Photography Project - Lighting effects in Photography

St Bede's Catholic Primary School

During Art Week at St Bede's Catholic Primary School in Stockton-on-Tees, children from years 3 and 4 children (seven to nine years old) worked with an artist sponsored by the Prince's Trust.

The children set out to recreate the atmosphere of The Fighting Temeraire. They explored a traditional technique for animation, in which models of set designs are used to experiment with lighting effects.

Pupils placed boats that they had designed and made themselves into a large tank, which they flooded with water. Talcum powder was added, and lights with multicoloured gel filters were projected through to dramatic effect. The children tried out different lighting effects and took photographs to record those they felt were most evocative of Turner's painting.

Discussions covered a broad range of topics, including colour, light, the properties of materials, floating and sinking, scale, mood and emotion.

© St Bede's Catholic Primary School. Photo: The National Gallery, London.