Photography Top-up

Completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject? Top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree in Photography. Are you full of ideas and how to create powerful and innovative photographic images? 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.

Why study BA (Hons) Interior and Spatial Design at BNU?
A degree for you
A top-up degree is the equivalent of the final year of an undergraduate degree, and offers a chance to deepen your knowledge, skills and understanding of your subject, while also getting an internationally-recognised qualification.

If you have completed a foundation-level degree, HND, or equivalent qualifications in a relevant Art and Design subject, you can choose to top-up your studies to gain a full bachelor’s degree.

Accredited Degree
The photography degree is an accredited member of the Association of Photographers (AOP). The course meets the AOP’s criteria for the appropriate professional development of students during their studies. This accreditation also offers all students on the course their own free AOP membership for the duration of their studies, providing them with additional support and networking opportunities.

Expert facilities and equipment
At BNU we offer state-of-the-art photography facilities where you’ll have access to industry-standard lighting studios, wet darkroom, professional scanning suite and print bureau at our High Wycombe campus. As well as this you’ll benefit from your own mac suites, which host the full Adobe Creative Cloud, and professional printing area.

On quiet days you’ll find yourself spending time in the courses very own break out and teaching area, a light and open space to help you focus and let creativity flow.

You’ll also have access to a range of cameras and equipment (analogue and digital) available for loan to support their practice, including:

• Nikon and Canon lenses

• 5x4 Linhoff, Horseman and Cambo cameras

• medium format Bronica, Fuji, Mamiya film cameras

• medium format Pentax and Hasselblad digital cameras

• Godox, Neewer, Mecablitz and Canon camera top flash

What will I study?
This photography course offers a contemporary curriculum that is engaged with social, technological, environmental, ethical and cultural perspectives, enabling you to become a ‘thinking practitioner’ or a socially responsible entrepreneur.

We will help you develop a conceptual and contextual understanding of photography, 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.

From editorial and advertising photography to working in 3D environments to produce Computer-Generated images (CGI), exploring wet printing and alternative print-making techniques or experimenting with moving image and sound, you’ll have the opportunity to explore your chosen area of photography that interests you.

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

You’ll learn how to best promote your photography and how to set yourself up as a freelancer, dealing with important aspects such as your own branding, 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. We’ll also look at how to develop your presence and present your work on different platforms, from the physical exhibition space to online websites, and how to evolve your practice to cater for different audiences.

Year 1 Modules
Core Modules
Final Major Project
Contextual Report
Professional Practice

This course is mostly practice-based so you will have ample opportunity to develop your subject through a hands-on, experimental approach. This will involve using the extensive photography studios and equipment on offer. You could also have the opportunity to benefit from industry specialists, seminars and project critiques.

To achieve the full BA (Hons) in Photography, you’ll need to complete the modules listed, as well as a major project and a dissertation.

The major project and dissertation will allow you to investigate a topic important to you within interior and spatial design. You will cover the whole research process, undertaking empirical investigation and analysis. You will be allocated a dissertation supervisor, who will offer support and advice.

The Professional Practice module gives you the opportunity to undertake work-based learning or answer live industry briefs, gaining the practical and transferable skills you need for your career in the creative industries.