Documentary & Editorial Photography BA(Hons)

You’ll start by building a thorough grounding in the fundamentals of photographic techniques, the history of photography and the basics of professional practice. Through a series of modules, you’ll develop skills in studio lighting, editing and production software, website building and presenting. You’ll also be introduced to concepts of critical thinking, analysis and reflection.  

Modules

Essentials of Photographic Narrative

You’ll get an introduction to the core technical skills and visual understanding required of a documentary and editorial photographer. Through live briefs that mimic real world jobs, you’ll also explore the narrative models used by journalists and documentary makers.  

Professional Presence  

From ethical practice, marketing and copyright to managing finances, in this module you’ll get to grips with the business side of being a professional photographer.

Photography Histories & Visual Culture 

You’ll deepen your contextual awareness by exploring the diversity and complexity of visual storytelling and global audiences throughout history.

Photographic Narrative in Context 

You’ll learn the importance of contextual awareness when working as a documentary and editorial photographer. Through the creation of a portfolio that incorporates a variety of genres and outputs, you’ll develop your understanding of audience, markets and purpose.   

Critical Approaches to Reading the Image 

How do images convey meaning, and how do people read them? Developing your critical analysis skills, you’ll explore issues of gender, race and identity, critical approaches to audience and the role of the image in shaping public knowledge.  

In year two, you’ll add moving image to your artistic toolkit. You’ll apply your new photographic and analytical skills to video and multimedia, taking creative risks as you continue to develop your unique approach to visual narrative storytelling. Building on your professional experience, you’ll also organise and complete a work placement.  

Modules

Audio Visual & Interactive Storytelling 

You’ll learn how to marry story, content and context to create audio visual and interactive work that resonates with an audience. You’ll also develop skills in story identification, genre constructs and conventions, audio capture and editing, video capture and editing, researching, interview techniques, narrative functionality and hardware usage. 

Law, Ethics & Human Rights 

Examining historical and recent case studies where ethics have been called into question, you’ll uncover the legal and ethical frameworks affecting the production and dissemination of photography, journalism and broadcast media. 

Audiences

Working both collaboratively and independently, you’ll produce a variety of creative content that focuses on audience engagement. This practical work will be backed by a theoretical understanding of audience across a range of media and contexts. 

Cultural & Critical Context 

Through lectures and seminars, you’ll examine the generic conventions used across journalism, documentary, editorial, photojournalism and visual storytelling, and how they shape public knowledge. You'll learn to critically contextualise practices with social, cultural, technical and political contexts.   

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. 

You’ll start your final year deep in dissertation research, while pursuing guided independent photographic work for your final major portfolio. Reflecting on the work completed in the early part of the academic year, you’ll build your final major project and prepare a professional toolkit for entry into industry. 

Modules

Developmental Portfolio

The developmental portfolio is driven by your own unique aspirations and strengths, providing the skillsets, confidence and direction to deliver a cohesive and resolved Final Major Portfolio, as well as guiding future prospects.  

Dissertation

Your dissertation is an opportunity for you to explore your own interests and specialisms. While writing, you’ll engage with research and analysis into the historical and professional concepts, practices and theories that have been introduced during the course. Although supported by workshops, seminars and specific supervision, the emphasis of this module is student-led independent learning.

Final Major Portfolio  

Building on previous experience, and especially upon the strengths of your developmental portfolio, you’ll design individual and unique outputs that speak to an identified audience. Evidencing a deep and clear understanding of context and purpose, your creative work will be dictated by you with the support of your tutors. Your final submission will be highly professional, creative and critically engaged. 

Professional Futures 

In this final stage, you’ll fine tune your professional profile with support from industry mentors, ready to step out into the workplace. 

This module is shared with the Commercial Photography BA(Hons) course.  

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 for this course is new for entry year 2023 and subject to validation.

On this Documentary & Editorial Photography course, you’ll gain valuable practical experience through tutorials, seminars, lectures, workshops, industry masterclasses and guided independent study, all designed to promote your development as a critical practitioner. You’ll also have the opportunity to learn through live briefs, study trips and work placements – allowing you to experience the professional aspects of documentary and editorial photography.  

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. 

Assessment methods 

• Continuous assessment with no formal examinations 
• Portfolios, journals and logbooks  
• Presentations and essays