Commercial Photography (Advertising)

The world of advertising photography thrives on creatively driven concepts that are realised to the highest technical standards. It plays a vital role in shaping how audiences engage with brands, products, and services across digital and print media. This course is designed to cultivate the next generation of visually articulate advertising photographers, producing work that delivers creative, visual solutions for a contemporary market. We’re looking for ambitious, imaginative individuals ready to challenge conventions, redefine industry standards, and lead the future of advertising photography. Our graduates go on to produce work for leading advertising agencies, commercial studios and global brands. You'll gain both technical expertise and conceptual insight, graduating with the confidence and ability to enter the creative industries.

What you will study
The course offers exciting opportunities to build specialist careers in advertising photography by nurturing creative flair, technical proficiency, and professional awareness. With collaboration at the heart of the course, you’ll work alongside creatives from other disciplines at AUB—mirroring the dynamics of industry practice.

In the 1st Year, shared with BA (Hons) Commercial Photography, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography, and BA (Hons) Documentary/Editorial Photography, you’ll build a strong technical foundation, alongside visual research and critical thinking. You’ll deepen your understanding of how the creative industries operate as you explore a range of photographic techniques, tools, and visual strategies.

During the 2nd Year, also shared across the four named awards, you will begin to focus on photographic specialism in preparation for your final year of study. This allows you to refine your creative development within your specialism, enabling you to graduate with a degree aligned directly with your chosen area of expertise. You’ll also undertake a work placement or respond to a live industry brief, offering invaluable real-world experience. These opportunities are designed to help you make informed decisions about your specialism as you prepare for your final year of study.

In the 3rd Year, you will be placed in a specialised Advertising Pathway, allowing for in-depth practical and academic research tailored to your career aspirations. You will develop a critical and creative body of work, including client-facing projects and which can also lay the groundwork for Masters study. The year culminates in the production of a professional portfolio and final exhibition, helping you transition confidently into the advertising and commercial image-making industries. Contact time includes taught sessions, supervised studio and workshop access, with the remainder dedicated to independent study. Assessment is coursework-based (100%).

By the end of the course, you will be able to:
• Produce creatively ambitious advertising photography, reflecting professional standards and independent thinking
• Operate independently or as part of a creative team across still and moving image projects
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the contemporary professional advertising landscape, and position your work within the industry
• Critically evaluate advertising photography within conceptual frameworks, providing a pathway to Masters study
• Solve visual and conceptual problems effectively, using research, communication, and presentation skills to deliver commercially relevant outcomes

Resources
You’ll learn in state-of-the-art facilities, including digital suites, a collaborative specialist photography hub, black-and-white and colour darkrooms, a professional print bureau, and 7 fully equipped photographic studios. Our extensive ‘media store’ gives you access to a wide selection of industry-standard equipment—from high-end digital and analogue cameras and lenses to portable lighting for both stills and video production.

At Arts University Bournemouth, you’ll study at one of the UK’s leading specialist creative universities, joining a vibrant, collaborative community built around art, design, media, and performance.

With students and staff from over 60 countries and more than 30 creative courses across four specialist schools, AUB's a place where creativity and new ideas are encouraged and individuality is celebrated. From film and fashion to animation, design, architecture, and performance, you’ll develop practical skills and industry knowledge through hands-on, studio-based learning.

You’ll be preparing for a future in the UK’s creative industries sector - one of the country’s biggest employment sectors and worth £124 billion to the economy every year.

With guaranteed accommodation for all first-year students and set near award-winning beaches, AUB also offers an inspiring location where creativity can thrive both on and off campus.