BA(Hons) Photography (with Foundation Year)

This module will provide a supportive introduction to university-level creative study through active and playful engagement with traditional, digital and virtual tools, processes and equipment. You'll experiment with materials, technologies and approaches to making, learning how sources of inspiration and influence can develop themes, ideas and concepts. Structured project briefs will introduce research, creative production and documentation, while reflective and evaluative activities will build your analytical and critical thinking skills. You'll work in an interdisciplinary studio environment and learn how to access university academic, wellbeing and disability support.

Building on earlier creative study, this module will support you to undertake longer projects with greater independence and scope for discovery. You'll develop ideas through drawing, research, experimentation and visual storytelling, documenting your progress from initial concepts to a range of creative outcomes. Collaborative activities will help you reflect on your contribution, while a more self-directed investigation will encourage you to explore personally meaningful themes. You'll consider audience, client or viewer, investigate appropriate ways to present project work, and strengthen your planning, decision-making, reflective practice and creative independence.

In this module, you'll plan, organise and complete a major project in your chosen creative specialism. Beginning with a proposal negotiated with staff, you'll develop an extended body of work that applies the skills and confidence gained across the course. Research, seminar discussion and critique will help you connect your practice with relevant professional and disciplinary contexts. As your project develops, you'll consider audience, client or viewer, select suitable materials and technical processes, and refine your outcome for exhibition, screening, publication or online distribution. You'll also explore sustainable making and relevant health and safety considerations.

This module will introduce you to the cultures, environments and foundational skills of your chosen creative discipline. Through programme-specific teaching, you'll explore core concepts and ways of thinking, investigating and making that will prepare you for study at the next level. A short project will give you opportunities to connect research with creative practice and develop original work using approaches appropriate to your subject. You'll document your ideas and progress visually, add reflective and analytical commentary, and build confidence through discussion, critique and one-to-one guidance within your disciplinary community.

This module will introduce key ideas and contexts that shape creative arts practice, helping you begin to position your work and the work of others. Interactive activities will develop foundational critical and contextual thinking, communication, project planning, research and creative experimentation. You'll explore how to work safely, ethically and sustainably, critically examine materials and ideas, and recognise the benefits of working alongside others. Through collaborative and experiential learning in the School of Arts and across Bristol, you'll build confidence as an active member of a creative community.

This practice-based module will introduce approaches to photographic image-making through research, experimentation and technical development. You'll explore camera controls, light, composition and visual language while considering how context and intention shape a photograph. Practical projects will encourage you to generate ideas, test methods and make informed selections. You'll document and reflect on your process, engage with relevant practitioners and develop confidence in presenting photographic work. Studio discussion and feedback will support an emerging personal approach and establish foundations for further photographic study.

Building on earlier photographic practice, this module will extend your creative, technical and critical understanding of image-making. You'll investigate different photographic contexts and develop work from research through experimentation to more resolved outcomes. Practical activity may include digital and analogue processes, lighting, editing, sequencing and presentation. You'll strengthen your ability to select appropriate methods, analyse images and reflect on feedback, while considering how audience and context affect meaning. The module will support the development of a more purposeful and individual photographic practice.

This module will explore photography as a collaborative and co-created practice. You'll develop an individual response to a creative brief before working with others to shape a coherent collective outcome. Lectures and technical workshops will introduce relevant contexts, publication formats, digital software and hand-production techniques. You'll develop skills in image editing, sequencing, page layout and digital or print production, while documenting research and practical processes. Teamwork, problem-solving and critical reflection will help you understand how individual creative contributions can support a shared photographic project.

This module will enable you to consolidate prior learning and establish a self-directed area of photography practice. You'll negotiate a theme or topic that reflects your individual concerns and skills, then develop a series of art, design or media works. Contextual research into historical and contemporary lens-based practice and culture will inform your ideas and methods. By exploring personal methodologies, you'll learn how to sustain independent work, identify productive strategies and begin defining a specialist direction within photography or related forms of practice.

In this module, you'll investigate the professional contexts in which photography is produced, commissioned, distributed and experienced. You'll explore roles, working practices and opportunities relevant to lens-based practice, considering how photographers communicate with audiences, clients and other professionals. Research and reflection will help you identify your strengths, interests and possible career directions. You'll develop a clearer understanding of professional expectations and strengthen your ability to present your practice, make informed choices and connect your developing photographic work with appropriate employment, freelance or broader creative contexts.

This module will support you in developing an independent research enquiry linked to contemporary Fine Art or Photography. You'll investigate a specialised area of interest, selecting and applying research methods that align with your chosen subject and creative approach. Topics may include critical analysis, contextual investigation, project management, professional ethics and the communication of ideas. Through lectures, tutorials and self-directed study, you'll strengthen your ability to organise and manage research projects while deepening your understanding of the critical, cultural and professional contexts that shape contemporary creative practice.

This module provides an opportunity to develop a substantial body of independent photographic work shaped by your personal interests and future ambitions. Through a self-directed programme of study, you'll apply and refine a personal creative methodology while engaging with contemporary critical, cultural and professional contexts. Supporting research, reflective commentary and contextual investigation will inform the development of your work. By managing your own project and evaluating creative outcomes, you'll strengthen your technical expertise, critical awareness and readiness for professional photographic practice.

This module will support your progression into employment, freelance practice or further study by helping you develop informed career strategies within photography. You'll explore professional issues including ethics, entrepreneurship, sustainable careers, portfolio working and continuing professional development. Workshops, industry engagement and work-integrated learning will help you refine promotional materials, strengthen interview skills and evaluate career opportunities. Through research, reflection and professional networking, you'll develop a clearer understanding of how your interests and abilities can be translated into a successful and sustainable career path.