Fashion Photography with Foundation BA Honours

Critical thinking is fundamental to our ability to progress in an increasingly complex and changing world. It is an essential skill across a range of academic and practice-based disciplines.

This module helps you understand the importance and function of critical thinking both at university and beyond. By working in partnership with academic staff and peers, you will explore how critical thinking aligns with disciplinary practices, shapes scholarly knowledge, and addresses inequalities. Through problem-posing education and anti-racist practices, you will engage with real-world problems, fostering the ability to create a more just and sustainable world.

This module provides you with an opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the key working methods, concepts and principles of the Art and Design disciplines within the Foundation course. You will be challenged to complete a sequence of short projects, working across a range of techniques within the subject disciplines. Self- evaluation and documenting your learning are both important elements of this process, and you will be learning by doing.

This Semester 2 module deepens and consolidates the fundamental skills, approaches and processes of Art and Design research and practice developed in Semester 1 through a practical Extended Project. It helps you to develop your creative practice, based on iterative practical, technical and contextual research, and undertaken through a negotiated project. With an overarching theme set across disciplinary pathways, you will work within a chosen discipline, with group and individual tutorial support, to develop a project proposal in response to the initial brief that after approval is realised through a body of work aimed at presentation in a public exhibition.

This Semester 1 module introduces fundamentals of Art and Design practice and research. It helps you to develop your individual creative practice based on an understanding of visual and contextual research processes through structured studio, research and technical activities.

This module introduces you to the key academic, professional, and personal skills essential for success at university. It encourages good practices in writing, presentation, and time management, while also fostering reflection to help you build confidence as you transition to higher education. Open to all students enrolled in courses delivered through Westminster Foundation Pathways, the module provides a creative and supportive environment where you can reflect on and develop their academic and professional journey. You'll work with specialist facilitators who play a crucial role in guiding your academic and professional development.

With a focus on managing academic choices in a higher education setting, the module emphasises the importance of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), using methodologies that prioritise equality, diversity, and inclusion. Through these lenses, you'll explore topics that prepare you to address real-world challenges as highlighted in the SDGs in a socially conscious, inclusive, and responsible manner.

Following the Art and Design modules of Semester 1, this module provides you with the opportunity to engage with some of the key themes and practices of Art and Design disciplines. You will be challenged to complete several projects of approximately one month’s duration, selecting techniques and working methods from the available disciplines. Self-evaluation and documenting your learning continue to be important elements of this process, and you will be learning by doing.

In this module, you are introduced to the practical, creative, and contextual possibilities of constructing photographic images in the studio and on location using lighting and staging. Through a series of workshops you'll be introduced to the fundamentals of exposure and composition using a digital camera, the use of electronic flash lighting, both in the studio and on location, as well as digital workflows; Adobe Lightroom, Adobe Photoshop and printing to create photographic work. Alongside this, you'll be introduced to key critical and historical debates and themes in photography through lectures, illustrated talks and seminars with a particular focus on genres such as portraiture, still life and tableau, its context, techniques and application within photography.

This module provides the fundamental knowledge and skills to enable you to successfully transition to Higher Education and academic development throughout your degree. By examining the fashion industry, you'll be introduced to the essential skills such as report writing, research, presentation and the technical software packages to allow you to meet the course requirements of fashion students. The context of the fashion business will be used to develop these skills, which can then be applied to all other modules throughout the course. You'll be required to examine your own skills set measured against the marking criteria and learning outcomes.

The module will also lay the foundation for and practice of successful team work in both an academic and professional environment. The UNSDG (United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) will be introduced to give you knowledge of their relevance across the fashion industry. Through an engaging and diverse learning environment consisting of lectures, workshops and field trips, you will enhance your academic abilities, personal skill set and networking opportunities which should support you towards success at the university and employment.

This module explores strategies and formats of fashion styling in the current fashion market. Focusing on presenting and promoting the product on a model, using digital image to communicate to a fashion audience, through image and narrative. You'll work in groups researching and developing, fashion styling concept ideas; collating visual design research in a portfolio and pitching the final concept in a presentation. Teamwork will support a practical outcome of organising, directing, styling and implementing a fashion shoot.

