Category: BTEC L3 Extended Diploma Yr1

Artsfest Photography Yr1 Gallery 2025Artsfest Photography Yr1 Gallery 2025

ARTSFEST PHOTOGRAPHY YR1 GALLERY 2025

My personal project is about advertisement photography. I chose this as it’s different to the rest and I found that you can be very creative once the pictures have been taken, and then to use photoshop or other editing apps. I was inspired by Phil Brooks my tutor to choose this theme, because he helped give me ideas to choose the theme and go forward with it. Such as, taking photos of perfume bottles with the light equipment in the studio. Also, changing angles with the bottles to show different lightings such as diffused soft lighting from above, a light tent (soft lighting), black edge and white edge.

I then searched photographers that photograph advertisement products, and I really liked the way they edited their photos after to make the products look appealing and buyable. I created my work by bringing in items from home to photograph and then editing them after. I arranged the items I brought in, in different ways so all my best 6 photos were different. My work is unique because others chose to do outdoor themes such as continuing their landscape project as their personal project. However, I chose completely different and decided to use the studio for my project.

This was so I could use the studio lighting instead of the natural outdoor lighting. As no one else was using the studio I was able to have the space all to myself which let me have lots of time to try different ideas and see if they were successful or unsuccessful. I want viewers to think that I have been creative with my work and tried all sorts of different combinations to see if they worked or not even if they didn’t, they will still be included on my express page as experiments.

Photographs must evoke something more in our imagination than what we just ‘see’ in the photograph. It must take us beyond ‘what we see’ and trigger ‘what we feel.’ Such as interests, curiosity, thoughts, feelings, energy. I would want my viewers to feel this way about my work. My work fits within current trends right now because, advertisement is always on tv, and it will always be trendy as it’s everywhere you go. For example, billboards, lots of social media platforms and on television.

The obstacles I faced when taking my photos was just the placing of my items, I wanted to make sure that my items looked perfectly placed, so nothing looked odd. It took me a while, but I just made some adjustments. Also, I had struggles with taking a photo of a perfume bottle whilst being sprayed. I wanted to make sure it was held perfectly, and I had to capture it being sprayed into the photograph. After a lot of attempts it did finally come out as a successful photograph.


Lexi Aston

With my project, it is about advertising modified vehicles, including motorbikes and cars. I have chosen to do this topic because it is something I am interested in. I have recently started to do it as a main topic with my photographs.

I’ve always had a peak interest in motorbikes and supercars/modified cars. As soon as I stared going to car shows in my own time, I started photographing them for people and my own pleasure. And as I continued to do it more and from having feedback from the car owners and other car photographers, it made me more inspired and made me want to continue my journey of car photography.

I used lightroom to edit my images, blemishing any details that need to be neatened up or removed. I added different colour tints and shades to pop our certain parts on the car. I went around the car in different angles, taking multiple shots of each angle and area, and seeing which lighting and area fitted best with the theme. With each different vehicle, I did daytime and night-time, wet and dry to create a contrast between the two, showing different stories and sides to how people might view the vehicle itself, adding lighting moods to set the final finish.

I think this makes it unique because not many people do projects on vehicles. I want viewers to feel encouragement and excitement whilst looking at my photographs. This is because this is mainly aimed towards bike and car enjoyers, car/bike photographers or people who modify cars for themselves or as a job. I want them to feel proud of their vehicle, whether it is modified or not.


Ebony Belnavis

For my project I will be using the theme of child photography some of my photo shoots will be planned and others will be candid images of them playing outside, this way I get to capture nice throughout images and some of them just being kids. I try to capture them in the outdoors where they can run wild whilst also being their truest self.

For this project my nephews and some other child photographers inspired me to create this work as it’s something I would like to do in the future as a career or a side hobby. In my own work I think its unique as I capture both sides of childhood for example planned photoshoots and candid. During this project I struggled to take photos that I like and would proudly use to display. 


Ruby Cartwright

My final project, titled Growth, focuses on the concept of growth in spring, which was inspired to me by the macro photographers Phaethon photography and Julie.  I aimed to capture different representations of growth in as many different types of plants frequently using zoom lenses and bright/strong color palettes.

I hoped to convey the idea that everything is always changing to get to where they need to be. Despite bad weather days stopping me from going out to take photos, it resulted in the freshness of new plant life being grown for me to photograph.


Henry Drewery

My final project explores and shows off the life of a local hardcore band called “eviscerated”. I aimed to capture their best moments as a band together causing chaos in the crowd, getting everyone hyped and making sure everyone is getting violent since that is what hardcore is about. I had to overcome the challenge of taking photos in a crowd of people who were going crazy for them, but I managed to effectively get shots which didn’t seem like I had any trouble at all.

