Commercial Photography BA(Hons)

From day one of your Commercial Photography degree, you'll develop specialist photographic skills and learn to market yourself as a professional visual content producer.

You'll explore the contexts and histories of modern advertising and the fundamentals of marketing communications, and we'll introduce you to a range of commercial photography and moving image-making techniques and technologies.

Modules

Professional Presence

In this research-based module, you'll be introduced to key industry issues such as copyright and business practices, allowing you to build your professional identity while researching and interrogating the importance of professional ethics. You will design and construct your own website and business profile and build your social media presence while developing your CV through workshops, lectures and tutorials.

Play

In your first practice-based module you’ll be introduced to the fundamentals of commercial photographic techniques. Through a series of inductions and bi-weekly workshop-based briefs, you will build your skills and confidence in the contexts of practice and project development.

Impact

In this critical thinking module, you will engage with advertising imagery, exploring what it means to ‘create for good’ and considering your responsibilities as a creative. Through the lens of sustainability and change, you will explore how your own and others’ images can communicate impactfully.

Move

In this moving image module, you will take part in technical workshops using professional studio equipment to build skills in digital production, culminating in the creation of a series of short multi-channel moving Image projects.

Visual Communication

You’ll explore visual language in the context of fashion image-making and content generation for printed publication. Through collaboration, you'll experiment with styling and art direction for still and moving-image, graphic design and editorial content, using industry-standard production techniques for print and digital channels.
 

Through portfolio development, live briefs and work placements, you'll raise your level of technical ability, explore the commercial environment and build on your critical and collaborative working skills.

You'll also begin to understand how photography and moving image are used within multi-channel campaigns and use theories and concepts to critically reflect on the impact of emerging technologies. 

Modules

Brand Narrative

This research and practice-based module will equip you with an understanding of brand narratives and digital storytelling. Through a series of lectures and workshops, you'll gain insight into how brands build communication strategies. From this, you'll go on to develop the project management and moving image production skills needed to produce content in line with brand identity. 

Production

In this professional practice module, you will explore the production process, honing your business acumen and understanding of industry terminology. You’ll also develop your communication skills by presenting and pitching for an industry client. 

Going Live

Using the technical skills you have developed so far, you will develop a multi-platform multimedia campaign for a sustainable brand, using your skills to help advance key narratives and ideas. 

This module aims to develop your ability to shape ideas and photographic outcomes, and to interrogate ethical and sustainable approaches to your practice, as well as analysing the impact of photographs and multimedia content in promoting positive change.    

Collaborate

Working collaboratively with students outside of your cohort, you will build and create an engaging campaign working to a live industry brief. You will consider all aspects of campaign creation from concept and production through to delivery, developing key skills in communication, problem-solving, critical thinking and leadership. You will demonstrate ethical and sustainable working practices, including an awareness and understanding of the different roles available within the creative industries.

Audience and Intention

Working on a series of live briefs and self-initiated projects, you'll begin to frame your practice. This module is designed to progress independent practice alongside building your awareness of the professional context in which your own practice is situated.

You can choose to take an optional professional placement after your second year on a three-year programme, or after your third year if you’re studying for a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year. 

You’ll be responsible for finding your own placement, with support from the Employability team. 

Choosing this option will enhance your industry experience and skills while studying. 

How you’ll study during your professional placement

You’ll spend time working in a professional context, as part of a business or organisation. This can be in one role, or up to three, and must be for a minimum of 24 weeks. 

You’ll develop in-demand workplace skills, deepen your insight into industry and grow your network of contacts, all of which could help you get ahead in your career after graduation. 

Throughout this year, you’ll develop a portfolio of work that includes critical self-reflection on what has been learned from the experience. You’ll be required to evidence your experiences, the skills you’ve learned and your professional growth. 

The final year of your Commercial Photography degree represents your chance to shape your professional and creative identity.

Putting your skills to use, you'll showcase your unique photographic practice and critical mind through your final contextual project, portfolio and degree show. 

Modules

Positions

Working independently, with supervision, you'll research, explore and develop your own interests to build a final piece of academic text. This will help you to establish where your commercial practice fits within the industry.

Approaches

Based on the interests you have developed in the previous two years, you'll produce a commercial portfolio that begins to define your individual practice. Emphasis will be on experimenting and refining your work towards the completion of your final major project. 

Professional Futures

In this shared module with BA(Hons) Press and Editorial Photography students, you will consolidate your understanding of professionalism in preparation to enter the creative industries, equipping yourself with the necessary business and marketing skills to succeed in your chosen specialism.  

Launch

In your Final Major Project, you will develop an innovative final photographic portfolio and short accompanying text that demonstrates a high level of professionalism and industry level finish, appropriate for your career ambitions.

Why study an Integrated Foundation Year route? 

If you’re taking on a new subject that you haven’t studied in depth before, have been out of education for a while or have a non-standard educational background then an Integrated Foundation Year degree may be the right choice for you. It is a four-year degree with an Integrated Foundation Year to start, which allows you to explore the primary elements of your subject before progressing on to the remaining three years of the BA(Hons) degree. 

What you'll study in your Foundation year

If you choose this pathway, you'll study five core modules in your Foundation year. These are all designed to help you explore the foundational elements of your subject. You'll gain relevant technical skills, learn to experiment and take risks, develop an understanding of professional practice, have opportunities to work across disciplines and collaborate with other students on live project briefs. 

Modules

Explore

You'll begin your foundation year by working collaboratively with others to explore themes of the future. You'll take risks, experiment through play and be supported to break through barriers.

Technique

You'll take subject-specific workshops and develop essential technical and practical skills in your area of study. You'll also enhance your analytical and organisational abilities.

Apply

You'll work with your peer group to think beyond discipline by addressing a societal or global issue. You'll then showcase your work to your peers and deliver and accompanying evaluation of your process.

Industry

You'll enhance your creative and practical skills in your subject specialism by responding to typical industry briefs, underpinned by focused research and experiments. You'll also gain industry insights through guest lectures and workshops.

Launch

You'll develop your unique identity in your specialism through the production of a self-initiated body of work. Your final project will be the bridge to your next year, fully supported by evaluative reviews and critical analysis of the work you have created.

After the Foundation year, you progress into Year One of the full three-year degree, equipped with a deeper knowledge of your subject, a clear understanding of your strengths, and develop a practical and technical skillset and the confidence to excel in your chosen subject. 

If you apply for and enrol onto a degree with an Integrated Foundation Year, you’ll have the option to switch onto a five-year version including a placement year. That means you’ll complete the first three years of your course before completing a placement in industry in your fourth year and returning to Falmouth for the fifth year of your programme. 

The Integrated Foundation Year pathway is subject to validation.

On this Commercial Photography course, you'll build valuable technical, critical and business skills through lectures, seminars, tutorials, workshops, group 'crits', work placements and masterclasses from current industry experts.

At Falmouth, we use a 'digitally enhanced learning & teaching' approach. Your experience will always be predominantly in-person, including seminars, tutorials and studio teaching, with some, more targeted elements, being online either live (synchronous) or pre-recorded (asynchronous). You can read more here.

100% of your assessment will be coursework with no formal examinations.

Assessment methods

• Year 1-3: coursework assignments  
• Optional Integrated Foundation Year assessments are 100% coursework based 
• Coursework may include portfolios, projects, exhibitions, journals, presentations and written papers