Commercial Photography BA(Hons)

From day one you'll develop specialist photographic skills and learn to market yourself as a professional visual content producer. You'll explore the contexts and histories of modern advertising and the fundamentals of marketing communications, and we'll introduce you to a range of commercial photography and moving image-making techniques and technologies.

Modules

Elements of Commercial Practice

You'll be introduced to the fundamentals of commercial photographic techniques and the contexts of practice, project development, research methodologies and health and safety. Through inductions and practical workshops, you'll develop the necessary digital photographic studio lighting skills.

Professional Practice

You'll be introduced to key industry issues, copyright and business practices, allowing you to construct your professional identity while researching and interrogating the importance of professional ethics. You will design and construct your own website and business profile and build your social media presence while developing your CV through workshops, lectures and tutorials.

Developing Approaches to Commercial Practice

You'll take part in technical inductions and workshops to develop digital production skills, from working with professional studio equipment through to the use of moving image. Responding to a series of briefs, you'll create a portfolio of multi-channel digital content and build your understanding of advertising and visual marketing campaigns.

Image in Context

This module focuses on how the photographic image is disseminated within the creative industries. You will explore methods of describing and analysing photographs within the context in which they are placed, exploring key concepts in visual culture and media studies. This will help your understanding of the relationship between image and text, and the professional contexts in which photographic images function.

Through portfolio development, live briefs and work placements, you'll raise your level of technical ability, explore the commercial environment and build on your critical and collaborative working skills. You'll also begin to investigate using photography and moving image within multi-channel campaigns and use theories and concepts to critically reflect on the impact of emerging technologies.

Modules

Building Brand Narrative

This practice-based module will equip you with an understanding of brand narratives and digital storytelling. Through a series of lectures and workshops, you'll gain insight into how brands build communication strategies. From this, you'll go on to develop the project management and moving image production skills needed to produce content in line with brand identity.

Collaborative Project

Working within a small team, you'll research and build a proposal for a collaborative project. You'll have a choice of outputs to work on, which may include: a set build, publication, short film, socially engaged/community project, or a self-initiated collaborative entrepreneurial proposal. Working collaboratively, you will develop an awareness of a variety of roles within the photographic and creative industries, considering ethics, copyright law and other legal matters relating to professional practice.

Industry Knowhow

In this module, you'll gain an understanding of commercial photographic industries and their working practices by honing your business acumen, your ability to interpret briefs and your understanding of industry terminology. You'll also develop your communication skills and pitching/presentation skills and undertake an industry case study.

Audience and Context

Working on a series of live briefs, you'll build your own self-directed practice through the production of a personalised portfolio. This module is designed to progress independent practice alongside building your awareness of the professional context in which your own practice is situated.

Work Experience

This module will prepare you with the professional skills and experience to pursue a career in creative practice. You will consider a range of career opportunities available within the photographic, environmental and conservation sectors. Tutors will help to identify your own particular strengths and interests, and support you in the initiation and organisation of a work placement (typically two weeks' duration or equivalent). 

The final year of your Commercial Photography degree represents your chance to shape your professional and creative identity. Putting your skills to use, you'll showcase your unique photographic practice and critical mind through your final contextual project, portfolio and degree show.

Modules

Developmental Portfolio

Based on the interests you have developed in the previous two years, you'll produce a commercial portfolio that begins to define your individual practice. Emphasis will be on research and exploration towards the completion of your final major project.

Contextual Project

Working independently, with supervision, you'll research, explore and develop your own interests to build a final piece of academic work. This will contextualise where your commercial practice fits within the industry. This project may take the form of a written essay, a curatorial proposal or a multimedia/moving image piece of work.

Final Project

You'll produce a professional commercial portfolio and final exhibition presentation of your practice that will help you enter into your chosen career path after university. This final project should reflect your technical skill, creativity and individuality to industry-level standards.

£9,250 per year - full-time UK/EU

£16,000 per year - full-time international

£9,250 per year - full-time UK

£16,950 - full-time EU

£16,950 - full-time international