Year 1
Introduction to Commercial Photography (20 credits)
This workshop-focused unit will introduce you to transitioning, learning and developing within a higher education (HE) environment. It will also introduce you to the course; how we engage with photography and how to apply what you learn to real-world creative markets.
You’ll explore lens-based media technologies and applications for contemporary creative practice while gaining a comprehensive technical understanding of cameras and equipment alongside software for effective workflow and editing skills.
What is Commerce? (20 credits)
Through a series of interactive lectures, workshops and debates, this unit will challenge the term ‘commerce’ and its associated complexities while introducing you to undergraduate methods of research. You’ll be asked to contextualise and reshape the visual identity of an existing established brand or organisation.
Casting (20 credits)
In this unit, you’ll explore the logistical and ethical considerations when casting for a project – whether in the studio on the street or within domestic environments for lens-based work.
You’ll be introduced to the process of sourcing and working with subjects ranging from models, family, individuals, members of the public and communities. You’ll be supported to understand, action and investigate industry standards for pre-production, including model releases, risk assessments, budgets and location permissions.
Contemporary Studio Practice (20 credits)
This unit explores new definitions of contemporary studio practices that span art, fashion and still life and will enable you to experiment with a range of methodologies as you work towards a project that outlines your own vision for the possibilities of studio practice.
You’ll be taught through a series of lighting workshops that will take place in LCC studios , on location and within domestic spaces.
The Casting Project (20 credits)
Having explored professional pre-production practices in the Casting unit, you’ll now work with your cast to produce a considered visual output. You’ll be introduced to relevant thematic and critical frameworks, and learn about contemporary practitioners who have used effective casting to open up new possibilities working with subjects and groups creatively.
Creator Identities and Branding (20 credits)
This unit explores historic approaches to visualising, graphic design, self-branding and marketing, exploring how they feed into new practices across social media and other contemporary public digital interfaces.
Year 2
Art and Commerce (20 credits)
The unit explores the traditional distinctions between art and commerce, considering their ahistorical and contemporary tensions as well as examples of exciting creative intersections between the two.
You’ll be expected to research and critically reflect on these subject areas, and discuss how you can strike a balance between creative and commercial concerns within your own emerging practice. This unit also develops your research practice, preparing you for your final year independent research project.
Photography and Technologies (20 credits)
This workshop-based unit harnesses a range of new creative and digital technologies, and explores how they may be applied in an industry context.
You’ll experiment with a range of approaches including art, fashion and still life photography, and be encouraged to test and expand possibilities for your emerging practice through industry-led workshops and visual research. You’ll then produce a creative output and demonstrate how this may be applied to a particular industry sector.
Professional Industry Practice (20 credits)
Supporting you to prepare for a career working within and alongside the creative industries, this unit will introduce different modes of working in the professional landscape. You'll be encouraged to reflect on your own interests and creative skills in relation to employability, and to explore industry-based experiences such as placements, live briefs, and freelance working.
Professional Collaborations (20 credits)
Working in groups, you’ll be offered a choice of electives that will develop your approach to professional practice in key areas of industry experience.
Proposed electives include:
- Moving Image and Performance
- Contemporary Style and the Artist
- Computational Imaging for Branding
Live Briefs (40 credits)
In this unit, you’ll respond to briefs written in collaboration with industry partners. You will then create a considered visual response which demonstrates an awareness of brands and their identities.
Year 3
Professional Workflows (20 credits)
The unit explores the expectations of being a contemporary creative assistant, freelance practitioner and graduate creative, and is designed to provide you with relevant, transferable and applicable skills for pathways in photography, production and communication. You’ll engage in a series of weekly workshops and software training sessions that will prepare you for working in creative on-set and office environments.
Research Project / Dissertation (20 credits or 40 credits)
This unit invites you to create a contemporary research project that explores possibilities around positioning and pitching your Final Major Project to the contemporary creative industry.
Final Major Project (40 credits)
This unit is designed to support you through both the making and public display of your final year project. Having completed the testing phase and treatment, you’ll finalise the realisation of yourwork, which you’ll present in a contemporary portfolio that considers how the work will be marketed.
Portfolio Curation and Collaborative Marketing Strategies (40 credits or 20 credits)
The first part of the unit explores the contemporary digital portfolio, where you’ll explore developments in online publishing and social media that enable visual practitioners to reach new audiences and build engagement with their work. You’ll consider the best platforms for profiling your own work and for creating your own brand identity.
The second part of the unit explores networking and ways to enhance your visibility within the creative industries. You’ll collaborate on small projects ranging from livestreams to podcasts and events in order to generate public audiences and industry awareness of your practice.
Optional Diploma between Years 2 and 3
Between Years 2 and 3 of the course, you’ll also have the opportunity to undertake one of the following additional UAL qualifications:
Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) (Optional)
An optional, year-long learning opportunity which enables you to develop your professional skills by undertaking a variety of placements and industry experiences. Supported throughout the year by academics, you’ll build on the knowledge gained on your course in a range of national or international locations, and graduate with an additional qualification of Diploma in Professional Studies.
Diploma in Creative Computing (Optional)
Between Years 2 and 3, you can undertake the year-long Diploma in Creative Computing. This will develop your skills in creative computing alongside your degree. After successfully completing the diploma and your undergraduate degree, you’ll graduate with an enhanced degree: BA (Hons) Commercial Photography (with Creative Computing).
