Photography

Kickstart your photography career on this immersive three-year course. With two-thirds of your time dedicated to hands-on experiences, you'll develop creative and technical skills in both contemporary and traditional photography. You’ll also gain a deep understanding of production outcomes for print and web platforms through various techniques.

Bridge the gap between theory and practice with access to our industry-standard facilities including a black and white darkroom, a Colenta colour processor and three versatile shooting studios, complete with backdrops and lighting. Our dedicated professional photography print room will ensure your creations are showcased with utmost precision, and our skilled photography technicians are on hand to help.

Explore and study photography at university level, cultivating your unique style and preparing for a career as a professional photographer in the creative industry.

Course Overview
The BA (Hons) Photography degree offers the opportunity to explore your creativity and photographic practice, encouraging you to experiment across genres such as studio portraiture, documentary, editorial, commercial, and landscape photography. Whether you're capturing compelling narratives or crafting striking visual compositions, you'll build a strong creative identity, and a versatile skill set that reflects the demands of today’s photography industry.

Studying at our specialist arts campus, you’ll be immersed in a supportive creative community and spend two thirds of your time developing hands-on skills in both digital and analogue photography. With expert guidance, you’ll explore image-making techniques, visual storytelling, and the professional workflows needed to produce work for both print and digital platforms.

We operate an open-door policy and will be on hand to help you hone your work whenever you need us. Our experienced tutors bring real-world insights from current industry practice, helping you stay ahead of trends and technologies. Regular guest lectures, workshops, and industry-led projects provide valuable exposure to professional perspectives. You'll also have the chance to take part in inspirational field trips, collaborative projects, and public exhibitions—preparing you for a successful career in the fast-evolving creative industries.

On this course you will...

• Develop your photographic and editing skills while experimenting during workshops and outdoor activities.

• Work with students across the creative arts, collaborating on projects and exploring new mediums.

• Be taught by industry experts with experience working freelance and within creative organisations.

• Have the opportunity to exhibit your work publicly alongside the work of classmates across the arts.

What you will learn

Photography is a fantastically versatile discipline and as such offers many routes into employment within the creative industries.

At the University of Cumbria, we have designed a programme that allows you to experiment with techniques, develop your practical skills, study through critical thinking and enquiry.

Informed by the clear integration of practice and theory, and by an expectation of your intellectual engagement in Photography practice, you will develop transferable skills.