- Professional photographic practice through engagement with live briefs drawn from competitions, commissions, funding opportunities and industry calls.
- Ethical and legal frameworks: consent, copyright, data protection.
- Studio-based learning supports iterative idea generation, experimentation and testing, informed by formative feedback and professional benchmarks.
- Students will develop skills in articulating concepts through audio-visual proposal formats, reflective research documentation and written statements accompanying final outcomes.
- Professional awareness, including ethical responsibility, risk assessment, critical self-reflection and the ability to situate emerging photographic practice within wider creative industries contexts.

Assessment 1: Project

You will select a “live brief” from a photographic competition, commission or funding opportunity as the framework for the proposal, generation and resolution of a lens-based outcome.

- Research and analysis of range of relevant professional practice opportunities
- Idea generation and proposal presented as audio-visual presentation for formative feedback
- Experimentation, testing and feedback through studio practice
- Resolution of final visual output/s

Submission format:
- Final artefact appropriate to professional practice criteria of live brief.

Assessment 1: Project

You will produce a lens-based project developed in response to a live or simulated professional brief, such as a photographic competition, commission, or funding opportunity. The brief will provide the professional framework for the research, development, and resolution of your project.

The project will demonstrate:
Research and analysis of relevant professional practice opportunities
Generation and development of ideas in response to the selected brief
Experimentation, testing, and refinement through studio-based practice and feedback
Resolution of a final visual outcome that meets the professional criteria and audience of the brief

Submission Format
- You will submit a final photographic artefact presented in a format appropriate to the selected live brief and professional context.

Assessment 2: Professional Development Statement

You will produce a Professional Development Statement, submitted either as a written reflective research document or an equivalent recorded or live presentation.

The submission must demonstrate:

- Critical engagement with relevant debates within contemporary photographic practice
- Understanding of professional, ethical, and industry contexts
- Application of research and reflection to your developing photographic practice
- Consideration of practical ethics and risk through an included ethics and risk assessment

The submission should be clearly structured, using appropriate headings or sections to support professional communication.

Option 1: Written (1,800 words)
Option 2: Recorded or live presentation (6-8 minutes)

Formative Assessment:

Midway formative feedback will be embedded within practical sessions, providing structured opportunities for feedback on work-in-progress to support student development and progression.

- Lectures
- Specialist workshops
- Seminar discussions
- Tutorials
- Drop-in support sessions
- Group work
- Independent and self-directed learning
- Reflective practice

1. Produce an extended practical project that demonstrates growing independence and professional awareness.

Knowledge & Understanding

2. Apply critical reasoning to address a complex challenge by demonstrating how you have used academic, technical, or professional feedback to enhance your project within photographic practices.

Critical Reasoning & Collaboration

3. Communicate project intentions, process, and outcomes using appropriate disciplinary formats.

Communication

4. Reflect on your professional identity and aspirations within lens-based creative industries and identify lifelong learning opportunities to support your development.

Personal Development & Entrepreneurship

- Student Life https://www.youtube.com/@uniofstaffsstudentlife/videos
- University Library https://libguides.staffs.ac.uk/library
- Blackboard Virtual Learning Environment will support this module where relevant
- Specialist Spaces
- Smart Zone
- CAD Labs
- Print Bureau

Burbridge, B. and Pollen, A. (eds.) (2019) Photography reframed: New visions in contemporary photographic culture. London: Routledge.

Colberg, J. (2020) Photography’s neoliberal realism. London: Mack.

Read, S. (2017) Photographers and research: The role of research in contemporary photographic practice. Edited by M. Simmons. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.

Sekula, A. (2020) Art isn’t fair: Further essays on the traffic in photographs and related media. 1st edn. Edited by S. Stein and I. Steiner. London: Mack.

Williams, G. (2014) How to write about contemporary art. London: Thames & Hudson.

Where older texts are included, they are retained as foundational texts within the discipline, remaining relevant where no more recent equivalent texts are available.

How do photographers respond to real-world opportunities?
In this module, you will work with a live brief drawn from a photographic competition, commission or funding call, using it as the framework for research, proposal development and image production. You’ll generate and test ideas through studio practice, refine a resolved outcome, and critically reflect on professional contexts, ethics and risk. This module strengthens your ability to translate creative practice into industry-ready work, supporting your progression within the creative industries.