I think that my images really convey the energy that the band has as well as their passion for creating heavy music overall. Whether that be in a practice room or on stage in front of an audience. They are always in their element. This is the main purpose of my project, I want to show people that there is a lot of passion and effort that goes into heavy music.


Natasha Edwards

My personal project is nature and macro photography. Inspired by my love of nature and how the small details are often overlooked, I aimed to capture the smaller details within nature and some common wildlife that is found, using the macro setting and a stutter speed of 1/125 and my ISO at 200. My photographs give a sense of serenity and peace.

Throughout this project I hope to create a sense of peace while also showcasing the finer details of nature that are sometimes overlooked. I faced the challenges of finding time to go outside during my day-to-day busy life, yet I overcome this by waking up earlier and heading for a slow peaceful walk before work. Overall, I loved how my images turned out despite the chaos and challenges I faced.


Jessica Fletcher

My final project is based off the 80’s and the appearance of the aesthetics through fashion, way of life and music. My work is propelled by Richard Corman as his pictures bring out the topic of the 80’s through his utilize of polaroids and his consideration to detail by including popular embellishments inside his pictures to permit them to include more objects linking to this period, he moreover takes pictures of cars and settings which appear how life was displayed inside the 80’s.

I aimed to match my images to be in the same form of style he creates his images as they are raw and unedited and that portrays the reality of life within the 80’s as it was more pure and natural in contrasts to today’s life where images are more edited to suit a certain standard. Whilst having viewers on my work, I would like to create a huge sense of nostalgia due to its unique cultural elements and the way they are perceived by people across generations.

Music, fashion, movies, and television shows of the 80s continue to evoke strong feelings of longing and fondness, often associated with simpler times and carefree youth. 


Poppy Haney

My theme of my project is about macro nature photography, to be able to show the different flowers created in nature. The inspiration of my work is from the photographer Jacky Parker as I really like her work. The techniques used for my photographs was a low aperture to be able to blur my background and I also did close up macro photography to be able to get the images I wanted. My photographs show a sense of stillness and a peaceful atmosphere. Despite the challenges that came with doing macro photography, overall, I think that I was able to capture the different flowers in nature and to be able to create pictures that link to Jacky Parker’s work.


Lily Higgs


Trinity-Mai Powell

My theme was to focus on capturing the natural bond between dogs and their environment, emphasizing their adventurous spirit and connection to nature. My inspiration for this work came from my love of animals and Tim Jones who is a pet photographer I met to add to my professional development for this project.  I used the natural lighting to showcase the earthy tones of the woodland and the textures of the dogs’ fur.

I wanted my photographs to capture candid moments with the use of my telephoto lens which also allowed me to get genuine shots of their movements and expressions.  I tried to make my photographs feel timeless and to showcase the dogs not only as pets but as adventurers and companions. Through my images I want viewers to feel a sense of freedom, joy, and connection to nature.

Pet photography is a growing genre within lifestyle and portraiture. I tried to get my work to correlate with current trends that celebrate animals in authentic, natural settings, moving away from studio setups to embrace environments that highlight individuality and personality. A challenge I encountered was getting the dogs to stay focused in a setting full of distractions, such as scents and other animals. To overcome this, I used treats and toys to guide their attention.


Molly Ross

My work is to represent and empower women and their rights. over many years women have had to protest and fight for basic human right’s and we won but the modern day seems to be taking away what we worked so hard for so I wanted to create something that showed women are still heard. I made signs and imitated a protest to present this and used modern day culture to show what women are both fighting for and going against. I used my phone camera to make it more normal as the people who protest don’t need fancy cameras just themselves and a sense of morality.


Kaysie Russell

My project is about different types of water and how it can change throughout time and in different places. The people that influence me that I have researched is Nigel Waters who took photos of different waterfalls and areas of water like the beach and still water with reflections that shows how water can be different depending on where you are.

I used a mixture of techniques using long exposure to blur the water moving and freeze the surrounding by using slow shutter speeds, a fast shutter speed to freeze the water movement to show how a photo can change the way that something looks and how unique each area of water is. I like this type of photography because I like how not one photo is going to look the exact same. I also like how it can show how something can go from being still and calming to look at and how other areas of water is fast moving and chaotic.