This module will introduce you to the major genre of fashion street photography as both a historical and contemporary practice. This will be explored through the production of a body of photographic work that considers particularly the functioning of identity and subcultures in street style. Through workshops, you'll gain a full introduction to specific technical skills of the genre and digital post-production relevant to a professional fashion industry context.

This module provides induction and understanding of creative research practice, assessment processes and group working required for creative practice subjects. You'll be challenged to experiment individually, undertaking contextual and practical research, which will contribute to a significant group project where students will be allocated creative roles in groups working collaboratively. This will introduce you to the peer assessment framework required for future collaborative projects.

This module introduces you to the core principles and practices of digital fashion marketing with a central focus on social media. You'll learn to identify and interpret emerging trends within the digital space, developing an understanding of how social media is reshaping consumer engagement and brand strategy in the fashion industry. By investigating digital marketing techniques, you'll explore how fashion brands from luxury to high street utilise social platforms to connect with audiences, create brand narratives, and drive awareness through targeted campaigns. This module emphasises the strategic use of social media for brand visibility and commercial success, equipping you with the skills needed to research, design, and execute compelling digital campaigns that respond to market trends and consumer expectations.

This module will introduce the you to the fields of Fashion Promotion and Media, and its role throughout the fashion and fashion-related industries. You'll be able to explore the ways in which promotional tools and roles are designed to communicate fashion and lifestyle products. It aims to develop your basic creative research skills, promotional practices and evaluation of key industry issues, while developing your understanding of customer profiles. Each week will examine a range of promotional methods and campaigns, enabling you to develop both critical and creative skills. The module will also develop your photographic, CAD, writing and presentation skills.

In this module, you will combine practical experimentation and critical reflection in order to explore and develop your own photographic practice and research. Through a series of workshops, lectures, and seminars, you are introduced to advanced themes and practices in contemporary and historical photography, allowing you to define/refine an area of visual and written practice appropriate to your own ambitions and interests. The module introduces you to new ways of working with photography, including new technologies and sustainable practices. The module prepares you for more self-directed work at Level 6.

This module introduces you to the professional creative industries and provides you with experience of related workplace environments, relevant to the host course, through a range of tailored professional projects, including a work placement (alternatives may include client-set briefs and curated public events). Taught sessions introduce different career possibilities and provide an overview of professional skills, as well as introducing you to relevant support within the University and external professional networks and support services.

This module focuses upon creative fashion photography and styling, and fashioned identity and image creation, from a theoretical and practical perspective. You will research and analyse a diverse range of sources around histories of fashion photography, image, and identity, to inform the development of practical projects for fashion editorial.

This module introduces you to the use of experimental Computer Generated Imaging technology (CGI). Through a series of workshops, technical demonstrations and supervised studio time, you learn to produce photo-realistic 3D images. The module teaches you the different steps of CGI design, from object modelling and compositing to bias and GPU-accelerated rendering techniques, texturing and lighting, and points you to available online tools to deepen your technical learning independently. Contextual lectures enable you to gain an understanding of the artistic and commercial applications of CGI technology in the photography field. Guest talks by professional photographers introduce you to a range of career pathways available to CGI artists. In this module, you are required to produce a series of brief projects through an annotated portfolio, which, alongside a critical evaluation essay, enables you to develop the technical and contextual learning acquired throughout the module.

This exciting module explores the development and implementation of content creation within the digital arena. The module focuses on development and use of digital tools required to produce engaging and compelling content, such as video production. Students are expected to research and analyse the visual language used within digital fashion to engage with a particular target demographic through producing engaging content.

