Test shoots

Within your assignment briefs and lessons you'll hear the terms test shoots. If you're not familiar with this term here's a basic explanation.

(1). Each of your assignments has to be produced over a number of practical stages showing "Development" e.g. a gradual improvement of either your practical skills or the concept/idea.

(2). This is achieved through producing 'Test shoots'. Test shoots are trial shoots where you try out your technique and play around with your idea and concepts.

(3). Test shoots allow you opportunities to try out different media, cameras, lighting, lens focal lengths, compositions, ideas, designs, models, looks and so much more. Test shoots are generally where you learn the most. During test shoots things are allowed to go wrong and you're able to learn by reflecting on the mistakes  you make, analysing where it went wrong and what you should do or learn next in order to improve and develop as a photographer.

(4). As a photography student we expect that you'll be gagging to make images, so will expect to see several test shoots for each of your assignment briefs.

Example

In the 2nd year you'll do a location brief and this will involve shooting a person/s on location. Well before the execution of your final and best shoot you'll need to produce several test shoots using a range of equipment, media and techniques. This range of equipment, media and techniques is addressed in your work through the planning, production and reflection of several test shoots using the creative process.

One of your test shoots may be a multi-faceted one where you plan a shoot and test several things...

1. The location/View-point
2. The light
3. A particular film type
4. The model and poses you might use
5. The lens focal length 

This one shoot will give you an opportunity to identify a multitude of learning goals along with the associated images, enabling annotations associated with the 5 themes you've tested. This followed up with a robust and detailed Gibbs reflection would be a potential example of producing a test shoot that demonstrates high levels of learning.

Needless to say, you don't have to address as many goals as this in one shoot. You might just spend a few hours shooting different locations in the first instance without the use of a model and might just explore and investigate...

1. Potential locations/view-points.
2. Diffuse light/Point light at these locations.
3. The light direction and how it affects the image/mood.

Again, what ever you do it needs to; Be preceded by a plan; link in some way with your research, give you the opportunity to produce at least a page of images with the appropriate annotations and be finished off with a robust Gibbs reflection.

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