BA (Hons) Commercial Photography

Develop the professional skills for a successful career. From building a distinct portfolio through to pitching and quoting for commissioned work, and an in-depth look at the production stages involved in all areas of the commercial photography industry.

UCAS Code:
W641
Institution:
B50
Delivery:
Full time according to Funding Council definitions

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Why study BA (Hons) Commercial Photography?

Study and challenge a range of photographic genres including documentary, editorial, advertising, fashion, product and portrait photography
Produce individual and collaborative authored work to a high commercial standard
Develop specialist knowledge, skills and opportunities required to pursue your commercial ambitions
Gain an understanding of the photography industry through examining a range of historical, social cultural, ethical and topical debates
Enter national and international competitions such as those organised by the Royal Photographic Society, the Association of Photographers and the British Institute of Professional Photography
You’ll be career-ready with 91% of our graduates in employment or further study after 15 months

Find out more about the content of this course.

Please note: This course is delivered at Wiltshire College & University Centre, Salisbury. You can view a virtual tour of the campus or book to attend an Open Day online.

State-of-the-art-facilities

You'll work in fully equipped studios and have access to state-of-the-art facilities including a post-product computer suite, a range of high-end professional cameras (all formats) and lighting equipment. You'll also have the opportunity to use the latest digital imaging software as well as traditional techniques for post-production work, increasing the opportunities for creative solutions to contemporary communication challenges.

See what it's like to study on this course

Image description — BA (Hons) Commercial Photography shoot: Little Red Riding Hood

Next start date:

September 2023, September 2024

Location:

Wiltshire College and University Centre, Salisbury

Duration:

3 years full-time with a 2-week placement, or 4 years full-time with a minimum 30-week placement

Required subjects:

All subjects considered

Entry requirements:

For September 2023 entry: 104 - 120 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. BTEC Extended Diploma: DMM. A portfolio is also required in support of your application for September 2022 and September 2023 entry. For more information check out our full entry requirements.

International entry requirements:

For September 2023 entry: If English is not your first language you'll need IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component or equivalent. For more information check out our International entry requirements.

Course details

On this course you will be taught by a range of staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This will include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners, demonstrators, technicians and research students. You will also benefit from regular guest lectures from industry.

How you will be assessed

You will be assessed by coursework culminating in your final year research project, and you will also undertake group work and written exams. The assessment methods for each unit can be found in the programme specification for your course.

Download the programme specification (pdf 704kb)

Year 1

Introduction to Photographic Practice: You will develop an understanding and knowledge of camera function, exposure and creative control, lighting and image capture techniques that form the foundations to successful photographic expression. You'll also take part in post-production workshops that offer practical and technical support in the use and application of editing software e.g. Adobe Photoshop and Capture One Pro and hard copy printing to ensure images are presented to a professional standard.
Approaches to Commercial Practice: This unit will extend your experience of key skills, theories, and techniques to produce fiction or non-fiction narrative images. By developing your narrative skills this unit focuses on documentary and editorial photography, seen by industry as a key entry route to commercial opportunities.
Professional Development: Produce an online reflective journal (blog) and photographic profile that will be used as an evolving practical learning plan throughout the course. You'll be encouraged to produce an online presence and identity that showcases your work and it’s commercial potential as well as ongoing and adaptive self-reflective commentary of your position within the commercial photographic practices that will shape your future career pathway.
Moving Image 1: You'll be introduced to moving images and its application in contemporary commercial photography. This collaborative unit will develop your ability to work effectively as part of a project team and build on the interactions between theory, practice and research.
Image Concepts and Contexts: This unit will introduce you to the early formation of commercial photographic practice in Europe and beyond at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th Century. You'll be encouraged to reflect upon the impact the industrial revolution had on the evolution of early photographic technology, aesthetics, and practice. The unit also aims to introduce you to relevant critical and contextual analytical skills and with that, develop academic confidence.