This module focuses on research, analysis and developing deep understanding of the market, applying this understanding to digital promotion and creative solutions and, finally, to communicate your ideas to a client. Research and investigation enable you to feel confident with the client (the brand), allowing you to showcase your digital creativity and innovative skills while possessing in-depth knowledge of the brand and its products. Getting inside the company’s heart means that the ideas and vision are appropriate, balancing innovation with commercial awareness, regardless of the brand's level and the breadth or narrowness of its product range.

This module further develops your skills within the field of Fashion Promotion and its role throughout the fashion and fashion-related industries by answering the industry requirements through industry-led projects. You'll be able to immerse yourself within the relevant forms of fashion promotion to answer specific projects set by the industry. It aims to further nourish your creative, promotional and research skills. The module will focus on an integrated approach to explore the factors that contribute to the success of campaigns. You'll further develop both critical skills and a creative body of work using a series of promotional tools to form an integrated promotional campaign to answer the industry’s demand. This module will also further develop your technical and presentation skills.

This module introduces you to the practice and theory of videography, with the aim of developing a moving image project for an art, fashion, or music context. Through workshops and illustrated lectures, the module explores video-making in practical and theoretical terms, including the rise of video art and its current position within the world of photography. You will be introduced to technical skills in video production, including cinematography, the role of movement in videography, moving image editing, and sound design and editing. Individually, you formulate an idea for a moving image project approximately 5-10mins in length for your chosen context. Using the skills acquired, you will then work to realise the project to be submitted as part of a portfolio of assessments, which will include documentation of the process, relevant research and theory, and a critical evaluation of the result.

This module is designed to help you prepare for your career after graduation. You will produce a physical professional photographic portfolio or an alternative in accordance with industry conventions to support your career development. Through a series of lectures, workshops and independent study, you'll develop skills appropriate to a range of relevant career opportunities, including career research, compiling a CV, engaging with potential employers, clients, postgraduate study and grant application.

In this module students are introduced to the techniques of working against a client brief where a campaign plan is the outcome. Through lectures, seminars and tutorials, students will learn to conduct thorough research on product/brand and the target audience which in turn will inform a creative campaign plan. Students will also have the opportunity to present their ideas to an audience in the form of a pitch.

In this module you will produce an individual and professional campaign portfolio, creating a standard work expressing individual creativity and vision. Using your research, creative, technical and writing skills into one cohesive project, you'll produce deliverables which will work across several platforms and content types. This cohesive project will allow new perspectives on different creative and commercial photographic concepts.

This module introduces you to new, creative, and innovative possibilities in emerging markets for producing content-rich media, thereby enhancing diversity in your portfolio. You are expected to engage with innovative practices in designing for a range of interactive media platforms within the new media sector, demonstrated and implemented through a range of practical coursework using best industry practices based upon theoretical research and assigned readings. The module investigates the capacity to apply industry best practices in fashion marketing to a range of new media, addressing key research and theoretical studies based on the psychology of consumer behaviour, target audiences, and sociologies in relation to fashion marketing and promotion.

This module supports you to gain knowledge of the planning, management, marketing, promotion and design of a fashion event. You'll explore how the current fashion market utilises physical events to engage both fashion audiences, gain press opportunity and fundamentally promote a fashion product. Event formats will be investigated, including fashion shows, trade shows, exhibitions and press launches. You'll undertake exploration of an industry standard brief to plan, design and implement a viable event concept and apply relevant marketing and promotional strategies to the communication of the event.

This module focuses on how future fashion industry managers identify opportunities and develop innovative products and services. You'll examine how trends emerge and evolve, and consider your own impact on the fashion retail landscape. You'll be challenged to explore new sources of information and to think beyond your existing experience and reference points.

The module highlights the central role of data and insight in planning fashion products, operations, marketing, and retail strategies. External speakers and field research form an integral part of the learning experience, expanding your industry awareness and professional insight. You'll have extensive opportunities to research trends, brands, and markets, with a particular focus on how industry professionals conduct research and generate new ideas.

Collaborative group work is a key component of the module, enabling you to share ideas and knowledge while developing professional self-awareness, teamwork, and communication skills. This approach reflects the way trends and insights teams operate within the fashion industry.