Photography with Foundation Year BA (Hons)

On this module you will be introduced to ideas of identity while taking an experimental technical and aesthetic approach to image production. You will explore ideas of portraiture, self-portraiture and other ways in which the broad concept of identity can be represented.

This module will introduce you to the history and theory of photography. The module aims to familiarise you with key concepts in photography, developing your awareness of ideas and arguments that have shaped the development of photography as a medium in its own right and as part of other media. You will become familiar with historical and contemporary debates that relate to photography. The module is designed to enhance your own photographic production and to nurture the cross-fertilisation between knowledge of theory and informed practice.

On this investigative module, you will develop and explore your creativity, visual skills and conceptual knowledge. You will reassess your preconceptions about photographic practice and processes, enabling you to gain a broader understanding of your own potential as image-maker.

The module explores a wide range of ideas relating to the subject of ‘place’. Areas covered include ideas of landscape, non-place, journeys and the urban environment. You will end up producing your own portfolio, and accompanying workbook, that explores the ideas covered in class.

This module explores the world of photographic exhibitions. You get the chance to visit a range of galleries and produce reviews and other work about the exhibitions you see. Examples of galleries visited in the past are The Photographers’ Gallery, Tate Britain, Hamiltons, Waddington Custot, Flowers East and many more.

This module is designed to explore different approaches to documentary practice within photography. It will encourage you to question what is meant by ‘documentary’ in relation to notions of style, convention, evidence, truth and fiction. You will be able to explore your own position in relation to these ideas and produce a body of work that reflects your research findings and ideological stance.

This module allows you to build on the conceptual and technical knowledge gained in year 1 to produce more experimental work. You will explore a range of areas relating to the transformation of perception in modernity and associated with the introduction of new technologies. Areas covered will include the camera obscura, how the camera sees, the layering of images and the city as a visual spectacle.

You will become familiar with historical and contemporary debates that relate to photography. You will learn how to put your own photographic work in context, draw upon theory to inform your practice, and develop critical tools to improve your writing, reading, analytical and communication skills.

You will look at the storytelling possibilities of the photographic image, and explore how narrative and story can be signified photographically. Through discussion, critique, set exercises and creative experimentation, you will produce a themed portfolio in appropriate formats that explores narrative techniques.

In this module, you will think and work with photographs as material artefacts. You will also experiment with a range of alternative photographic processes.

You will begin with a structured induction process, during which you will be guided in researching the job market, understanding professional responsibilities, preparing a CV plus cover letter and undertaking a mock interview. Additionally, you’ll be guided in contacting and negotiating with a potential host organisation/employer or client to secure your industry experience.

In this module, you will be introduced to ways of connecting your own image production to broader cultural issues, and to contemporary and current affairs. You will explore a range of strategies for engaged practice and examine the work of contemporary and historical photographers working across a range of genres. You will be encouraged to develop an engaged practice that demonstrates an awareness of political, ethical and cultural issues.

You will learn how to make complex and coherent photographic statements in the form of a published or publishable book. Alongside independent research and a self-initiated project you will develop an understanding of good book design, typography and visual/verbal narrative in the finished artefact.

On this module you will learn how to work professionally in industry-related business contexts, critically evaluate your own photographic practice, turn abstract ideas to a stated purpose with minimum guidance, and build confidence in using your own judgement to challenge received opinion.

In this module, you'll go through the development process of producing a critical essay, which is an extended piece of written work equivalent to a minor dissertation. This will encourage you as a practitioner to conceptualise and theorise your process and products in greater depth.

This module traces the dialogue between image and text, especially with the rise of Instagram, in the history of modern visual culture, from the early 1920s to today. You will explore how photographers and artists incorporate text into their work and how photography was used by writers. You will also examine the role that photography played in artistic and literary movements such as Surrealism. 
 

This module will provide you with a high degree of independence. You will be allocated a supervisor and then given the freedom to create a piece of work, which you feel really represents you as a photographer. You will be given guidance and support but this is your vision and your chance to show the world what you have achieved while you’ve been at university.