Photography BA and Photography BA Top-Up Welcome Pack

Equipment

List of suggested equipment and starter books for BA Photography

We realise that a photography course makes a number of financial demands upon you. With that in mind we have put together a list of some of the things we would see as essential items.

We have asked some of our current Level 4 (Stage 1) students to indicate the costs involved in buying materials and prints for project submission. It is hoped that this will give you a clearer idea how much you should expect to spend to complete your work. The amount is on average between £150-£200 – you may spend more or less on materials, but this covers film, photographic paper, prints (digital and conventional) and mounting.

Essential Items

• Paper – writing (lined and plain)
• Pens, pencils, highlighter pens
• Memory sticks
• SD cards -  available from Amazon/ Camera shops
• Hard drive
• A smart phone that can record sound and video (networks and cost is personal, but you can find good deals for cheap for unlimited calls and texts per month so shop around)
• Enthusiasm!

There is an Art Shop at the Development Hub, a short walk from Waterside campus, where you will be able to purchase all the usual items.

Although you are welcome to do so, you will NOT need to purchase your own cameras immediately – we have a large range of options available in our Kit Hire. It would be more sensible to explore the range of cameras available and see if they are appropriate to your needs. Someone who is interested in sports photography may need a camera that can store information quickly, whereas someone who is interested in studio work may prefer larger files sizes to attain better detail.

Please be aware that our stocks of digital cameras are primarily Nikon, some Canon, some Pentax and some Fuji and we have a range of lenses that will fit this make. We do have some Canon lenses that can be used on Canon cameras. There is also a stock of tripods, lighting equipment and other items that will be available on loan from the equipment store.  There is no cost for hire kit.

Essential Equipment

The following is a brief list of ESSENTIAL equipment you must have and purchase for your first year on the course:

• A Portable external hard drive(s) for backing up all work.

Suggested makes include Iomega, Free com, LaCie, Hitachi, Western Digital.  Suggested size 1TB/2TB, ensure Mac compatible- as the computers within the department are Macs. Some suggested suppliers:

• • PC World
  • Ebuyer.com
  • Amazon

• Your own SD cards- we suggest 3-4 which have at least 32GB of memory. These are essential if you are borrowing our DSLRs and video equipment.  Suggested makes include
  • SanDisk & Lexar
  • 7dayshop.com
  • Amazon
  • Wexphotovideo.com

Recommended Equipment

• Archival/Portfolio Photographic Boxes – for presentation and storage of photographic prints.  (These are recommended, but you can discuss this with a tutor and acquire these after you start.  Consider getting together as a group, and you may save money through a bulk order)
  • Portfolio Store
  • Nomad Plc
  • Silverprint
  • Seawhite
  • Tiny Box Company
• Memory sticks/USB Flash drives- 16/32GB- for transferring files and storing lecture slide presentations. Amazon are cheap for these.
• Negatives Folder for black and white and colour negative storage (Wex, etc.) – paper sleeves are supplied by the University.

Please remember it is often cheaper to buy online- watch for deals.

Some ‘Useful Tips’ from our current students:

• Developing/buying B&W and colour film – go to  Skears in Northampton. It’s not cheap but it is better quality!
• If you need any colour or BW darkroom film, look for deals on Ebay and Amazon, it’s much cheaper.
• If you want your own film camera, buy from Ebay. I got one (plus a 50mm lens) for £50.
• If you need sketchbooks, go to the Works. Cheap sketchbooks and portfolio boxes.

Books

Photographic History and Theory

• Bate, D. (2016) Photography: The Key Concepts. 2nd Edition. Oxford: Berg.
• Clarke, G. (1997) The Photograph. Oxford University Press.
• Wells, L. (2015) Photography: A Critical Introduction. 5th Edition. Oxford: Routledge.

Technical

• Farrell, I. (2017) A Complete Guide to Digital Photography. London: Quercus.
• Freeman, M. (2017) The Photographer’s Handbook: Equipment, Technique, Style. London: ILEX.
• Langford, M. (eds. Fox, A.  and Sawdon-Smith, R. )  (2015)  Langfords Basic Photography: The Guide for Serious Photography, Focal Press, New York and London
• Silber,M. (2017) Advancing Your Photography: Secrets to Amazing Photos from the Masters. Miami: Mango.

Theory

• Davis, W. (2011) A General Theory of Visual Culture, Oxford: Princeton University Press.

Enhancing skills, building networks and engaging in the wider University community

Indicative timetable for BA Photography Level 4 students 2025-26

During your First year (Level 4 Stage 1) of study it is hoped that you will successfully complete six 20 credit modules.

In order to do this, you will be expected to attend sessions in Semester 1 and Semester 2 (Sep-May) on Tuesday all day, Wednesday all day and some Thursdays each week (S2 only).

There is an opportunity to meet me online to ask any last-minute questions on 10 September 2025 – see above.

Your first meeting in person will be a meet and greet with myself and your Personal Tutor on Monday, 22 September 2025 at 10am in CH322 (Room 322 of the Creative Hub, third floor).

Indicative timetable for BA Photography Top Up Level 6 students only 2025-26

This is for direct entry Top Up students only who are being admitted directly to the final year of study.

During your year (Level 6 Stage 1) of study it is hoped that you will successfully complete one 40 credit module, and one 20 credit module in Semester 1 and one 60 credit module in Semester.

In order to do this, you will be expected to attend four sessions in Semester 1 (Sep-Jan) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning, (Wednesday PM is for Personal Tutor and SU activities/clubs/team sports) and some Thursdays Supervision Tutorials in person or online each week TBC.

And in Semester 2 (Feb-May) on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday morning, (Wednesday PM is for Personal Tutor and SU activities/clubs/team sports) and some Thursdays Supervision Tutorials in person or online each week TBC.

There is an opportunity to meet me online to ask any last-minute questions on 10 September 2025 – see above.

Your first meeting in person will be a meet and greet with myself and your Personal Tutor on Monday, 22 September 2025 at 10am in CH322 (Room 322 of the Creative Hub, third floor).