module specification

FA6009 Professional Practice 2: Fashion Photography is a subject-specific module supporting students to further develop their professional and academic skills. Students are expected to synthesise the experience and knowledge gained over the course, and employ a range of transferable skills in communication, negotiation, analysis, project planning and project management.

The module includes lectures and workshops to support Fashion Photography students in presenting to their peers a business and marketing plan or funding application, a working document that they will continue to develop, test and revise over the course of the year. A schedule of tutorials, supervision, technical input and workshops, as appropriate are available to enable students to realise their plans in a business or marketing plan or funding application for a photography business or career at the end of the module.

The FA6009 Professional Practice 2: Fashion Photography module serves and sustains an award on the BA Fashion Photography course only, delivered in a seamless and integral relationship with the work of other core studio practice modules on Level 6. Students are expected to investigate and develop critical and aesthetic working relationships between and across the Level 6 modules.

The module aims to let students show they have acquired coherent and detailed knowledge of specific skills in the business of fashion photography and are able to deploy critical thinking with accuracy in applying for funding, setting up a career and obtaining clients for their photography. A key objective of the module is to foster in students an understanding of the ethical obligations they have towards clients, models, colleagues on any fashion shoot and in any business dealings.

The module also aims to provide students with work-related learning about social media platforms and websites to develop a wider public and new audiences for fashion photography, with a view to creating and updating a sustainable legacy of fashion photography career assets to aid employability.

Completion and pass (120 credits) of previous level.

At the beginning of the module, its aims, key concepts and milestones will be outlined to all students. Students will establish a working code of ethics for the group – ascertaining and publishing their own conduct towards clients, models, agents and other fashion photographers (Learning Outcome 2).

There will be taught sessions and guided independent study tasks on the development of a business & marketing plan or funding application (Learning Outcome 1).

Tuition will be dedicated to support each student in developing a professional profile, making use of marketing tools such as websites, CV and social media to reach specialist and non-specialist audiences (Learning Outcome 3)

Several taught sessions and guided independent study tasks will be dedicated to developing an understanding of professional contexts and practices to fulfil relevant career aspirations, and students will carry out a presentation to outline their professional development and future career plans (Learning Outcome 4,5)

The module will first be assessed for a code of fashion photography ethics, as formulated in a student team. The module will then be assessed for a fashion photography student's business/marketing plan or funding application, as well as a professional practice folder and a professional practice presentation.

Scheduled teaching ensures that independent study is effective and addresses the learning outcomes and assessment tasks. Students are expected to (and to have the opportunity to) continue with their studies outside of scheduled classes. There will be a range of learning strategies deployed and individual learning styles will be accommodated. The module’s learning outcomes, its contents and delivery, have been scrutinised and will be regularly reviewed to ensure an inclusive approach to pedagogic practice.

The module and course utilise the University’s blended learning platform to support and reinforce learning, to foster peer-to-peer communication and to facilitate tutorial support for students. Reflective learning is promoted through assessment items and interim formative feedback points that ask students to reflect on their progress, seek help where they identify the opportunity for improvement in learning strategies and outcomes, and make recommendations to themselves for future development. Throughout the module, students build a body of work, including reflections on progress and achievement.

The School’s programme of employability events and embedded work-related learning within the curriculum supports students’ personal development planning. Through these initiatives, students are increasingly able, as they progress from year to year, to understand the professional environment of their disciplines, the various opportunities available to them, and how to shape their learning according to their ambitions.

On completing the module, the student should be able to:
1. set out in a business plan or funding application the planned use of business relationships in the different roles of an extended team in fashion photography (client, director, models, agents, owners).
2. demonstrate an understanding of the ethical and professional responsibilities appropriate to the practice of fashion photography
3. demonstrate the creation of an individual professional profile and dissemination of individual practice to specialist and non-specialist audiences.
4. display an understanding of professional contexts and practices appropriate to career aspirations.
5. explain position in art or photography, strengths and interests and how to continue to develop professional capacity;

Professional Practice 001 50%

Formative Submission:
A review of coursework in Semester 1

Summative Submission:

Prospectus (Business/Marketing Plan or Arts Council Funding Application, including Code of Ethics)

PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE 002 50%

Formative Submission:
A review of coursework in Semester 1

Summative Submission:
Professional Practice Folder  including updated Website, CV, Social Media) and Presentation to peers outlining position in art or photography

The assessment strategy includes formative assessments throughout the level, with tutorial feedback designed to encourage and help students to develop and improve their work. These inform the student of their progress over the course. An interim review offers a specific opportunity to reflect on the work in relation to the module’s learning outcomes and this together with finished Prospectus and Professional Practice Folder will inform the assessment panel at the summative assessment at the end of the level.

Summative assessment takes place at the end of the module in three key areas; Prospectus (a business and/or marketing plan or an application for Arts Council funding), a Professional Practice folder and a Presentation to peers. Written feedback addresses the strengths and weaknesses of individual presentations in relation to the grading criteria.

Precise requirements for submissions will be established in set or self-set project briefs each year

Work in both assessment items will be assessed against the learning outcomes in relation to the following criteria:

• appropriate use of research methods and enquiry;
• quality of analysis and interpretation;
• knowledge and relevance in the Photography subject;
• quality of communication and presentation;
• appropriate use of problem solving, testing and experimentation;
• management of own learning and personal professional development.

Core Textbooks:
Shinkle, E. (ed.) (2012) Fashion as Photograph: Viewing and Reviewing Images of Fashion, London: I.B.Tauris
Bates, D. (2016) Photography; The Key Concepts, London: Bloomsbury
Darcy Bhandari, H. and Melber, J. (2014) Art/Work: Everything You Need to Know (and Do) As You Pursue your Art Career, New York: Free Press
Jacobs, L. (2010) Professional Commercial Photography, Buffalo: Amherst Media
Kawasaki, G. and Fitzpatrick, P. (2014) The Art of Social Media, London: Penguin

Other Textbooks:
Hack, J. and Furniss, J.A. (2011) Making It Up as We Go Along – The Dazed & Confused Book, London: Dazed & Confused
Jaeger, A. (2010) Image Makers, Image Takers, London: Thames and Hudson
Sigurjonsdottir, A. and Langkjaer, M.A. (2011) Images in Time: Flashing Forward, Backward, in Front and Behind. Photography in Fashion, Advertising and the Press, Copenhagen: University of Copenhagen

Journals:
Accent magazine, London www.accent-magazine.com
Aperture, New York: Aperture Foundation  https://aperture.org
Pylot magazine London www.pylotmagazine.com
True Photojournal London: Antenne Books www.truephotojournal.com

Websites:
International Center of Photography, https://www.icp.org/collections
Association of Photographers http://www.the-aop.org 
Royal Photographic Society www.rps.org
Magnum Photography https://www.magnumphotos.com
Show Studio http://www.showstudio.com

Social media
@fashionphoto_ldnmetarts