Commercial Photography (Documentary/Editorial)

Course summary
The world of documentary and editorial photography thrives on storytelling, visual investigation, and powerful narratives that inform, provoke, and inspire. From documentary essays to focused editorial content, these practices play a vital role in shaping how we understand global and social issues, cultures, and identities. We’re looking for curious, socially engaged individuals ready to challenge conventions, advocate change, support underrepresented voices, and contribute meaningfully to visual culture. Our graduates go on to produce work for international newspapers, magazines and online editorial platforms. You'll gain both technical expertise and conceptual depth, graduating with the confidence and purpose to thrive within the industry.

What you will study
The course offers exciting opportunities to build a career in documentary and editorial photography by nurturing visual sensitivity, technical proficiency, and critical awareness. With collaboration at the heart of the course, you’ll work alongside creatives from other disciplines at AUB—mirroring the dynamics of real-world publishing, editorial, and production environments.

In the 1st Year, shared with BA (Hons) Commercial Photography, BA (Hons) Fashion Photography, and BA (Hons) Advertising Photography, you’ll build a strong technical foundation in photographic practice, 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 narrative 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 documentary/editorial photography group, allowing for in-depth practical and academic research tailored to your career aspirations. You will develop a critical and creative body of work, including the opportunity to produce extended photographic essays, which can also lay the groundwork for postgraduate study. The year culminates in the production of a professional portfolio and final exhibition, helping you transition confidently into the documentary, editorial, and media industries or postgraduate 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 documentary/editorial photography, reflecting professional standards and independent thinking
• Demonstrate a clear understanding of the contemporary professional documentary/editorial landscape and position your work within the industry
• Critically evaluate photography within narrative, ethical, and contextual frameworks, providing a pathway to Masters study
• Solve visual and conceptual problems effectively, using research, communication, and presentation skills to deliver refined, contextually 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.