Skip to content
Higher Photography

Influences - alphabetical

Extra Thoughts

Section titled “Extra Thoughts”
  1. When studying photographers, the SQA requires you to focus on explaining the impact of social, cultural, historical, and/or scientific influences on their work and practice, with specific reference to examples of their work.
  2. It is important to avoid providing generic biographical information about the photographer or simply listing influences without explaining their direct impact on their photographs.
  3. For each photographer discussed, ensure you:
    • Select relevant photographers whose work connects to your project topic, genre, style, or approach.
    • Identify specific influences: For example, Albert Watson draws inspiration from Michelangelo and Caravaggio (historical/cultural) for dramatic chiaroscuro and power. Ansel Adams’ Zone System (scientific/technical) allowed precise tonal control in his landscapes, which also supported his advocacy for wilderness preservation (social/cultural). Berenice Abbott’s “Changing New York” series demonstrated photography’s power in social documentation by capturing urban development. The Edinburgh Calotype Club and early pioneers like Thomas Keith and Archibald Burns documented their cities, providing unique historical records and illustrating photography’s role in documenting social change through new calotype processes (scientific/historical).
    • Refer to one or two examples of their work: Explain how these identified influences are evident in and impact a specific photograph or body of work by that photographer.
    • Demonstrate a clear link: Clearly articulate how the influence shaped the photographer’s artistic choices, technical application, or the subject matter of their work.

Exercise

Section titled “Exercise”
  1. Do any of the above examples inspire you? If not, find some photographers who do inspire you, either way:
  2. Write down what inspires you most, draw points from specific photographs.