Bethany Jane: Work-Based Learning

Tutor: Richard Peregrine

Learning Outcomes Assessed in this assignment / Assessment criteria

LO1. Negotiate and undertake work based task(s).

LO2. Critically the work undertaken.

LO3. Integrate theory and practice.

LO4. Reflect and make recommendations to improve practice.

Task

This assignment provides an opportunity for the student to learn through work in a working environment. A real experience of working practices, meeting and dealing with clients, seeing commercial work in production and witnessing the challenges faced by practitioners. Learning taking place through this unit, building upon the PDP and Business Practice modules in the first year and linking undergraduate level learning to the workplace. It provides the opportunity for students to recognise their own personal development in their work place setting and to acquire and develop those skills necessary for exemplary practice. Students will make the links between the modules studied throughout the programme and their work practice and action plan for future personal growth and development. Students will be given the opportunity to undertake a specific work related tasks and will reflect on their own performance throughout the tasks with a view to achieving a constructive and beneficial learning experience.
Your Work Based Learning evidence file should commence with a discussion in tutorial considering ways of 'customising' the Work Based Learning experience for your own particular needs and ambitions. It is vital to consider the nature of your Individual Study assignment, which aims to diagnose vocational interests and potential personal development planning. When you are aware of the parameters of the possible items for this unit, contact should commence with potential contacts, tasks and placements.

The Work-Based Learning assignment consists of the following assessable items:

Blog based or A4 WBL Evidence File containing:
Policy for WBL
Procedure document
FD Photographic Media WBL Student guide
WBL authorisation form complete
Typed or blog based journal containing evidence of work placement, work shadowing or 'live managed task'
Evidence of a trade or industrial show such as Focus, Photokina or the Canon conference
Practical work relating to work
Any additional evidence relevant to WBL
Participation in a WBL seminar day where you can share your experiences

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Darwen Light Night

'Darwen Light Night is a project led by Darwen Creates of Darwen Aldridge Community Academy with support from Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council. Funded through the High Street Innovation fund, the project links young people with businesses and their community, culminating in a celebration event during Global Entrepreneurship Week 2013.' - www.darwenlightnight.co.uk

A few weeks prior to the event, I was contacted by Katherine Taylor, organiser of Light Night and project manager regarding photographing the whole day and evening. This was because the purpose of the event was to encourage and bring together students and local businesses in a working environment.

An initial meeting was arranged at the Darwen Creates offices (based inside Darwen Aldridge Community Academy) for 30th Oct, where we spoke of the times and different stalls and events to cover during the day and evening. During this meeting I took some images of the kids in their dance practice, to be used in press items in the run up to the event. This was followed by a second visit to DACA on 15th November, where I photographed the children practicing their dance routine for their Light Night performance (choreographed by Tallia School of Dance). After this, we went down to the Sports Hall to meet and photograph the Street Monkeys, an up-and-coming parkour group from Preston, at a workshop organised for local children wanting to get involved.

Request for student photographers on official Light Night website with my image being used

Section about Tallia School of Dance's involvement with my image being used

My image being used in the Light Night poster

23rd November - Light Night. We spent the day walking round, observing and shooting the aspects of the day. In the market hall, there were numerous stalls and local companies and businesses involved, including a Christmas craft stall from the pupils of DACA, a Crown Paints stall of DACA's art students, a lantern-making stall to allow the children to get involved and switch on their lanterns, outside St. Peter's Church were also many handmade lanterns ready for lighting up that evening. As the evening approached, the crowd was increasing at the main stage, where we were told we would be able to photograph in front of the barrier. Rock FM were hosting the event and the people and acts photographed were the Mayoress, who handed out cheques to local businesses, local musical acts, the Street Monkeys as well as various acts from Britain's Got Talent and X Factor.

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Tallia School of Dance: Dance Spectallia 2014

Tallia School of Dance is my sister's dance school in Wigan. She employed me as the photographer of her first-ever dance show, Dance Spectallia 2014. I photographed a large portion of the whole show, from rehearsals to portraits to sell and being backstage on the show night to capture the atmosphere.

The photographic skills I used and improved were in post-production (Photoshop and Lightroom) and by using my Bowens studio lights for the first time away from personal work, my confidence has started to grow in these aspects I am not very confident with. As well as this, I also found myself using skills and ... I hadn't thought about before beginning WBL - such as people skills, time management. I feel like this experience has definitely begun to prepare me for the working world of photography.

Group shots for show programme