BA (Hons) Fashion Photography

What's the course about?

In the first year, you’ll take part in hands-on workshops to discover a range of professional techniques and approaches to photographic image-making. We’ll teach you skills in portable lighting, shooting in the studio and on location. You’ll explore digital technologies, from workflow to retouching and manipulating images. You’ll spend time in our darkrooms, developing colour and black and white photographs. You’ll learn to enlarge photographic images through traditional and alternative methods. Together, we’ll analyse key theories in contemporary practice and photographic histories. You’ll develop a wide knowledge of photography and culture. You’ll discover different sub genres, such as street fashion, editorial fashion stories and catwalk photojournalism. Your journey as a photographer will be supported through group sessions, where you’ll gain feedback, develop a critical eye and grow in confidence. You’ll showcase your work in an online exhibition and head into the second year full of ideas and enthusiasm.

In the second year, you’ll work on industry style briefs set by professional photographers and designers. This ‘live’ working environment will inspire a professional awareness. You’ll start to define who you are as a fashion photographer. You’ll identify your own goals. What type of work do you want to create? You’ll consider the value you want to add to the industry and begin to think of ways to make that happen. Your work will show an appreciation for your client and your audience. You’ll discover market trends. Plus, you’ll expand your technical skills. Through a series of lectures, demonstrations, workshops and studio practice you’ll establish advanced photography and digital imaging skills. We’ll encourage you to gain work experience. Plus, you can study abroad to discover a fresh perspective on fashion culture. The end of the year finishes with a second-year exhibition where you’ll work in groups, curating pieces for a group show. This will give you important skills in presentation and event organisation.

In the third year, you’ll immerse yourself in an extended project on an area of fashion photography that fascinates you. You’ll spend the year producing a portfolio of work which represents you as an emerging fashion photographer. You’ll produce client-led work and develop a self-directed project which showcases your vision, your talent and technical aptitude. You’ll write a dissertation or a report to identify an area of contemporary professional practise relevant to your work. We’ll teach you how to become a successful freelancer, how to interact with clients and approach potential employers. You’ll present your exhibition work and portfolio to media industry employers and the public, during two separate degree exhibitions. We’ll guide you every step of the way as you build an impressive portfolio to launch your career.

Your main campus is College Lane

This is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.   

What will I study?

Degree programmes are structured into levels, 4, 5 and 6.  These correspond to your first, second and third/final year of study.  Below you can see what modules you’ll be studying in each. 

Level 4

Module

• Thinking Photography 1: Histories and Concepts
• Photography Practices
• Digital Environment
• Photography Fundamentals