BA (Hons) Photography with Foundation Year

Focus on key photographic technologies by developing specialist skills and exploring emerging photographic media. You will engage with contemporary technologies, gaining proficiency in using cameras, lighting equipment, and post-production tools. By familiarising yourself with how advances in photographic tools and platforms shape the medium's possibilities, you will cultivate a comprehensive understanding of how technological innovations inform photography’s evolution. This module also addresses the implications of new media on the practice, ethics, and aesthetics of photography.

Delve into documentary photography with an emphasis on creating compelling narratives through sequentiality and seriality. You will explore how to construct social narratives using a range of photographic approaches, including portraiture, landscape (urban or rural), and still life, honing your ability to use images to tell cohesive and impactful stories. Through practical workshops, lectures, and critical discussions, you will examine the role of documentary photography in engaging with, reflecting, and critiquing contemporary social issues. The module addresses key ethical considerations in representing real-world subjects and encourages a thoughtful approach to capturing the complexities of life.

In this module, students are invited to explore how they and their peers perceive the world and examine how that fits in with creative practice and the wider context of the Creative Industries. The focus is on empowering voices and refining the articulation of ideas. The module aims to develop students' abilities to critically analyse information and engage in thoughtful, sometimes controversial, discussions on contemporary issues. It provides an opportunity to explore concepts including cultural, social, political, economic, and environmental factors and across various disciplines. Additionally, it encourages the exploration of diverse perspectives and fosters the development of collaborative and inclusive communication skills.

Explore contemporary photographic practices through personal and critical enquiry, with a focus on the foundational stages of project development. You will engage in research, critical analysis, and conceptual exploration to shape and inform the launch of your photographic projects. By investigating current trends, movements, and debates in photography, you will develop a body of work that embodies a research-led approach, blending conceptual thinking with advanced practical skills.

In today's era of rapid global connectivity, the image has emerged as a powerful and central mode of communication. This module invites you to critically explore how the accelerated creation and dissemination of visual content impact public discourse, shape individual and collective identities, and amplify marginalised voices. You will examine the image's role as a universal language, capable of transcending boundaries to foster understanding and facilitate cross-cultural dialogue.

This module is about ‘you’ and your place in the world, with a view to refining your specialism as a professional/practitioner and improving your profile. The module will be delivered across specific course groupings that capture the core values of each course. Across this module students will typically undertake at least one major externally facing project (e.g. live brief, placement, virtual placement, etc) or 2-3 smaller projects by negotiation. These projects will support student transferable skills around employment within the Creative Industries.

Develop a photographic project that integrates critical enquiry with independent practice, encouraging you to explore an area of photography that aligns with your interests and professional aspirations. Through research methodologies and creative experimentation, you will produce a cohesive and conceptually robust body of work. This module emphasises the integration of theory and practice, requiring engagement with critical and contextual frameworks to inform and enhance your project. You will refine advanced technical and conceptual approaches to photography, developing a distinctive and professional visual style.

Bridge the gap between theoretical inquiry and practical consideration, empowering you to engage in critical research that directly informs and enhances your visual practice. This module encourages the development of synergies between theory and practice, allowing you to explore contemporary issues such as inclusivity, ethics, and sustainability within the context of visual culture. Through the dissertation, you will produce a rigorous academic study that reflects your deep understanding of these issues, while the reflective journal will document your personal and creative process, cohesively integrating both research and practice.

This module is about your 'career' after you complete your formal UG study. It is about the realities of (and preparation for) freelance, entrepreneurial, industry and further study trajectories. This pan-school module will hinge around students creating a personal career strategy plan called ‘28 days later’. The purpose is for students to take accountability and ownership over their future direction by creating a career plan that they activate when leaving the course with a view to maximise their long term employability prospects.