Amelie, Photography Level 3

Amelie is never far from her camera and loves to capture everything around her.

“I’ve always loved photography, and previously studied it as a GCSE at school and wanted to pursue it. Bracknell was the only college near me that I was able to do it at,” Amelie explains.

“I enjoy photographing architecture, landscapes and nature. I’ve always liked the imagery and how you can interpret how you can see the world.

“I’m very dyslexic, I’ve never been very good at reading and writing but I love images and the story behind them.”

Amelie decided to study a Photography Level 3 Extended Diploma at Bracknell and Wokingham College.

“I think the photography facilities at Bracknell and Wokingham College are really good. There are not many schools or colleges that have darkrooms. I’ve always been interested in them. I was able to hire equipment from the college, which was very useful when my camera broke,” Amelie adds.

“We had a lot of freedom in our course which I really like, and we cover every type of photography.

“This course has helped to explain the business side of photography, what other people think of it and how to improve using different techniques.

“You get a lot of feedback from everyone on how to improve including what they like, what they don’t like and what techniques to use.

“I like the fact that the teachers explain a lot to you and they always have work for you to do.”

Like many students, Amelie had the chance to do work experience and go on trips, which helped to use her skills in the real world, while learning new ones!

“We did some work experience where we took some photos for a job centre,” Amelie explains. “We also went to Kew Gardens when an artist had an installation and went around taking different pictures of his work.

“It taught me about deadlines and what’s appropriate for where we’re going in the future and how to work with different colour schemes.”

One of the things that made a difference for Amelie while she was at college, was the terrific support that she received from Learning Support.

“I’m very dyslexic, I’ve never been very good at reading and writing so I had learning support at college. I have an EHCP and I had a scribe reader who helped me in class with reading and spelling.

“It’s helped me to do the work because I have a really severe type of dyslexia, I struggle with writing and having someone to write is very useful.

Like many students, Amelie retook her maths GCSE alongside her main study programme, giving her the opportunity to improve her prospects.

“I’ve retaken my maths GCSE while at college,” Amelie explains. “It’s really good that you can retake your subjects. The department will give you the chance to do your work and improve. The help that I have received has been really good.”

Going to college helped Amelie to come out of her shell.

“I’m a lot more confident since coming to college. My editing skills and style of photography have improved quite a lot,” Amelie beams.

“I’ve also got better at talking with people. Before, I found it hard to establish relationships with people my own age but now I’ve been able to do it here. Everyone is very friendly and we all talk to each other.

“The college is very open and a friendly environment and you can talk with other students and your class in general.”

Amelie achieved MMP this summer and will now be progressing to study Photography at Cardiff Metropolitan University. We wish her all the best!

Interested? Find out more about our Visual Arts and Design pathway