Year 2

Applied Photographic Practice: Building on the technical skills and underpinning concepts introduced in year 1, you'll continue to develop your technical competence. Theoretical understanding is put into practice by applying your unique photographic signature to an editorial or advertising campaign brief. You'll have the opportunity to impose a ‘personal style’ to your response and will be expected to provide a critical reflection of your approach including a review and rationale of the concept and implementation strategies adopted.
Collaborative Project: Working as a team you'll produce and capture a collaboratively produced artefact. You'll be required to show an ability to deliver work to a specified length, format, brief and deadline making use of a problem-solving approach to teamwork and to extend your technical skills and aesthetic judgement.
Moving Image 2: Working as part of a small production team you'll produce a self-promotional video of your practice production techniques and general ‘on-site’ modus operandi. The unit aims to record your unique approach to photographic production and/ or a post-production to be presented on a social media platform or form part of a promotional page of a website presence.
Investigating Industry: During this unit you'll develop your critical understanding of the role of the commercial practitioner as a producer of material for a variety of media, and as a collaborative manager working with other media professionals.
Media Theory: You'll become more independent in your studies and will have the opportunity to pursue your own research interests using appropriate methodologies, which may become the foundation of your final year project.

Placement year

This course includes a two week professional placement, usually completed between year 2 and 3. Alternatively, the course can be taken as a 4-year sandwich when your third year will be spent on professional industrial placement.

The placement is an integral part of the course and will give you the opportunity to relate theory to practice and to develop a real understanding of the profession you will enter upon graduating.

Final year

Concept Development: This unit will develop your communication and pitching skills, idea generation and development and knowledge of ethical, professional and regulatory issues relating to contemporary media practice. You'll learn how to reflect critically on your own practice, and how to respond to feedback.
Graduate Project: You'll produce and direct a substantial piece of work/collection of work that is uniquely your own. You'll work within a framework that attempts to emulate commercial photographic practices and prepares you in the processes necessary for a sustainable and rewarding career in the image making industry.
Research Project: Your research project will focus on a specific individual, community or commercial issue central to your long term academic and/or business objectives. The study will critically evaluate researched material to produce a clear and original argument. The form of the submission and method of investigation will be the result of a formalised and recorded research plan.
Commercial Contexts: This unit provides the opportunity to stress test how employment ready you are and build on your professional and interpersonal skills to gain employment. You'll be asked to prepare and present a production pitch to secure pinnacle work in the highly competitive commercial world of advertising photography.

Programme specification

Programme specifications provide definitive records of the University's taught degrees in line with Quality Assurance Agency requirements. Every taught course leading to a BU Award has a programme specification which describes its aims, structure, content and learning outcomes, plus the teaching, learning and assessment methods used.

Whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the programme specification, the information is liable to change to take advantage of exciting new approaches to teaching and learning as well as developments in industry. If you have been unable to locate the programme specification for the course you are interested in, it will be available as soon as the latest version is ready. Alternatively please contact us for assistance.

Placements

We recognise that placements are extremely valuable and can give you a head start when it comes to your future career. That’s why we offer every new student the opportunity to undertake a work placement as part of their course.

We will provide a great deal of support to help you find the most appropriate work placement for the subject you’re studying and the career you’re interested in, which means you could be based anywhere in the UK, or even overseas.

All you need to know about placements

How placements benefit you

Placements provide a great opportunity to make your first career steps and enhance your employability while you’re completing your studies. You’ll get the opportunity to:

Put the theory learnt throughout the course into professional practice
Enhance your study and help you decide on subject options (where appropriate)
Learn a wide range of skills such as time management, problem solving and team work (all of these are important to succeed in any career)
Make contacts, as it is not uncommon for our students to be offered permanent positions to return to after graduating
Gain a real insight into how the industry operates in roles that would be almost impossible to achieve for an outsider
Many of our students, during their placement, are given responsibilities normally associated with graduate trainees.

How long will your placement be?

Our placement students have previously worked with

Entry requirements

For 2023 entry: This course requires 104–120 UCAS tariff points including a minimum of 2 A-levels or equivalent. We are happy to consider a combination of qualifications and grades to meet the overall tariff, for example A-levels A*CC, ABC, BBB or BCC, BTECs DDM or DMM. You can use the UCAS calculator to see how your qualifications equate to UCAS tariff points.

