Analysis Process

The Formal Elements:

• Focus - Which areas appear clearer or sharpest?

• Light - Where are the highlights and shadows? Can you guess the time of day? Is the light natural or artificial, harsh or soft, direct or reflected?

• Line - What are the dominant lines in the image? Are they straight or curved, thin or thick? Do they create direction, do they outline, do they indicate movement?

• Repetition - Are objects, shapes or lines repeated in the image? Does this create a pattern?

• Shape (2D) - Do you see geometric or organic shapes? What are they? How do they relate to each other?

• Form (3D) - Do the objects in the image appear three dimensional? What creates this effect?

• Space - Is there depth in the image or does it seem shallow? Is there negative space?

• Texture - If you could touch the surface of the photograph how would it feel?

• Tone - Is there a range of tones from dark to light? Where are the darkest and lightest parts of the image? Is there contrast? What is the proportion of greys (mid tones?)

• Colour - Is colour a significant feature of the image? Are there any complimentary colours? Can you attach any symbolism/meaning to the colours displayed?

• Composition: Arrangement of formal elements, Rule of Thirds, Cropping/Framing, Foreground/Middle ground/ Background, Viewpoint, Balance, Harmony, Contrast, Tension etc.

Lighting: Type of lighting e.g. available (daylight, street lights), additional (studio lights, flash, reflector) or combination?

Aperture: Type of lens (wide angle, telephoto, macro etc.) f-stops, Depth of Field (DOF) - deep/ shallow, focal point - selective focus, in and out of focus, vignette

Shutter Speed: Exposure time, over/under exposed, motion blur, panning

ISO: Film speed/sensitivity (fast = higher number, grainier/noisier image), tonal range, contrast

White Balance: Colour cast/temperature, colour accuracy, warm/cold

Historical: Place in time, local/national/global events. History of Photography - tools and equipment, movements, styles, genres and ideas. Significant practitioners/publications/exhibitions etc.

Biographical: What do we know about the photographer? What relevance does this knowledge have to the image(s)?

Psychological: How do you feel when you look at the image? What feelings/states of mind are suggested by the image? What theories of mind are relevant to an interpretation of the image?

Theoretical: Can you apply any theories to your understanding of the image (e.g. cultural, political, philosophical/ aesthetic)?

Connections:

• • What connections can you make to your previous knowledge?

What relationships can you see between this image and other images by this or a different photographer?

• • What ideas/views do you think the image helps to communicate?

1. Commit to reading about art every day

Start now. Begin gently with a favourite artist or relevant arts news. Look to make connections across prior knowledge and to discover the wider contexts (more on this here). Like trying to find a glue stick with a lid on, this can be difficult but not impossible. (Talking of which, try looking in that dusty pile in the studio corner – they’re books, by the way).

2. Pay close attention to the language of art

Whether reading, listening in class, or watching artist video clips, do this with your dial set to hyper-sensitive. That is: FULL CONCENTRATION. Always question unfamiliar words, re-read tricky texts, and note down new vocabulary and quotes. And then, should you ever find a piece of writing that really does touch your heart, take it home and pull it to bits.

3. Practice the craft of writing

Most A level students write in their sketchbooks regularly, but few students use this as an opportunity to deliberately practice. Experiment away you fools!

• Try to write concisely but not coldly, this is art not science. Read sentences aloud to see if they sound natural or contrived.

• Avoid obvious descriptions and over-elaborating. A well-placed image, quote or question can often do the job better.

• Vary sentence length. A sentence that cascades the reader forwards, as if perched upon a rolling assembly line, does seem to resonate most if followed by a shorter one. Possibly. (Refer to previous disclaimer). This is most likely something to do with rhythm.

• Interleave the quick notes in your sketchbook (made direct in lessons from research etc. – always a good thing) with more thoughtfully-crafted paragraphs. These should become the building blocks for the Personal Study.

• Concentrate your most thoughtful writing on matters of context and connection making, for here lies the richest opportunities to combine research with personal insights. Enjoyable too.

• Use questions often. Even unanswered they can work as powerful provocations.

• Use an online thesaurus to build your vocabulary.

• Always remember: “highly articulate and sophisticated” does not mean trying to sound all fancy-pants. Keep it real.