Commercial Photography

The commercial world thrives on informative and aesthetically powerful imagery to communicate its many messages. From hard-hitting documentary work to cutting-edge fashion and advertising photography, commercial image-making shapes how we see the world. This course is designed to cultivate the next generation of visually articulate photographers, producing work that communicate creative visual ideas and solutions for a contemporary commercial client base. We’re looking for ambitious, imaginative individuals ready to challenge conventions, redefine industry standards, and drive the future of commercial photography. Our graduates go on to produce work for leading international magazines, advertising agencies, fashion labels, and more. You'll gain both technical expertise and theoretical insight, graduating with the confidence and visual fluency to thrive within the creative industries.

What you will study
The course offers exciting opportunities to build specialist careers in photography, through nurturing creative flair, technical proficiency, and professional insight. With collaboration at the heart of the course, you’ll work alongside creatives from other disciplines at AUB—mirroring the dynamics of real-world professional environments.

In the 1st Year, you’ll build a strong technical foundation as well as visual research, and critical thinking. You’ll deepen your understanding of how creative industries operate, as you experiment within with a variety of photographic styles and approaches.

During the 2nd Year, you will explore the idea of photographic specialism in preparation for your final year of study. This allows you to focus on your creative development within a distinct pathway: fashion (and beauty), advertising, or documentary/editorial photography, reflecting the course’s option for ‘named awards’, enabling you to graduate with a degree aligned directly with your area of expertise. Students 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 area of specialism as you move into your final year of study.

During the 3rd Year, you will be placed in specialised groups to allow for in-depth practical and academic research that relates to your career aspirations within commercial photography, including critical research that can lay the groundwork for postgraduate study. The year will essentially allow you to build a portfolio of work that will enable the transition from student to working practitioner or Masters Study. Contact time includes taught sessions, supervised studio and workshop access, with the remainder dedicated to independent study. Assessment is entirely coursework-based (100%).

By the end of the course you will be able to...
• Produce creatively ambitious photographic work 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 landscape, identify your niche and place your work within the industry
• Critically evaluate photography within conceptual frameworks, providing a pathway to further study
• Solve visual and conceptual problems effectively, using research, communication, and presentation skills to deliver refined, professionally focused 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 seven 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.