Calculate your UCAS tariff points

2023 entry
Numeracy and literacy requirements (e.g. GCSEs)	GCSE English Language or English Literature and Mathematics grade 4 (or grade C in the old grading system). We also accept iGCSEs, Key Skills and Functional Skills and other qualifications at Level 2 of the National Qualifications Framework. See all of the equivalencies.
A-level and AS levels	104–120 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two A-levels.
Advanced Welsh Baccalaureate – Skills Challenge Certificate	We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff.
Access to HE Diploma	102–118 UCAS tariff points with any combination of Distinction, Merit, Pass grades.
BTEC National	Extended Diploma: Distinction, Merit, Merit (112 UCAS tariff points) Diploma: Distinction, Distinction (104 UCAS tariff points) Foundation Diploma/90-credit Diploma:* We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff Extended Certificate/Subsidiary Diploma: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff.
Cambridge International Pre-U Diploma	104–120 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two principal subjects.
Cambridge Technical	Extended Diploma: Distinction, Merit, Merit (112 UCAS tariff points) Diploma: Distinction, Distinction (104 UCAS tariff points) Subsidiary Diploma:* We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff Introductory Diploma: We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by an A-level sized qualification to meet the overall UCAS tariff.
Extended Project Qualification	We accept this qualification, but it must be accompanied by two A-level sized qualifications to meet the overall UCAS tariff.
International Baccalaureate Certificates	104–120 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two Higher Level certificates.
International Baccalaureate (Diploma)	An overall score of 28–31 points.
Scottish Highers	104–120 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of four Scottish Highers.
Scottish Advanced Highers	104–120 UCAS tariff points from a minimum of two Scottish Advanced Highers.
T Levels	Merit (120 UCAS tariff points).

International entry requirements

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.	Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry onto Year 1 for September 2023 entry: Chinese Senior High School Graduation Certificate (Huikao) average 80%, or Gaokao 61-71%. Grade depends on the course Hong Kong HKDSE Diploma (4,4,3 to 4,4,4 from three subjects). Grade depends on the course All India Senior School Certificate Examination (Standard XII) 60-70% Italian Esame di Stato with 60-70%. Grade depends on the course Titulo de Bachillerato with 6 or 7. Grade depends on the course English language requirements If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally: For September 2023 entry: IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent. View further information about our English language requirements. If you do not meet the English language requirement for your degree then why not join our Pre-Sessional English course? Successful completion of our Pre-Sessional English course will meet your English language requirement.

You can find details of the international qualifications we accept, and what level of study they apply to, on our entry requirements for non-UK students' page.

Please see below some examples of the qualifications for entry onto Year 1 for September 2023 entry:

Chinese Senior High School Graduation Certificate (Huikao) average 80%, or Gaokao 61-71%. Grade depends on the course
Hong Kong HKDSE Diploma (4,4,3 to 4,4,4 from three subjects). Grade depends on the course
All India Senior School Certificate Examination (Standard XII) 60-70%
Italian Esame di Stato with 60-70%. Grade depends on the course
Titulo de Bachillerato with 6 or 7. Grade depends on the course

English language requirements

If English is not your first language, you will need to provide evidence that you can understand English to a satisfactory level. English language requirements for this course are normally:

For September 2023 entry: IELTS (Academic) 6.0 with minimum 5.5 in each component, or equivalent.

View further information about our English language requirements.

If you do not meet the English language requirement for your degree then why not join our Pre-Sessional English course? Successful completion of our Pre-Sessional English course will meet your English language requirement.

Other useful information

AccessBU: AccessBU provides you with the opportunity to tell us about your circumstances that are not always evident in your UCAS application. This widening access initiative also considers relevant criteria such as being in care or if you live in an area with a low participation rate in Higher Education - if you are eligible, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS tariff points below the published tariff.

