Graduate Spotlight: Photographer Jenna Hinton is forging ahead with her career

Jenna is a still-life, lifestyle and event photographer who graduated in summer 2023 from Commercial Photography BA(Hons). After graduating, Jenna moved to London where she is now working for post-production studio The Forge, which works with international brands. We chatted to Jenna about the change from studying full time to working at an agency. 

So – what made you want to follow a career in photography?   

I fell in love with photography as a way to capture memories: I want to make sure moments are captured and can be looked back on in the future. I also really enjoy being creative with photography, and the satisfaction of a shoot that has gone well!   

How did university prepare you for the photography industry? 

I felt really prepared to leave university. The Commercial Photography course taught me so much about how to navigate the industry and how professional, commercial shoots work, which has already proven useful.  

Also, the work I did with briefs in a creative agency environment, and that was invaluable - I was very involved in this in my third year. I learnt so much about how to communicate with clients effectively and gained useful experience under the wing of the eider team, who supported me throughout all the projects. It also gave me the confidence to go after clients I want to work with.  

While I still have a lot to learn I am grateful for the knowledge I left university with.   

What have you been doing since graduation? 

I graduated in July and I have been at The Forge, a post-production company and photographic studio since, and I love it. The amount I have learned from just a short time is crazy. 

I am working in Front of House so my duties are a bit of everything; to greet clients, look after the studio, update social media and the website as well as helping the Producer with anything they need (schedules, budgets etc).  

Working here has exposed me to so much, and I have met so many lovely people within the industry. I have even been on set for a few shoots we are working on as well as helping with our in-house productions, which have been so much fun.