When taking my long exposure photos, I used a tripod so that there is only movement in the water and how the rock in the surrounding is still and vibrant and used a timer so that the camera doesn’t shake when I press the button. The significance of my project is to show how water is never the same and it can change all the time setting the mood of the places you’re visiting or the photo.


Weronika Szymala

My personal project is about Sports Photography. I chose this as my project because I’m interested in sports. I was inspired by Neil Leife as he has taken photos of different sports in portraiture but also in groups. He has used different angles to take them from, and he captured the movements of the players as well as the movements of the ball. I have interacted with a sports coach and asked if I could photograph their sports matches.

Once I took my images, I edited them and uploaded then. Once I done that, I have looked more onto to the different sports photographers to get more inspiration on how to take the images as best as possible. My work is unique as I captured in my image’s movements of the players in action from different angles. I have also taken them inside in the sports hall but also outside on the football pitch. I have taken my images of different types of sports which show my understanding of how to take photos in different angles, but also how to capture the people playing sports in different actions.

I want to inspire my younger generation to look at my work and see if that’s something they would want to do in the future career path. I want them to feel confident in what they are doing or want to do regarding photography, but also for them to see if they are interested particular on sports photography or even doing sports for their course as my images show that there are more than one sport that they could do even if it’s a hobby.

My work fits well within movements as sports photography is more of capturing action within the game. You can capture players while they are running, jumping etc. One challenge I faced was having people sitting in front of me as it was harder for me to capture what was going on in the game. I overcome that challenge by moving around in different places to find the best spot to take images but also tried different angles to get my images to be the best quality as possible.


Atif Taseen

I chose the theme “A Day in the Life” for my final photography project as I wanted to explore the beauty, rhythm, and authenticity of day-to-day moments. We live in a time when we often miss the details of our everyday lives. This theme gave me a chance to pause, watch, and appreciate the tiny stories taking place in plain sight.

Following one day, I documented moments throughout the day, capturing the relationship between the ordinary, the routine, and moments of spontaneity. Each photo depicts an openness to real emotions, quiet moments of pausing, and interaction in the context of a daily experience. I wanted to show that even when we feel like we are living through the most mundane aspects of life, through the lens, those moments are full of meaning, light, and emotions.

I selected this concept because I find it intriguing how taking a picture can elevate an insignificant moment. This project encouraged me to be present and to use my camera, in a protect way, to facilitate connection back into my life and the world surrounding it.


Oliver Thackwray


Lydia Whorton-Williams

“Most humans say they have a dog companion, but does that go for every dog?”

My work is about dogs, and the outcome of the dog’s feelings is in different environments. I did dog’s that have homes verses dog’s that are currently in the shelter. I first needed a contrast to the sadness to make sure they’re understood. So, I specifically used colour for the dogs with homes than in the dogs in the shelter. I used monochrome to show that clear difference and to etherise it. The first image I took; he was just so happy, and the sun light made it so nicely coloured which created this feeling of freedom.

For the other two I used specifically my dog when she was playing ball, so it shows those activities the dogs get to do. However, as in the dogs in the shelter they were all inside. They were sat down, and the last one was next to bars and an empty bowl which etherises the sadness that the puppy should be playing outside with a family but instead it was given up by someone and was ended up in the shelter. I wanted to make the viewers feel sorry and sympathise with the dogs.

I faced challenges with the dogs in kennels because I felt guilty for taking photos of them. In addition, I felt rushed because the worker I asked was unsure of me taking photos but still said yes. In the end, I’m very pleased with my final six and think it went all to plan.


Charlie Wilkinson

Some of my work below is to show off poverty in a passive way by showing off someone who is very well dressed and putting them in an environment that is very unappealing and maybe shows destruction, this can be very effective on the thoughts on people because the contrast between the foreground and background might make people feel differently.

Some of the other images are there to show power and disadvantage to the model which can have a very pleading and powerful effect of the viewer.

I created this personal topic to try and combat poverty by making it more known and clearer through my images.

I was inspired to start this theme from the extensive amount of poverty, homelessness and damage that everyone lives around and hoping that the images can bring light to it and cause it to be more aware and helped.