Apprenticeships: We recognise the transferable knowledge and skills gained through apprenticeships and welcome applications from students with a Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship recognised by the Institute for Apprenticeships. Each application will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Deferred entry: We are happy to consider eligible applicants for deferred entry. If you have already submitted your application, please submit your deferral request through our website.

Direct entry: We welcome applications from students who have previously studied at degree level at other institutions and wish to transfer onto a BU course. Our Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) procedure enables credit awarded from one institution to contribute to a BU award, subject to an application process. Please visit our RPL webpage for more information.

Mature applicants: We recognise that mature applicants may have a wealth of experience rather than formal qualifications, so we’ll consider your application on these merits if included in your application. You’ll need to apply to BU in the usual way through UCAS and you may be invited to an interview to discuss your suitability for the course based on the experience you tell us about in your application.

Your application

This course will suit applicants who:

Demonstrate both intellectual and creative abilities
Show experience of Photography
Have an appreciation of the academic underpinnings of photography
Possess a strong awareness of the visual communications industry
Demonstrate good technical and communication skills.

How to apply

What we’re looking for

Students on this course will typically have a background in photography and the academic ability to undertake a degree. Students will also be media aware and have a proven ability to work creatively, in groups and individually.

We look for creative and innovative thinkers who are familiar with current Photographic practice and want to apply it. We would encourage applicants who are passionate about photography, work well in groups and express themselves well in writing.

Selection methods

We select candidates for this course by looking at your application. For that reason, make sure your application really stands out from the crowd, and leave us in no doubt as to why you should be joining the course.You can find some handy hints about filling in your UCAS form on our how to apply web pages.

For September 2022 entry: We will ask you to provide a portfolio in support of your application which will be reviewed by one of the tutors on the course.

How we assess your application

We look at individual applications and make a tailored offer based on your potential to succeed on the course considering a range of factors, including your academic achievements, work and other experience, reference and personal statement, and in some cases, your performance at an interview or review of your work. Typically, we make an offer at the bottom of the tariff range.

AccessBU gives you the chance to tell us more about you and your life experiences if you haven’t had the same educational opportunities as other applicants. If you are eligible for AccessBU, your offer could be up to 16 UCAS Tariff Points below the published tariff.

Portfolio

We will ask you to submit a portfolio of photographic images in support of your application.

Portfolios could include, but are not limited to:

A range of photographic work that conveys your passion for the medium. This may include, portraiture, still-life, architecture, landscape, fashion, documentary & reportage, studio products or food.
Workbooks demonstrating self-motivated study and research. We need to see work that the applicant has done outside of their studies and courses and can discuss with keen interest and enthusiasm.
Work that demonstrates creativity and proficiency in composition, subject and concept.
A showreel of moving image work (this is not essential but beneficial in an ever changing photographic landscape).

Your portfolio will be reviewed by one of the tutors on the course.

Our offer making process

Our offer-making will typically be based on your most recent qualifications, including any required subjects where applicable. We'll consider all qualifications when assessing your application, although these may not be part of our offer.

If you do not meet the criteria of your original offer, we may still offer you a place. We will review your whole application and consider all academic qualifications (including those not in the offer) to see if you have the academic potential to succeed on the course. If we feel the answer is yes, we will confirm your place.

Careers

There is always demand for talented photographers and this degree will prepare you for work in this varied and exciting industry. Once you graduate, you can apply for roles with established studios, with large organisations that require staff photographers, with photo libraries or agencies, or can forge your own career as a freelancer.

Careers advice and resources

Potential job roles

Industries worked in

Further study

Costs and fees

All fees are quoted in pounds sterling and are per year. Your tuition fees will be the same for each year of your course. Fees quoted are for tuition only unless stated otherwise.

Find out more about budgeting and living expenses

Our staff

On this course you will be taught by staff with relevant expertise and knowledge appropriate to the content of the unit. This could include senior academic staff, qualified professional practitioners and research students, many of whom are actively engaged in research and/or professional practice which is integrated into the teaching of this course. Please note that staff can change.

