your own style in a journal.

By using a journal effectively, anyone studying photography can meet exam requirements and also develop a distinctive artistic voice.

Using a journal allows you to produce work that's reflective, well-informed, and deeply personal, setting a strong foundation for final outcomes as we've seen.

The next task is about looking at the assessment objective requirements and discussing with a partner ways in which you could use them and ways in which your journal could meet those assessment criteria.

So pause the video here while you look at those assessment objectives against your work, and see if you can collate some ideas about how you are meeting each one.

So how did you find that? The language in the assessment objective can be quite wordy, so it can be quite hard to actually identify what the examiners are after in terms of those sophisticated awards of marks.

And for AO1 Izzy's identified that, "I can explore themes, artists, photographers, and cultural influences, so by creating research pages that analyse the sources and draw inspiration from them." And Alex comments that he can, "document and annotate my thoughts, and techniques, and materials." So we're really thinking about that assessment objective of develop.

And there are many possible outcomes for AO2 that Izzy identifies that she could test materials, techniques, and approaches, or even document her photo shoots using contact sheets to explore composition and which photos best fit her intention.

And Alex comments that he could record successes and failures, which is really a key point of the development and learning process.

So he's not afraid to make mistakes.

For AO3, we're thinking about record.

And Izzy notices that she could use a range of approaches when presenting information.

So she might use a website, or galleries of images, captions, embedded video, bullet points, mind maps, and scanned diagrams, so she can use this kind of multidisciplinary approach in terms of how she's recording.

And Alex says, "I can use written annotations to reflect my thought process, describe my intentions, and evaluate my progress." For AO4, Izzy comments that she could use her journal as a planning tool for final pieces.

And so it's not just about that final outcome, it's a whole journey and seeing if you've met your intentions.

And that could create lots of experiments.

It could be testing colour palettes, lighting, refining composition.

And Alex also comments that he could track how his initial ideas and experiments will culminate in a final outcome.

Let's take a look at learning cycle three, reflecting on journal entries.

So what do these pages tell you about the development of a photographer's skills and ideas over time? Take a look carefully at both of these examples.

So you may have noticed that this student has used their source materials, so their images, their photography, in a number of different ways, and that's really sparked different directions for their project.

So we can see on the left hand side, they've been using the idea of layering their photography together.

So the pattern that they've seen on a bench with the pattern of fabric.

And we can see there's a response to that, but then it develops into 3D as well, so they can think about how they could use this embossing technique.

So we can see there's a clearly developed idea that's leading through both of these works.

Journals can document the development of a photographer's skills, ideas, and artistic voice over time.

By revisiting older pages, they can reflect on how their work has evolved and identify reoccurring themes, techniques, or subjects.

So we can see in this example an experimentation with cyanotype photography.

So a quick true or false question for you.

Journals can document the development of a photographer's skills and style over time.

Well done if you recognise that's a true statement.

Can you think why? So as we've mentioned, revisiting those older journal pages can help an artist reflect on how their work has evolved and identify reoccurring themes and development of techniques and ideas.

Journals capture a photographer's experiments with materials, techniques, and ideas, revealing both successes and failures.

Early photographers, like William Henry Fox Talbot, used a scientific approach to document their photographic experiments.

And he created this calotype process, which was the first negative-based process and revolutionised all photography to come.

Tina Modotti also kept detailed records of her work.

And she explored social and political themes in Mexico.

Her photographies and journals offer an insight into the creative and technical processes as she captured the social landscape of the time.

But journals can go beyond the traditional.

Ingrid Pollard uses a mix of sculptural pieces, so she might include in her exhibitions found objects, video, and experimental media like photographic emulsion on canvas.

And as a collection, her work functions as an interactive journal.

So it really invites a viewer in to have a look at all these different ways of presenting photography.

And it really reflects on identity and history over time.

And Lang Jingshan pioneered this idea of composite photography.

So he was really interested in how he could use photography in a traditional stylized way of painting.

And his work reflects the evolution of techniques that he developed, and reoccurring themes, and shows a really innovative photographic approach.

True or false question.

Journals only capture final outcomes? Well done if you identified that is a false statement.

Journals capture not only the final outcomes, but also the processes and innovations behind more finished works.

So for our last task, share your journal pages with a partner or in a small group and use some of these prompts.

What do you think your journal reveals about you, who you are as a photographer? What impression does it give? What does your work say about your personal interests, your emotions, or maybe even your cultural identity? How would you describe your artistic voice based on your journal, what makes it unique? And what steps can you take in your next journal to refine and develop your artistic voice further? Take some time to reflect on these questions while you pause the video here.

So there are many possible answers to these questions.

And there's definitely not a right way, but this is what Alex noticed.

In his earlier pages, his photos lacked a strong style because he was still exploring techniques.

But over time, his skills have developed, especially in landscape photography.

And he enjoys reflective surfaces, so we can start to see what his interests are.

And this has become key points of his style or key parts of his style.

So for our next activity, share your journal pages again with your partner or in a small group and use some of these prompts to discuss.

So what materials or techniques best suit you, your ideas, and your style? And how have your ideas changed or evolved since you start documenting your creative journey? How would you describe your style? What themes or subjects do you notice appearing repeatedly in your journal? And what do you notice about your use of materials or techniques over time? Are there any you've grown confident with? Pause the video here while you discuss these questions.

So again, there's no right answers to these questions, but it's really good to step back and review how you are documenting your work in your journal.

Izzy notice that she enjoys photographing things that she's familiar with, like her local area, home, and family.

And these subjects are important to her because they shape her sense of identity, and that's really what makes her journal unique.

It reflects on how she sees the world.

So for our last task, we're going to create some action points.

And you're gonna list steps that you've identified during your discussions, and then think about what action point is now needed.

So for instance, like Alex said, he really enjoys looking at reflective surfaces.

So maybe an action point for Alex would be looking at reflected surfaces in buildings, for instance, or in windows.

So we really think about action now in terms of what we found out and how we can move forward with our project.

Pause the video here while you complete this task.

So I hope you have a comprehensive list of the next things you're going to do to really action some of those points that you've discussed today.

And we can see here some examples of actions.

So for instance, if you've only used digital photographs, maybe you could try some cameraless photography techniques.

Or if you've only done photo shoots in school, maybe you could make sure that your next photo shoot is more personal, maybe in your home or your local area, for instance, so you are really trying to show a variety of approaches in your work.

So let's take a look at a summary for today's lesson.

Despite diverse backgrounds and approaches, there are common threads in how photographers engage with journaling their creative journey.

Using a journal can help you develop and record ideas and your artistic voice.

Journals can document progression of a photographer's skill and style over time.

Thank you for learning with me today, and hope to see you soon.