Artsfest Photography Yr1 Gallery 2024Artsfest Photography Yr1 Gallery 2024

ARTSFEST PHOTOGRAPHY YR1 GALLERY 2024


Amber Aston


Inderdeep Basra


Eloise Beard


Lui Brahimaj


Danni Jade Cruickshanks


Tobi Degg


Maria Lateu Dalton


Bonni Jay Dudley


Connor Griffiths


Angel Reynolds-Hailing


Lillie Harris


Jordan Hinton


Alex Humpage


Madison Holleron


Connor-Jay Lawrence


Wanessa Lobodzinska


Sydney Micklewright


Shannon Moloughney


Beth Mogg


Madison Mountford


Julia Mulewska


Libby Lee Myring


Mason Wild


Emily Williams


Lucy Willis

Photography BTEC National Diploma Level 3 2024Photography BTEC National Diploma Level 3 2024

PHOTOGRAPHY BTEC NATIONAL DIPLOMA  L3

YR1 | YR2 | STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY EVENING CLASS

Watch this fantastic video of our Photography exhibition created by our 2nd year students, Josh Harper and Jesse Jewkes

Here in Dudley, our students’ journey towards professional image-making has seen them seeking to find their own creative voice, whilst building meaning into their photography, growing in confidence, becoming a supportive community, learning to articulate their work as well as dealing with responses to their work, all whilst maintaining enthusiasm, inspiration, and motivation. 

We have sought to promote kindness, community, and diversity. We have continued to strengthen our close relationship with Dudley Zoo, Dudley’s Gentleman’s Songsters and Dudley Remembers and Dudley Holocaust Memorial Day. One of our students is now Diversity and Inclusion rep for the whole college.

As well as exhibiting our diversity project at Dudley Town Hall last October, we have recently had the pleasure of working with local refugees from all round the world, who have made Dudley their home. It has become a local yet international collaboration. This has been our biggest, most important project to date – The Dudley Refugee Project – It was a year in the making – commissioned by Lord Ian Austin – featuring many of our ESOL students and other refugees, including a number from Ukraine.

Our recent exhibition at The Dudley Archives was attended The Mayor of Dudley. This work exposure involved students working alongside art photographer Anand Chhabra, who won the Mayor’s Civic Award for art last year, for his work with us, which involved a collaboration with Historic England, celebrating High Street Heroes, for our national touring exhibition, featured in the Guardian newspaper.   

This year, two students worked in their own time, photographing with Dudley Caribbean and Friends Association, helping them with their own photography and raising awareness of the social welfare needs of the elderly African Caribbean community in Dudley.  

During the course, we have raised money for The Royal British Legion, Children in Need and most notably for Ronnie and Friends, for whom we helped raise over £22,000 towards building a baby bereavement room at Russel’s Hall Hospital in Dudley, by abseiling off the college and climbing the highest mountain in England, in winter.  

Frequently these students demonstrate their drive and aspiration by staying late and are often still working when the evening class arrive and sometime even help teach them. From our shared induction in the sports hall, on day one, onwards, we try to break barriers between curriculum areas and levels. We have visiting speakers most weeks, often old students coming in, to give back and inspire.         

We aim to enable a supportive, intrinsically motivated community. My students don’t need commendations or stickers; they work through their lunch or volunteer to photograph college events at weekends. They feel they are working, not just for their own skill-development, personal experience or portfolio-building but often for the greater good.  

Phil Brooks, course leader, photography

Photography Class of 2024 Highlights

Photography BTEC National Diploma Level 3 2023Photography BTEC National Diploma Level 3 2023

PHOTOGRAPHY BTEC NATIONAL DIPLOMA  L3

BTEC NAT DIPLOMA IN PHOTOGRAPHY YR1 | BTEC NAT DIPLOMA IN PHOTOGRAPHY YR2 | STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHY EVENING CLASS

Watch This Video of Our Upcycling Fashion Shoot with Andy Kruczek – January 2023

This creative cohort endured testing times through the COVID-era, at school, but have now built their confidence, cohesiveness and created a collaborative, supportive ethos. In terms of inter-department collaboration, they have photographed most college dance, musical theatre and drama events since the summer. All 2nd years are currently making promotional images for music students. Only one of our students considered going to university at the start of the course. Now 7 or 8 out of 11 are going to university and not only local ones. This year we have organised many talks, including from Gloucester University, Staffordshire University and Coventry University. We have travelled for workshops to The University of Wolverhampton and Hereford College of Arts. Also, previous students from Falmouth University, BCU, etc, have come back to work with us and inspire us.

Since Christmas, we took part in a special cross-curricular upgrade fashion shoot, inspired by Andy Kruczek’s talk and mentoring, later exhibited at the YMCA shop. Recently, we exhibited across 3 campuses for the college’s Equality and Diversity Day, as well as having a Conservation Photography exhibition at The Dudley Archives. Last year’s student Zoo Book raised hundreds of pounds for the orangutans of Indonesia. Following our work with Anand Chhabra, for Historic England, 3 students have been selected to exhibit their High St Heroes work across England, including London and Derby’s Festival of Photography.

