The programme is designed to help you develop a harmonious balance between your creative vision and the technical precision required to produce work across diverse photographic formats and outputs. Alongside hands-on practice, you’ll dive into the ideas behind powerful imagery, understand how photographs shape culture and tell stories. Throughout the course, you will have access to industry-leading Canon, Sony, Hasselblad, and Phase One camera systems, along with a comprehensive range of professional-grade photographic and video equipment.

This photography degree is housed in state-of-the-art facilities and led by a teaching staff actively engaged in the industry, ensuring you receive an exceptional, hands-on learning experience. The curriculum emphasises both technical mastery and creative expression, empowering you with the skills necessary to succeed as a versatile practitioner. Whether capturing the world through your unique perspective, creating captivating photographic art, or executing client briefs on time and within budget, you’ll be equipped to produce striking, high-quality images that resonate with audiences.

Our graduates have gone on build successful careers in various fields, including editorial, documentary, fashion, commercial advertising, photojournalism, sports photography, social portraiture, music, photo retouching, picture editing, publishing, curation, film and TV, and education. All students are provided with professional training in Capture One, Adobe Lightroom, and the Adobe Creative Suite, ensuring that you are adept in industry-standard software and prepared to thrive in any professional setting.

Our school engages with a wide range of partners working across each creative sub-sector to ensure that teaching and learning are in line with the latest developments in and requirements of industry, including:

Industry Partners
Alex Schneidman, Flow Photographic
Frede Spencer, Twenty Twenty
Association of Photography in Higher Education (APHE)
Lucinda Grange, (Adventure Photographer) New York, Zurich and York

Guest Speakers
Alison Baskerville: Photojournalist
Julia Fullerton-Batten: Fine Art Photographer
Liz Smith: Photography Consultant
Martin Parr: Magnum Photos
Mimi Mollica: Photo Meet London
Peter Dench: Photo North
Pippa Oldfield: Curator and Writer
Simon Roberts: Photographer & Honorary Fellow Royal Photographic Society
Tessa Bunney: Documentary Photographer
Tim Wallace: Advertising Photographer
Yan Preston: Photographer

We exhibit in places such as:
As above &
Baltic X Fenwick Exhibition
Free Range, London
Hartlepool Art Gallery
Middlesbrough Art Week
Pineapple Black

Students have the opportunity to work with a range of companies on live briefs throughout the programme, including:
Notting Hill Editions, Publishing Books Project
AOP Student Awards
The Photography Show NEC Birmingham 2024 Emerging Artists Award
Taylor Wessing Photography Portrait Awards

Our alumni work or have worked for companies such as:
• Boo George - Editorial Fashion Photographer: Emporio Armani, Ralph Lauren, Hermes, Levi’s, Louis Vuitton, Vogue and Calvin Klein
• Peter Caton - Documentary Photographer: UNICEF, Save the Children, Greenpeace, The Sunday Times Magazine, The Guardian, Marie Claire, Esquire, the Washington Post and Le Figaro
• Lucinda Grange - Travel/ Adventure Photographer: New York Post, Paris Match, The Times, Guardian, United National Photographers Ltd
• Hollie Galloway - Photographer, Filmmaker, Art Director: End Clothing, Cannes, Sheffield Documentary Film Festival, National Glass Centre, London

Graduates are working or undertaking postgraduate training in a wide range of careers including:
• Editorial
• Documentary
• Fashion
• Advertising
• Photojournalism
• Sport
• Social Portraiture
• Photo Retouching
• Picture Editing
• Publishing
• Curating
• Education

Your portfolio is a visual statement it says a lot about an applicant and their practice. The advice below is not meant to be restrictive but rather offers some simple advice to help you prepare for your interview.

Clearly laid out portfolio, which is easy to look through. Considered quality not quantity and avoiding repetition. Good to organise into sections.

Examples can include:
1. Knowledge of the subject you are applying for

2. Evidence of visual imagery/photographs that you have created yourself

3. Notebooks/contact sheets that indicate developmental processes experimental.

4. Simple presentation – mounted black or white board is preferable

5. Series of photographs that indicate interpretation/technical ability:
• Use of light, composition, print quality, narrative, interaction with the subject, visual story, associated research and how this feed into the project – relevance, individuality, ideas, experimentation, evidence of an ability to take a creative risk and experiment.

6. Sketchbooks
• Evidence of your level of understanding photographic technique: this includes an ability to use a camera with exposure/composition/lenses, different focal lengths and work flow.

7. Written work
• Will include the influence and reference to other photographers/artists/filmmakers.

8. Digital work
• We advise a maximum of 20 images prepared and ready to view on a tablet/laptop. The work should be considered and organized, displaying the ability that you have decided to choose key images before placing them in the appropriate order to be viewed during the portfolio review. Be selective with your images that you can talk confidently about.

Authenticity of Submitted Work
All work submitted in support of an application (including written work, portfolios, proposals or additional evidence requested by the School) must be the applicant’s own original work.

The School reserves the right to request verification of authorship. Where submitted work is found to be misrepresented, misleading or not the applicant’s own, the application or offer may be withdrawn in accordance with our Admissions policy.

Where applicants have used digital or AI-assisted tools as part of their creative process, this should be clearly declared.

Foundation and Orientation

In Year One you will learn about workflow for both digital and darkroom applications. Expect energetic critiques, inspiring briefs and projects that stretch your creativity. This is supported by a programme of technical workshops, academic lectures seminars.

• Core photographic skills & commercial studio lighting
• Advanced digital software, editing and post-production
• Exploration of genres; fashion, documentary, editorial and fine art
• Shooting film and darkroom practice
• Location shooting & live briefs
• Professional workflows

Development and Exploration

In year two you will work with short film and moving image and advanced production processes. You will begin to specialise and develop your photographic direction, turning your passion into skillset. This is supported by critical investigation of how to read photographs and understand the importance of images and the various uses and applications in the world today.

• Advanced techniques and processes
• Live-briefs, commercial opportunities and exhibitions
• Short film, video editing and moving image
• Story telling through visual imagery
• Critical thinking and contemporary photography
• Independent working and your own photographic practice

Consolidation and Expertise

In your final year you will develop an industry ready portfolio of work as you consider your personal independent practice and prepare for employment and/or further study, challenging you to push boundaries and discover your unique creative voice.

• Project research and development
• Your dissertation or report
• Self-employability, self-promotion and networking
• Develop your own brief and specialism
• An exhibition of your work and production of your portfolio

Optional Master of Arts.

Develop your creativity even further with a postgraduate study year – https://northernart.ac.uk/masters-degrees/