BA (Hons) Photography (Top-up)

Why study this subject?

With this top-up course, you’ll use this further year to develop your creativity, refine your photographic style and enhance your portfolio of work.

Whether you want to specialise in editorial, fashion, product, portrait, documentary or arts-based photography, you can develop your skills and unleash your ideas at BNU. With this degree you will have the opportunity to turn your passion into your future career.

Why study at Buckinghamshire New University?

With a history of delivering expert craft, art and design education for more than 130 years, Buckinghamshire New University is the perfect place to start your creative career.

On this accredited Association of Photographers course, you’ll benefit from our professional lecturers and specialist technicians who offer a broad range of experience, ranging from academic to technical and commercial areas. As well as this you’ll be able to take advantage of our industry connections through masterclasses, guest speakers and workshops.

You’ll also have the opportunity to take part in guest workshops and masterclasses. With London only a short journey away, you’ll be able to visit endless museums, galleries and landscapes for inspiration.

As well as this you'll get the chance to collaborate with students from other courses, working on projects with students studying film and TV production, creative advertising, graphic design and fashion and textiles.

With our state-of-the-art facilities, we’ll help you develop your photography skills to a professional standard. We'll give you the theoretical grounding and practical opportunities to add depth and flair to your work.

Our focus on innovation in photographic practice we support you as you explore your full creative potential.

What facilities can I use?

On this course you’ll have access to our range of industry-standard facilities and kit hire availability, including;

• Hasselblad and Pentax digital medium format cameras
• professional lighting studios equipped with Elinchrom and Bowens lighting systems
• a spacious black & white wet-print darkroom
• Mac computer suites with Capture 1 software and full Creative Suite package
• a scanning suite with Epson scanners up to A3 and a high-end Hasselblad Flexitight film scanner
• a print bureau for large-scale exhibition and portfolio printing.

As well as this you’ll have full access to our base room, where you can hang-out and discuss ideas with your peers and get your head down as you work away on your portfolio.

What will I study?

Our course gives you many opportunities to explore the diverse world of photography. This course takes a strong ‘active learning’ approach, so you’ll have lots of opportunity to build and develop your skills working on your own photography projects.

We’ll help you explore the concepts and contexts behind photography work, so you can find new ways to express yourself, and take your practice to a more dynamic level. You’ll also undertake research to develop a theoretical and critical underpinning of the subject, learning new ways of thinking and working, and pushing traditional boundaries of the medium.

As well as having the space to explore different types of photography, to see where your interests lie, we’ll make sure you understand the business side of working as a professional photographer.

You’ll learn how to set yourself up as a freelancer, and deal with everything from your own marketing, to tax and finance. You’ll learn about the professional bodies that exist to protect photographers’ work and rights, such as the Association of Photographers.

To achieve the full BA (Hons) in Photography you will need to complete a major project, contextual report as well as complete the Professional Practice module.

The major project and contextual report will allow you to investigate an area of interested to you within photography. You will cover the whole research process, undertaking critical and contextual investigation and reflective analysis of your practice. You will be allocated a supervisor, who will offer support and advice.

How will I be taught and assessed?

The course offers a blended delivery and approach to learning and teaching. Some of the ways you’ll be taught throughout your time on your course are;

• Seminars, presentations and group critiques where you’ll display work in progress to tutors and peers and is considered central to the student learning experience
• Tutorials may be individual or small group based, enabling exploration through discussion and support.
• Lecturers that deliver the theory elements of the curriculum
• Practical workshops and technical demonstrations delivered by a range of staff from tutors and visiting lecturers to technical demonstrators
• Guest speakers and industry professional visits from a range of experts who contribute to photography, their practice and specialism
• Assessments
• Feedback, verbal and written from tutors to help you refine and develop your work.

As well as this you’ll be expected to spend time self-studying, where you’ll undertake your own practical briefs, industry briefs and portfolio work. 

Placement Plus

BNU is a Placements Plus university. So, whatever degree you do, you can be sure there’ll be plenty of industry-relevant opportunities on offer, to help you get into your chosen field.

We’ll also prepare you for work beforehand, with special skills for work training, further boosting your CV, and building skills employers will value. In recognition of the value we place on these skills we have incorporated this experience into your study time.

Placements Plus is all about helping you get some valuable experience under your belt while you’re a student. To increase your choices later, and help you get the graduate-level job you want.