Mark Leary - Course Leader

Mark Leary is Course Leader of BA (Hons) Commercial Photography and an award-winning filmmaker and photographer who has worked in the advertising industry of London, Paris and New York for nearly twenty years. With his unique colour palette and beautiful lighting, Mark creates a familiar (almost nostalgic) feeling to his work whilst pertaining relevance to a modern, stylised aesthetic. His work has been described as dreamlike and displaying a magical quality whilst conveying universal concepts of wonder, adventure, exploration and mindfulness. His work has been exhibited in The Photographers' Gallery, London and the Getty Gallery, London - amongst others - and he has published three books.

Returning to full-time education in 2018 Mark recently completed his MA in photography at Arts University Bournemouth and is now combining his working career with that of university lecturer - hoping to inspire the next generation of creatives.

Samantha O'Neill

Samantha O'Neill is known as Samantha Horn in her professional career as an Artist. Samantha has two first class degrees, a BA in Photography and a Masters in Fine Art. Her former career in Costume Design for film and television culminated with her winning an Emmy in 2006 but more importantly has allowed her concerns within the mediums of photography, film and costume to evolve in an enquiring and exploratory manner. Her work, primarily created through the use of photography, is concerned with 'cultural identity' and notions of 'belonging' found within narratives of European 'portrayal'.Samantha practices both digital and analog including 10x8 camera photography.

Rob Payne

Rob grew up in sunny Dorset where days at the beach and long walks in the countryside fuelled his love of natural landscapes. After completing his GCSEs, Rob enrolled on a National Diploma in Photography, two years of studying the basics and falling in love with the darkroom he moved to Reading to complete his BA (Hons) degree in Photography. With much practice, experimentation and development Rob graduated and immediately moved to London where he started assisting established commercial photographers, along the way he was lucky enough to work and learn alongside some of the advertising industry’s big hitters travelling the world in the process.

Rob’s own style of photography was moulded during these frequent and sometimes long assisting trips to the USA where he was able to take inspiration from some of the great pioneering photographers such as Stephen Shore, Joel Sternfeld and William Eggleston. This allowed Rob to see the world in a very different light, turning the ordinary into extraordinary. He takes everyday scenes, landscapes or objects and creates a unique atmosphere around them using light, colour and composition. This ‘atmosphere’ is hard to pinpoint. It has been described as ethereal and unearthly with an otherworldly feel about it. The atmosphere can of course change depending on the feelings that the picture is trying to evoke. Rob likes to think it’s something that people might easily overlook but once captured in a photograph has a permanence, palpability and quiet beauty for all to see.

After working as an assistant for a number of years Rob embarked on a career as a commercial photographer in his own right, securing his first agent in London, then soon after in Paris. Rob has worked hard over the years to become a photographic chameleon. As his commercial work demonstrates, he can turn his hand to a variety of photographic disciplines including cars, people, still life, landscapes and nightscapes. Working for European advertising agencies such as DDB, Havas, JWT, BETC, AMVBBDO, Fred and Farid, Ogilvy, Euro RSCG, VCCP for clients such as Canon, VW, Evans Cycles, Sony, Kronenbourg, Honda, Vauxhall, EDF Energy, Canal Plus, Adidas, HSBC, Talk Talk and Barclaycard.

Rob is able to divide his time as both a practising commercial photographer and an educator. Guest speaking and visiting tutor on some of the best BA and MA photography courses in the UK and delivering UAL’s Level 3 Extended Diploma. It is this enthusiasm to share his years of industry experience and knowledge with students that makes him a perfect addition to the BA Commercial Photography staff at Wiltshire College and University Centre.

Course changes

Changes for 2022 entry

Date	Changes to this course
01/10/2021	Where the change was made: Fees box Change: Placement fee for September 2022 entry amended to £1,850 Previous text: £850
18/06/2021	Where the change was made: Key information, Your application, Entry requirements Change: Portfolio requirement added. Applicants are required to submit a portfolio in support of their application. Previous text: N/A

Statistics shown throughout this page are taken from Unistats and BU institutional data unless otherwise stated.