Documentary Photography and Print

BA (Hons)

The only degree that partners with the Royal Photographic Society.

Games Academy
Film School
Image of a modern digital printing room with white walls

Documentary Photography and Print

BA (Hons)

Launching September 2024

APPLY FOR

SEPT 2023

duration

3 YEARS

course code

BS06

institution

B20

UCAS points

96

THe COURSE

The only degree that partners with the Royal Photographic Society.

Learn from award-winning artists in Bristol’s thriving photography scene. With leading names like RPS, Magnum Photos and Sony, you’ll work across many aspects of photographic practice - from planning and executing concepts to exhibition design and publishing.

Explore how cameras can tell stories, while developing specialist skills in composition, lighting, portfolio and photobook production, digital and darkroom printing, and interactive formats. All this while building the co-creation and networking skills you need to become a versatile and professional photographer.

Why choose this course?

1

Learn your craft from award winning photographers.

2

Exhibit, publish and sell your work in Bristol and beyond.

3

Network with industry leaders and experts.

THE team

MODULES

On this course, from day one, you'll be creating incredible images. You'll work on projects for clients, create and curate your own exhibitions, as well as building the wider skills needed to launch a rewarding career in photography.

Where can this course take you?

Graduates of photography can expect career options across many commercial, editorial, artistic and publishing pathways. Job roles include Photographer, Photographer’s Assistant, Digital Operator, Printer, Publisher, Bookmaker, Designer, Gallerist, Photo Agent, Art Director and Picture Editor.

LOCATIONS

Our students are based at the Tobacco Factory and embed in industry through Shadow Labs and our exclusive partnership with the Royal Photographic Society (RPS). With access to the rare and sought after equipment in the Shadow Lab's colour darkroom, our students can create ultra-large format hand prints, all under the support of international artist and darkroom specialist, Scarlett Platel. At RPS, our students benefit from the use of education suites and gallery spaces, as well as opportunities to exhibit alongside some of the best photographers in the world.

Credit: RPS auditorium image courtesy of Rebecca Faith and RPS.

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Projects

Only Seen by the Righteous

Finn Hassall

Finn’s project ‘Only Seen by the Righteous’ is an exploration of the banks and towpaths of Somerset’s rivers and canals.

Finn’s book is printed through the digital offset process onto heavy 270gsm uncoated eggshell stock, and bound with black masking tape so each spread can be removed as an object in and of itself. The book is housed in a bespoke cloth bound portfolio, handmade by the artist and finished with a Will’s Tobacco cigarette card in an edition of 1.

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Gesture

Besides Press

Over the course of a week, Photobook publishers Besides Press briefed our students to create works around the idea of ‘Gesture’. The students had three days to shoot, one day to edit and one day to print and install an exhibition. The work was also published by Besides Press in a limited edition Zine.

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London Fashion Week

Amber Mylius-King

Boomsatsuma was approached by Bristol-based fashion brand Amschela to shoot their London Fashion Week campaign. Second year student Amber Mylius-King took the role of photographer to create this stunning series of images.

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Portrait Workshop

Maria Mochnacz

We partnered with Bristol based portrait photographer Maria Mochnacz and photo lab Photographique, to provide a deep-dive into analogue and experimental portrait photography. Over the course of the day the students played with colour, light, materials and form to push the boundaries of their practice in portraiture.

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The Flipside

Jamie Horrigan

Jamie’s project ‘The Flipside’ looks at the life and love of objects in his exploration of a reclamation yard in Southville, Bristol.

Jamie’s work was printed through the digital offset printing process on recycled uncoated paper. The book is section sewn, with a Windsor tissue lined rayon cloth cover in Laxton, and finished with a brown string bookmark, debossed cover and a matte finish dust jacket. All made by the artist in an edition of 3.

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Billboard Campaign

Sari Soininen

International artist Sari Soininen, known for her vibrant and surreal imagery, spent a week with our students introducing them to off-camera flash and coloured light gels. The students experimented with creating documentary fictions, an image of which was exhibited on a billboard in Bristol.

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Fabricate

MJ Price‍

This work explores fabricated memories through the creation of fictional worlds, inviting the viewer to place themselves within. Based on the lived experiences of others, the work constructs imagined environments that appear and disappear as fragments of the mind.

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Portfolio Box Workshop

Bristol Bound

Our first year students are tasked with designing and producing portfolio boxes through which they can share their various projects. Master bookmaker, Rachel, of Bristol Bound, worked through the various processes and materials with the students in the creation of their own, bespoke portfolios.

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APPLYING

We welcome applications from imaginative and motivated people from all backgrounds.

A range of qualifications are accepted with the main ones listed below. Applicants are also considered on an individual basis. So even if you don't have the grades, you can contact us to talk about your options.

A Level:  

CCC

BTEC Extended Diploma:  

MMM

T Level:  

M

Interview:  Yes

Interview:  No

Applications are made through UCAS and are administered by our validation partner Bath Spa University.

Find on ucas

fees

Fees for UK full time student applying to start one our degree programmes in 2023/24 are as follows:

Year 1:  £9,250
Year 2:  Published Jan 2024
Year 3:  Published Jan 2025


For more information about fees, visit Bath Spa University's guidance on Tuition fees and Student finance

If you have questions about student finance, or need some help, talk to us at an Open day or Email

Studio FEES

There is an annual fee of £200 for year 1, and £300 for years 2 and 3 to subsidise the consumables required across the academic year. Studio fees in 2 and 3 also contribute to the cost of exhibition space and photobook production.

overview
THE team
modules
careers
LOCATIONS
PROJECTS
APPLYING & fees
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