Photography
Photography is a medium that sits at the intersection of technical craft, visual art, and cultural document. Since its invention in the nineteenth century it has transformed how human beings see, remember, and understand the world, serving simultaneously as an artistic practice, a journalism tool, a scientific instrument, and an everyday means of communication. Studying photography at degree level means engaging not just with how to make images but with what images mean, how they function in different contexts, and what questions they raise about truth, representation, and the act of looking.
The Open University offers this programme on a part-time, distance learning basis, which means it is designed for students who need to fit their studies around employment, family commitments, or other responsibilities, and who can learn effectively through independent study supported by online resources and tutor contact. This mode of study suits motivated, self-directed learners who bring discipline and curiosity to their work. Across the programme you will develop your technical skills in both digital and darkroom photography, learning to control light, exposure, composition, and post-processing with confidence and intention.
Alongside practical development, you will study the history of photography, from its earliest pioneers through twentieth-century documentary and fine art traditions to the contemporary digital landscape, and you will engage with the critical and theoretical frameworks that have been brought to bear on photographic images.
The programme encourages you to develop a distinctive photographic voice and to think critically about your own practice in relation to broader questions of ethics, representation, and aesthetic choice.
Graduates pursue careers as professional photographers across a wide range of specialisms, including editorial, commercial, portrait, documentary, and fine art photography. Others work in photo editing, curation, visual communication, and arts education. The combination of technical skill and critical understanding that the degree develops is increasingly valued across the creative industries.