Fashion Photography student on translating personal meaning into imagery
10 July 2026
When Laurie Wignall first heard about Falmouth’s BA(Hons) Fashion Photography course, the decision was instant. "This is me in a course," she remembers thinking. Now having just completed her second year, that instinct has only been confirmed.
Taking part in this year’s BA(Hons) Fashion Design graduate lookbook shoot — an annual collaboration across courses in the Fashion & Textiles Institute — marked an exciting new experience for Laurie, who usually works on location. It meant being pushed out of her comfort zone and having to plan further ahead than usual, thinking hard about lighting, colour and posing before the shoot day arrived. "The project gave me my first real taste of industry," she says. "I learned to manage challenges and adapt to unexpected changes on the day itself."
That willingness to adapt has become central to how she works. As she develops a more distinctive style, Laurie has found a particular love for film photography, helped by access to Falmouth's colour darkroom facilities — a rare resource she doesn't take for granted. Her influences are photographers who turn their own lives into their art: Elaine Constantine, Petra Collins and Nadia Lee Cohen among them.
And now, that approach has taken on new depth. Laurie was recently diagnosed with autism and ADHD, and her most recent project explores neurodivergence directly, working from a female perspective and finding meaning in ideas of girlhood and uncertainty. "I just really like translating personal meaning into imagery," she says. "You get to learn so much about yourself at the same time."
Looking back at earlier work, including her images of BA(Hons) Fashion Design students Lillian and Diana's collections, Laurie can see clearly how far she's come, both behind the camera and beyond it. "I think I've changed so much, not just as a creator, but also as a person since I've been here."
What stands out most, though, is the sense of community. Laurie credits the course's lecturers — industry professionals with real connections and experience — for opening doors and offering inspiration she couldn't have found elsewhere. But it's the people, more than anything, that have made the difference.
"It's just become my home and my place now," she says. "I think I really found my people and what I love to do here. So yeah, it's a very special place to me."
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