Last week, our A Level Photography pupils and Year 10 Art Scholars took part in an enriching trip to the National Portrait Gallery. The day began with a visit to the Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize 2024, a renowned exhibition showcasing the best in contemporary portrait photography.

This year’s display featured a diverse range of images, from formal commissioned works to intimate and spontaneous moments, created by talented young photographers, gifted amateurs, and seasoned professionals.

In the afternoon, pupils participated in an inspiring workshop led by Marysa Dowling, a London-based artist celebrated for her thoughtful and playful exploration of human behaviour, relationships, and identity through photography. The session, titled ‘How Can Identity Be Communicated Through Photography?’, encouraged pupils to explore the concept of identity by examining the photographic portraits on display. Inspired by the exhibition and Dowling’s creative insights, the group then created their own portraits in the Law Photography Studio, responding to the theme with creativity and originality. The educators at the gallery were impressed with the pupils knowledge, engagement and enthusiasm, and they were a credit to the school.

Marysa Dowling’s extensive career includes international collaborations in Cuba, India, Ireland, and Mexico, as well as work with leading institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Modern. Her thought-provoking projects, including recent knowledge-exchange initiatives with researchers from Oxford University and University College London, have garnered her recognition and awards, including the Portrait of Britain by the British Journal of Photography (2022).

The day was a fantastic opportunity for our pupils to develop their practical skills, engage critically with professional work, and reflect on the ways photography can convey complex ideas about identity and human connection. We look forward to seeing how this experience will influence their future work and continue to provide strong evidence for their examination work.

Mrs Smart

Head of Art