A Level Photography

The kids have grown and left the nest, and suddenly you’ve got the time and the cash to follow that life long passion for photography. So what do you do next? At the age of 55, the author went back to night school to study ‘A’ level photography and found it surprisingly rewarding.

What to expect:

Photography is just one part of the Art and Design syllabus so you can be expected to get to grips with photography as a means of expression in just the same way as painting of drawing.

Meeting like minded people – You are not the only one who is an empty nester, or with a passion for photography, so expect to make some new and interesting friends.

Working on Projects – The work is focused on projects. This is perhaps one of the biggest steps forward for most amateur photographers. We all have great shots, but this is a much more structured and focused approach and ultimately much more rewarding.

So what do you have to do?:

The qualification is set in 3 parts, two projects of your own choosing and an “exam” which is 30 hours of supervised work based on a question selected from the exam paper.

I chose the following:-

Project 1: Fibonacci Numbers

I’ve always been fascinated by the link between Fibonacci numbers and nature. The can be used to calculate the “Golden Ratio”, the spirals in a shell or the number of petals on a flower.

Project 2: Photo Modernity

Inspired by the post WW1 optimism of photographers like Man Ray and Lee Miller this project set about recreating some of the feel of that era, including a digital take on Rayograms and soloristaion.

The Exam: Abstraction in the landscape

Based on the work of Wynn Bullock and Minor White the exam question was an invitation to explore and produce a personal response to these two photographers. For me that meant a trip to the Grand Canyon, and revisiting a very personal trip to the stone circles of the Island of Orkney. At the same time, exploring some new techniques in selectively toning black and white photographs.


The results:

Frankly, it’s a little strange standing in a school hall packed with teenagers, who are hugging and kissing each other at the prospect of going to university. I looked across at my middle aged friend who had taken the course with me and said “don’t you dare, even if it is a grade ‘A’!”.

Well it was, and for the first time in my academic career I’d achieved 100% in an exam. Rewarding? I’d say! But perhaps this is what happened when you are doing it for the love of the subject.

A good grade at ‘A’ level means admission to the Royal Photographic Society at Licentiateship level, but the real value is to understand how photographic project work can be such a rewarding way of expressing yourself through the art.