This creative cohort endured testing times through the COVID-era, at school, but have now built their confidence, cohesiveness and created a collaborative, supportive ethos. In terms of inter-department collaboration, they have photographed most college dance, musical theatre and drama events since the summer. All 2nd years are currently making promotional images for music students. Only one of our students considered going to university at the start of the course. Now 7 or 8 out of 11 are going to university and not only local ones. This year we have organised many talks, including from Gloucester University, Staffordshire University and Coventry University. We have travelled for workshops to The University of Wolverhampton and Hereford College of Arts. Also, previous students from Falmouth University, BCU, etc, have come back to work with us and inspire us.

We are currently working with staff and students at the IOT, pioneering an educational app for students with communication difficulties, to be used across Dudley Schools. This year, one student won Dudley Young Photographer of the Year and another won a top 10 UK student award, for an image, later exhibited at the national Photography Show. In addition, one student has had a very fruitful work experience engagement with Thomas Dudley. We are currently making a ‘Ronnie and Friends’ Baby Loss Awareness book as well as this excellent yearbook. Following our work with The Holocaust Education Trust and the Dudley Holocaust Memorial, we recently had a meeting with Lord Austin, who together with the Mayor of Dudley, is commissioning us to photograph local refugees to celebrate their contribution to the community, for a forthcoming exhibition. In so many ways, this group have exceeded expectations and we wish them continued success in the future. We’re proud of you! Keep in touch – Class of 23!

Phil Brooks, course leader, photography

Watch this Video Gallery for the Dudley Zoo Exhibition Created by Dudley College Photography Students

Artsfest Photography Yr1 Gallery 2023Artsfest Photography Yr1 Gallery 2023

ARTSFEST PHOTOGRAPHY YR1 GALLERY 2023

LEXIE BAKER | MIAH BRYAN | HOLLIE CARRINGTON | COREY CHALLENGER |
JACK HAMILTON | JOSHUA HARPER | BENJAMIN HEALING | BETHANY HEWITT |
JESSE JEWKES | GRACE JONES | MEGAN NOCK | SARAH RALPH | LOUIS SIMCOX |
CHARLIE SOUTHWELL | MADDISON WELLSBURY | ELLIOT WILLIAMS |
MEGAN WOOD | CALLUM WOODALL | VALENTINA ZIVANOVIC

Lexie Baker


Miah Bryan


Hollie Carrington


Corey Challenger

HCA One to Watch Award – 2nd place


Jack Hamilton


Joshua Harper


Benjamin Healing


Bethany Hewitt


Jesse Jewkes


Grace Jones


Megan Nock


Sarah Ralph


Louis Simcox


Charlie Southwell


Maddison Wellsbury


Elliot Williams


Megan Wood

HCA One to Watch Award – 1st place


Callum Woodall


Valentina Zivanovic

BTEC L3 Ext Diploma Yr 1 Best Six Images 2022BTEC L3 Ext Diploma Yr 1 Best Six Images 2022

BTEC L3 EXT DIPLOMA YR1 BEST SIX IMAGES















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Rhiannon Westwood: Best Six ImagesRhiannon Westwood: Best Six Images

RHIANNON WESTWOOD: BEST SIX IMAGES

Animals in Britain

For my project I had the intention to display ‘Animals In Britain’ and the beauty surrounding us. I have been heavily inspired by my zoo project and aim to capture photographs of animals in the wild and in farms. This gave me a newfound respect for other animal photographers such as Will Nicholls, who also inspire me. My photographs would be appropriate for wildlife documentaries, calendars and other commercial outlets. It has never been more imperative that we act against deforestation and other forms of wildlife destruction, as so many animals are becoming endangered and are suffering due to our greed; I wanted to bring awareness to this by showing how beautiful nature is in the hope of inspiring others to appreciate what lives along side us.

Dudley-college-artsfest-photography-perfume

Danielle Williams: Best Six ImagesDanielle Williams: Best Six Images

DANIELLE WILLIAMS: BEST SIX IMAGES

Empowerment of Women

For my project I wanted to focus on the empowerment of women. 

To do this I took a perfume (Daisy by Marc Jacobs) that is stereotypically considered a ‘feminine’ perfume (especially in the adverts that I researched). 

I kept to the Marc Jacobs brand and mixed the Daisy perfume with another one of Marc Jacobs perfumes, called Decadence. This perfume is seen and shown as a more mature perfume, meaning more for women who are perhaps of a mature age and with a business / power ethos.