The best bits about studying Photography at Brighton

Studying BA Photography at University of Brighton has taught me to be independent and to build a professional practice. However, I wouldn’t have been able to do this without the facilities and staff on the course.

The staff – they are so supportive

The staff on this course are friendly, willing and flexible. If you have any issues with work or equipment the technical demonstrators will assist you with no hesitation. I remember one time where I had issues using the enlarger in the darkroom, I was struggling to get the focus properly, so I got one member from the team to help me. The issue was that the lens from the enlarger wasn’t fitted properly and not only did they fix it, but they also showed me how to change it so now I know how to do it myself in future.

Another time the technicians were teaching us how to make cyanotypes. I understood the process quickly, however, I was struggling to get the timing for the correct exposure for my print.  They told me a few techniques that I can now use for life. Ever since I have been making cyanotypes with the correct exposures.

The course wouldn’t run without the lecturers and tutors. When I make work, they always give me positive feedback and constructive criticism, because they want you to do well. So, I take this in and embed it into my work. On this course it is not just practical work, there is theory as well. I was writing an essay about war photography and hit writers block. So, I emailed my tutor to see if there are other books or research that I should use in my essay. My tutor sent attachments to different artist and books and it really helped.

The facilities – I love the darkroom!

It is not just the staff that makes the photography course successful, it is also the facilities that we use to create our work. In the course we will always update our editing software to the latest version so no student will miss out on new features. We mainly use Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. We do have our own studios too so students can work with still life and get to have a go of controlling different lights and playing around with shadows. However, I prefer the darkroom – I love the experience of creating work using old fashioned technology. We have two darkrooms, one is black and white the other colour, so you get a choice of what you want to print.

You will get inducted to use these facilities, so don’t have to worry if you haven’t worked in these places before. The course does lend out cameras and equipment, so you don’t have to buy your own which is useful. You can also buy film from there as they both supply and service equipment.