EVIDENCE
This section will include how I developed and applied my leadership skills, as well as the carrying out of my plan.
Delivery Of The Project
Editing
First, I went through all the images we took as a group and shortlisted a few pictures from each cohort. I then finalised the image to just 1 picture after checking the shortlist for blink shots, angle and ease of editing.
Next, we had to use the same filter on each finalised image so that all of the teams pictures had the same look and feel to them - the filter we used is available on Apple devices and is named 'Dramatic Cool'. We selected this filter as it gave a explicit change in colours - the colours in each image become much more toned down, which is reflective of Polaroid images. As Polaroid images are quite an old style of photography, the pixel colour depth was not as advanced as it is today, and hence a more cooler filter is better fitting for the polaroid project we are completing.
Year 7 - V - Caring
Year 8 - V - Caring
Year 9 - V - Caring
Year 10 - V - Caring
Health & Safety
Health and safety during this photo shoot project was extremely crucial. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we made all our students wear a face mask, except for those who were exempt. Whilst face masks were mandatory, our pupils wore them - however, in some pictures, you will notice students are not wearing face masks as a majority - this is because it was personal choice to wear a face mask, although we did encourage it.
Over the course of the project, me and my partner explored different health and safety measures. Towards the end of the photo shoot, we decided to take the form groups outside the school to achieve two goals: a better backdrop; and most importantly, a safer area to work in. We ensured pupils wore their coats and any non-obstructive clothing items to keep them warm during the photo shoot. The form teacher accompanies us in case of any emergencies.
During our indoor photography sessions, we would move tables and chairs around, and out of the way, so no incidents occurred. Students were lined up and specially placed to ensure taller students were at the back and shorter students were towards the front. Students were also told to stay quiet and listen to our instructions carefully, to which, most the time, they listened to. The class teachers supported us during each photo shoot and sometimes would join in on the photograph. Teachers were careful to not step or trip over any bags - we mainly asked students to place their bags and coats on the side of the room for a clean background and no potential accidents.
After completing the photo shoot, I can say that we faced no health and safety complications, as me and my partner were very articulate with the specifics of each photo shoot.
Skill Development
How is my leadership skills being developed?
Through the carrying out of various photo shoots, I have developed many skills, the most prominent being my leadership skills. Leadership is a very broad term so I will discuss a few key aspects of how my leadership skills developed.
A common trait associated with leadership is confidence. To make a good leader, you must believe in yourself and only then will others listen to what you have to say. Before going to each form and introducing ourselves I had to ensure I was prepared and know what I was going to say, without sounding robotic or nervous. During my first couple, I was slightly nervous however, by the time we reached our final form, I was extremely comfortable with giving students directions and photographing them.
Another key trait related to leadership is organisation. Whilst we were photographing the students, I ensured all the photography was organised. The project was completed over the course of approximately 5-6 months and we completed photographing a form successfully every 2-3 weeks. This meant, every fortnight I would access the digital camera and export the images to a folder on my Cloud storage so no pictures are lost or hard to locate. This made the final few weeks of completing my portfolio a lot more efficient as everything was organised in one place. I also shared the folder with my partner so she could have constant access to the images, meaning communication between each other was swift and smooth. We also had to ensure our camera's were charged and we were using the correct camera as each team was allocated a specific one.
Most importantly, commitment was a key aspect of this project. When you are given an extended deadline of 5-6 months, many people tend to get lazy and end up completing all the work in the final week/s of the deadline. I ensured I was committed to staying organised and completing my portfolio in small parts throughout the course of completing this award.
Overall, I can say my leadership skills have enhanced significantly by completing this leadership project.