Photography
Photography is both an art and a technical discipline, and studying it seriously requires engagement with both dimensions. As a medium, photography has shaped how the modern world sees itself: it is the primary language of news and documentary journalism, one of the central forms of contemporary art, a tool of scientific and medical imaging, and the medium through which billions of images are now produced and circulated every day. Understanding photography critically means engaging with its history, its theories, its social functions, and its aesthetic possibilities, while practising it means developing technical mastery, visual intelligence, and the ability to direct and edit images with purpose and precision.
At Plymouth this three-year full-time programme develops both your creative and critical capabilities as a photographer. You will work on live briefs set by creative industry clients and partners, gaining practical experience in concept development, professional workflows, project management, and collaboration, skills that are essential for working effectively in the commercial and editorial photography sectors. You will build a portfolio of work across the programme that demonstrates your creative range and technical competence to future employers and clients.
A year abroad is embedded in the programme, giving you the opportunity to photograph and study in a different cultural and environmental context.
Practical collaborative experience is woven throughout, reflecting the reality that professional photographers rarely work alone: they collaborate with clients, art directors, editors, stylists, and production teams, and the capacity to do so effectively is a core professional skill.
Graduates move into careers in editorial and commercial photography, documentary, fine art photography, photographic education, picture editing, and visual communications. Many build freelance or portfolio careers, and some go on to postgraduate study in fine art photography, photojournalism, or visual communications.