Photography BA(Hons): Portfolio guidance

We are looking for eager and enthusiastic students who understand why they want to study photography and can communicate these reasons orally and through their portfolios. We also look for students who are open minded; willing to explore all aspects of photography; and are self-motivated with the ability to work individually and within a group.

Portfolio guidelines

Once we have received your application, you will be notified by email where you will either be requested to bring your portfolio to an interview OR you will be instructed how to upload your online portfolio.

If you are instructed to upload an online portfolio, please provide a portfolio of up to 20 pages of your work which should support your application. Each page may include more than one image.

Please select the work for your portfolio to show us a creative and representative body of work, which reflects your interests and ambitions. Please show us your finished work, and your working processes and methods – how you have developed your ideas.

Your portfolio should include pages which show:

• Current student and/or professional photography work. Please submit sequences or sets of photographs of the subjects that most interest you, rather than single images of diverse themes.
• Working images and contact sheets. We like to see your working methods alongside your finished prints. It is helpful to see how you made the images, and your process of editing and selection.
• Support material. Please also include pages of examples from your sketch books and journals. It is useful for us to see how you develop your ideas.
• You may also include a short statement relating to the portfolio.

Portfolio guidelines for interview

If you are invited for an interview, please select the work for your portfolio to show us a creative and representative body of  work, reflecting your ideas and ambitions. Please show us finished work, but also your working processes and methods – how you have developed ideas.

Your portfolio should include:

• Current student and/or professional work; also be sure to include work which is your own independent photography.
• If appropriate, in addition to your photography, drawing and other media.
• We suggest you submit sequences or sets of photographs of what most interests you, rather than single images of diverse themes.
• Thumbnails/contact sheets, working images, and your process of editing and selection, alongside finished prints.

Please also include your sketch book(s), ideas book(s) and research journal(s). It is most useful to get a sense of your engagement with photography and the background to how you develop your ideas.

Your portfolio can be of be any size appropriate for the work, and should be labelled clearly with your name, UCAS number, contact and current course details (where appropriate). If you are invited for an interview you must bring a physical portfolio.