Photography

Photography is one of the most versatile and contested of the visual arts. Since its invention in the nineteenth century it has served as a document of reality, a medium for artistic expression, a tool of science, a commercial instrument and a vehicle for social comment and storytelling. Digital technology has transformed what photography is and how it is distributed, but it has also deepened rather than simplified the questions photographers face about what an image is, what it means and how it works.

At Manchester Metropolitan University, this three-year full-time BA approaches the photographic image as an infinitely varied way of seeing, thinking and making in the world.

You will begin from a broad base of both analogue and digital photographic skills, developing technical fluency across different processes and contexts, and then work towards establishing your own creative identity and distinctive voice as a practitioner. The programme exposes you to new technologies and cutting-edge ideas about photography's future directions, and it situates your creative development within collaborative, sustainable and public-facing projects that consider the social value of image-making. A placement year gives you direct professional experience in a relevant creative or commercial context, and work placement opportunities are woven throughout the programme alongside the studio and critical elements of the degree.

Photography graduates move into careers across a wide range of fields. Commercial and editorial photography, documentary practice, fine art photography, fashion and advertising photography, photojournalism, picture editing, art direction and curatorial work are all common directions for those who develop a strong personal and professional practice. The visual and critical thinking skills the programme develops are also valued in communications, design, marketing and the cultural sector more broadly.

Many graduates pursue postgraduate study in fine art, photography, visual culture or arts practice, while others move directly into freelance or employed positions in the creative industries.