Photography for Fashion & Advertising - BA (Hons) 

Photography for Fashion & Advertising (PFA) at the University of South Walest is a unique course considers a broad spectrum of commercial and applied photography and in particular issues concerning commercial representation and the future for imaging within this context.

Considerable attention is given to creating a stimulating course environment where individuals are encouraged to develop a signature photographic style and to express their concerns independently.  Emphasis is placed upon practice driven work, transferable professional skills and personal development enabling students to graduate with confidence in their abilities and ideas.

Opportunities to take part in live industry briefs plus collaborative projects with Fashion Design and Advertising Design students simulate the collaborative nature of the commercial industry.

The PFA course, part of the School of Film, Photography & Digital Media, aims to teach you the essential analogue and digital skills for a career in commercial photography. To supplement these skills you are grounded in social, historical, political and theoretical issues affecting photography, fashion, advertising and visual culture.

Our Photography for Fashion & Advertising students are also encouraged to think independently, to express creative impulses and develop their own aesthetic responses to industry style briefs. Emerging skills are contextualised in realistic projects where an emphasis is placed on experimentation and teamwork as well as written and verbal communication skills.  Problem solving and lateral thinking are also key to a successful freelance career and the course explores the power of limits as an essential developmental tool.

The PFA teaching team comprises experienced tutors and leading industry figures who contribute to the teaching of the programme. Your student experience will also benefit from a range of practitioners drawn from a broad commercial background including photographers, stylists, agents, art directors, editors and art buyers.

In your first year you will be introduced to a wide range of photographic techniques and styles in line with the profession today. Practical studio and location photography will be supported by lectures, seminars and workshops covering a wide range of ideas around advertising, fashion and visual culture.

Your second year will allow you to understand how your work might be placed in a variety of contexts including the magazine and advertising industries. More advanced skills in photography and image manipulation will be supported by tuition in design and art direction to complement your photographic work. Professional practice is a key element of this stage, when aspects of business, marketing and professional networking will be introduced, including self-initiated work placements and live industry briefs.

During your third year you will concentrate on a major independent project to advance your work to a high professional standard producing a resolved body of work, with a view to launching yourself into the workplace. Involvement with the industry is seen as important at this stage and you will be supported in liaising with industry professionals to understand and produce work that will fit within a contemporary context according to your chosen career path.

A programme specification is available for this course.

Assessment

Throughout the course you will be assessed on practice-based modules, supplemented by self-reflective and context-based analysis. You will receive clear and detailed feedback that will help you reflect on, and develop your strengths.

Additional Course Fees Mandatory Items  Costs  Specialist materials and learning resources  £500 to £750 dependent on the specific cameras/equipment /software chosen by the individual student and level of study. Students would also benefit greatly from owning their own laptop.  Field trips and conferences  Optional trip examples: £15 for day trip to London/Brighton £130 for 2 night stay in London £300 for 4 day Paris trip £750 for 5 day NY trip Studio / laboratory fees  No Studio Fee Commercial printing available at £20 per meter  Other  £300 to £500 per year (paper, film photographic sundries) dependent on level of study.

• Trips to destinations such as New York and Paris
• Various day and overnight trips to London and photographic exhibitions
• Opportunity to engage with Graduate Fashion Week and D&AD
• Opportunities to work alongside industry professionals

Course News Collaboration at its best As most of Wales was being battered by wild weather, students and staff from the Fashion Design and Photography for Fashion and Advertising courses spent their weekend working on one of the largest collaborations in the history of the department. From Newport to New York – and back! Fashion Design and Photography for Fashion & Advertising students had the trip of a lifetime when they went to New York for 5 days earlier this month.

Facilities We are proud of our facilities, which include professional standard analogue black and white and colour darkrooms and equivalent film processing areas. Dedicated digital photography suites are equipped with Apple Mac workstations and impressive high end scanning and printing facilities. Equipment can be loaned from our media stores, including a range of cameras and lighting rigs. Our bookable studios have convenient, flexible access, as do our digital post-production spaces.

Student Successes Newport’s Photographic Art graduates selected for International art prize Two Photographic Art graduates from the University of Wales, Newport have been selected for the Aesthetica Art Prize. Newport graduate is one of top 40 new UK artists Photographic Art graduate Josephine Sowden has been named as one of the top 40 artists in the UK to watch out for in 2013. Graduate Josephine Sowden - PLATFORM Photographic Art graduate Jo Sowden was selected to show in Platform 2012 at the Bristol Diving School (organised by Hand in Glove Newport photography students win prestigious bursary awards Two top photography students at Newport University’s School of Film, Photography and Digital Media have been awarded significant bursaries to support their final year of study. Jonathan Ross presents Newport students with global prize Two final year, Ba (Hons) Photographic Art Students from the University of Wales, Newport are celebrating after being presented with an international prize by Jonathan Ross.

Where next?

You will be equipped with a wide range of transferable skills to enable you to work across a number of areas within the broad context of professional photography, advertising, fashion and the media.

Career News Sailing star sponsored to compete in world championships Newport graduate and sailing star Kahla Delahay has won sponsorship to compete in the Europe Class World Championships this summer. Newport graduate named Entrepreneur of the Year A former student of the University of Wales, Newport has been named as the University’s Graduate Entrepreneur of the Year 2012.