Foundation Photography

The course unit is divided into five parts, each with a series of projects, research tasks, exercises, and an assignment. 

• Part One aims to get you up and running with an efficient workflow so you can concentrate on making photos. 
• Part Two is about creating visual effects through a series of technically oriented exercises and projects that focus on photographs of people. This part of the course will develop your image-making skills and creative strategies. 
• In Part Three, you’ll begin telling stories and exploring visual themes with photographs. You’ll deepen your understanding of the meaning of images and the way photographs communicate. You’ll also consider the importance of genre in photography. All the projects here make use of series, sequence and narrative to generate connected meanings. You’ll learn to think more about the content of your photographs and use that understanding to make images that communicate ideas. 
• Part Four encourages you to use the genre of still life as a laboratory for visual experimentation. Digital imagery offers photographers immense control over the image, making it easy to layer, juxtapose and combine different pictures or objects. 
• In the first part of Part Five you’ll learn to make and understand conceptual photographs and images that reflect the globalisation of the image.The second half of Part Five is dedicated to the creation of a personal project in which you’ll produce a body of work that engages in one of the areas explored as part of this course. 

By the end of this course you should be able to: 

• You will make a large portfolio of creatively diverse projects;
• You will develop a productive and positive attitude;
• You will understand fundamental visual skills vital for creating effective imagery;
• You will gain a knowledge of the fundamental genres of photography;
• You will have experimented widely with a variety of visual strategies and techniques and gained those as tools to put to work in new projects;
• You will organise your workflow to provide you with a seamless structure and the confidence to create serious work;
• You will understand the ways photographs communicate to the viewer and appreciate the viewer’s experience.

• A minimum of 10 study hours per week. 
• Access to a laptop or desktop computer with internet access.
• Good standard of writing, listening, reading and speaking English language skills*.
• Good IT literacy.

*Please note, if your nationality does not feature on the majority of English speaking countries list [linked here] you will need to provide evidence of your English language skills. 

Here’s a general list of what you may need for this specific course unit:

• A digital camera, preferably a Digital Single Lens Reflex Camera (DSLR) with manually adjustable shutter/aperture and interchangeable lenses. It is important that you are able to control and experiment with the technical functions of the camera to fully engage with the course materials.
• Lens – a standard zoom lens (focal length will depend on the size of your camera’s sensor).
• A tripod.
• A flash gun.
• Image manipulation and video editing software such as Photoshop, Lightroom, I-movie, Final Cut Pro (and free / open source equivalents, such as Gimp instead of Photoshop). Software support is student-centred via tutorial and not taught as part of the curriculum.

While video equipment and video editing software isn’t required for the course, most digital cameras and smartphones can record video, and some students enjoy experimenting with moving images. If you choose to explore this, free and open-source editors like OpenShot or Kdenlive are excellent options. [Updated 24/04/2025].

You have 12 months to complete the course from the start of your Induction. 

Understandably, sometimes there are unexpected mitigating circumstances that affect your ability to study. In these instances, students can apply for an extension or deferral. We encourage students to seek support as early as possible in such circumstances.

On completion of the course you should have gained sufficient skills and enough confidence to go on to further study with the Open College of the Arts, as well as have begun to create a portfolio of work, and be able to decide on the nature and direction of your future studies and art practice. 

Review our undergraduate courses here. 

Foundation courses are not accredited, meaning the courses are studied for personal development and they do not carry any UCAS points, however upon receiving your final assignment feedback you can request a certificate of completion.

Please review the Foundation courses fees linked here. 

Eligible students are welcome to apply for a Learner Support Scheme bursary to help with the cost of course fees and resources. Information on eligibility and how to apply is linked here. 

Foundation courses are not eligible for Student Finance.

There are several intakes throughout the year students can join. The intake dates and deadlines are linked here. 

Submit an enrolment form below to select your intake. Once submitted, your enrolment form will still need to be reviewed and confirmed as eligible to progress. Please allow 10 working days for your enrolment to be reviewed once submitted.