Fashion Photography BA(Hons)

You'll get a feel for industry life by working as a fashion photographer in a team, and exploring the industry's analytical, creative and technical aspects, both in the studio and on location. Learning the history and theories behind the industry, you'll explore the fashion styles of historical subcultures, develop high-end retouching techniques, and learn how iconic fashion image-makers use handmade publications to narrate powerful stories.

Modules

Subcultures & Styles

You'll begin by developing your understanding of photographic representation through the application and understanding of visual language, while exploring fashion style through the theme of sub-cultures.

Handbook to Industry

Running alongside the Subcultures module, we'll work with you to facilitate the foundations for professional approaches to image creation. Through the investigation of the responsibilities of the main contributors, Handbook to Industry unpacks the processes and modes of fashion image production.

The Body & Ethics

This module gives you the opportunity to explore and experiment with a variety of critically challenging photographic approaches to the visual representation of the human form. You'll investigate the codes and conventions of dressing and situating the body within a fashion context, provoking debates about gender, beauty, sexuality, ethnicity, morality, social position, body image and self-representation; ultimately exploring your own role and responsibilities as a fashion photographer.

The Edit

In this module, you'll investigate how the order of photographs in fashion spreads is constructed by contemporary fashion publishing, both in print and online. You'll consider how stories are told in fashion photography within different published contexts. Alongside this, you will also explore the typographical relationship of image and text, and the process of editing and sequencing images. You'll be asked to curate a sequenced editorial output of your choice, such as an editorial in a magazine, photo-book, zine, newspaper or digital media.

By studying experimental fashion film, animation and photo manipulation, you'll explore the impact of new media on the fashion communications industry. You'll also have the chance to build your critical understanding of contemporary theory and research methodologies. And by discussing and experimenting, you'll explore light, colour, tone, composition and form, as well as histories and theories, as you create a professional portfolio.

Real-world experience comes from live project collaborations with industry brands and clients, a live brief exploring fashion filmmaking and photography, and an optional study trip. You'll also have the chance to build your professional network, working with brands such as Element, Griffin and Ted Baker. Guest lecturers include Matt Damsell (Ted Baker), Tom Alexander (SHOWStudio), Creative Director, Harris Elliott and Jonathan Hempstead (HempsteadMaye).

Modules

Fashion Film

The hunger for fashion films amongst other digital media outputs is unprecedented in our contemporary world. Fashion films are used on a regular basis as communication tools for the branding and promotion of fashion goods, reflecting trends and moods of the current times. This module introduces you to a broad range of technical and professional methods for the creation of your own fashion film. We'll provide you with an understanding of how fashion can be promoted through moving image, enhancing your research and conceptual skills, planning and shooting, as well as editing.

Advancing Professional Skill-Sets

This module plays a vital role towards the development of your individual visual voice, as well as developing you as an employment-ready creative practitioner. You'll be asked to become more autonomous in your practice by specialising in the area of technical and practical skills, underpinning a potential career path.

Fashion Image

In our postmodern condition of photography, with its ceaseless flow of images, the internet is serving as a laboratory for image-making experimentation. It's within this context that the notion of image making has become an artistic form rather than promoting the traditional act of 'taking an image'. In this module, you'll be encouraged to challenge photographic conventions and explore other forms of expression, which could include photogrammetry, 3D scanning or montage.

Theories of Culture

At this stage, you'll be given the opportunity to advance your research tools to support your theoretical understanding and development. This will enhance your ability to communicate the central theoretical and conceptual concerns of your visual practice in written form.

In the final year of your fashion photography degree, you'll have the chance to collaborate with internationally renowned names like Baron Magazine, Nowness and Shonagh Marshall. You'll work with clients on professional briefs, and build networks and relationships to help you launch your career.

We'll encourage you to look into publishing your work as you define and complete a final major project, give you a "careers boot camp" and help you develop a professional identity with the opportunity to be part of an industry-facing end-of-year showcase event.

You'll get the chance to attend a series of masterclasses run by leading photographers such as Ewen Spenser, Derek Ridgers, JoyceNG and Danny Treacy. Photographers' agent Claudio Napolitano (Today Mangement), Curator Karen McQuaid (Photographer's Gallery), and artists Steffi Klenz and Melinda Gibson will also contribute to your preparation for industry.

Modules

The Client Brief

In this module, you'll have the opportunity to work with a selected client on a proposed professional brief. From generating initial ideas through to delivering image production, you'll learn how to work in an industry-facing manner; presenting your ideas efficiently and effectively will be key. You'll be asked to respond to the client's brief with your own authentic take on fashion photography, while ensuring that their intended message is clearly and compellingly translated into innovative and forward-thinking photographs.

Research into Practice

This module is very much about 'theory to practice/practice to theory'. You'll have an opportunity to articulate your research in the form of a dissertation, while also producing a project proposal presentation ahead of your final major body of work.

Final Major Project

The Final Major Project unit is an independently led project in which you’ll draw on your extended knowledge of contemporary image making, critical theory and technical skills to support the production of a final body of work at a professional level. 

Why study an Integrated Foundation Year route?

If you’re taking on a new subject that you haven’t studied in depth before, have been out of education for a while or have a non-standard educational background then an Integrated Foundation Year degree may be the right choice for you. It is a four-year degree with an Integrated Foundation Year to start, which allows you to explore the primary elements of your subject before progressing on to the remaining three years of the BA(Hons) degree.

What you'll learn

If you choose this pathway, you'll study five core modules in your Foundation year. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your subject. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs.

Modules

Explore

You'll begin your foundation year by working collaboratively with others to explore themes of the future. You'll take risks, experiment through play and be supported to break through barriers.

Technique

You'll take subject-specific workshops and develop essential technical and practical skills in your area of study. You'll also enhance your analytical and organisational abilities.

Apply

You'll work with your peer group to think beyond discipline by addressing a societal or global issue. You'll then showcase your work to your peers and deliver and accompanying evaluation of your process.

Industry

You'll enhance your creative and practical skills in your subject specialism by responding to typical industry briefs, underpinned by focused research and experiments. You'll also gain industry insights through guest lectures and workshops.

Launch

You'll develop your unique identity in your specialism through the production of a self-initiated body of work. Your final project will be the bridge to your next year, fully supported by evaluative reviews and critical analysis of the work you have created.

After the Foundation year, you progress into Year One of the full three-year degree, equipped with a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, and develop a practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen subject.

The Integrated Foundation Year pathway for this course is new for entry year 2023 and subject to validation.