Postgraduate Photography Degrees at UCA | University for the Creative Arts

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Discover the stories of our Photography students

Fast Forward

Empowering women & non-binary emerging photographers

Olivia Cooper

Becoming Visible

Cecilia Dibenedetto

The life of a Fashion Photography student

Jodie Bateman

Jodie’s hijab journey captivates Vogue editors

Sonny Barthley

Roots: A personal exploration of race

<p>UCA’s Fast Forward: Women in Photography project is launching Part 2 of Putting Ourselves in the Picture - designed to boost opportunities for women and non-binary emerging photographers.</p>

UCA’s Fast Forward: Women in Photography project is launching Part 2 of Putting Ourselves in the Picture - designed to boost opportunities for women and non-binary emerging photographers.

The project aims to tackle the lack of opportunities for these photographers by helping them forge industry links through partnerships with high-profile organisations, including Women for Refugee Women, Autograph, Impressions Gallery, National Galleries of Scotland, and Work Show Grow. 

The project helps me have the confidence to tell stories or to give a word of courage to other people out there to tell them they can. No matter what, they can. - Rella

<p>Collage made by participants Ceecee, Miya, Phim, Raolat, Leonelle, Precious, Rella and Rhody (Autograph and Women for Refugee Women / Fast Forward, 2021).</p>

Collage made by participants Ceecee, Miya, Phim, Raolat, Leonelle, Precious, Rella and Rhody (Autograph and Women for Refugee Women / Fast Forward, 2021).

<p>© CeeCee (Autograph & Women for Refugee Women/Fast Forward). </p>

I see hope, I feel like I’m going somewhere, to be somebody, who can help in this country. I want to do stories for the people who are suffering, to show people that, even if you suffer today, there is another life after this one. - Vicky

©Maureen (National Galleries of Scotland/Fast Forward).

©Miya (Autograph & Women for Refugee Women/Fast Forward).

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<p>A photo exploring MFA student Olivia Cooper’s identity as a mixed-race individual, and featuring her mother, has won her an outstanding contribution prize and been broadcast on a billboard overlooking Old Street in London.</p>

A photo exploring MFA student Olivia Cooper’s identity as a mixed-race individual, and featuring her mother, has won her an outstanding contribution prize and been broadcast on a billboard overlooking Old Street in London.

<p>I Am My Mother was chosen from more than 1000 submissions, and comes from Olivia’s current MFA project exploring her multi-cultural heritage as a Western British-raised woman of Asian heritage.</p>

I Am My Mother was chosen from more than 1000 submissions, and comes from Olivia’s current MFA project exploring her multi-cultural heritage as a Western British-raised woman of Asian heritage.

It was powerful to see my mother involved in my search for identity and belonging. The making of this image enabled a reclamation of personal space and place.

I hope it will resonate with audiences, and they’ll be able to take away a sense of raw and personal representation, along with an understanding of all the complexities involved in mixed-race identity.

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Through the eyes of…

a Fashion Photography student

I chose to study Fashion Photography because I have been attracted to Photography since I was a kid... another reason I chose this course is my ambition of a career in fashion communication.

'One of the most important lessons I have learned as a UCA student is that commitment always brings good results. Don't ever get down on yourself.'

The main idea of our Environmental Project was to document the African culture and their lifestyle by making images that portray a positive perspective... Thanks to this I’ve been able to learn so much about black culture. It was a perfect opportunity to make new friends and find something in common, being an immigrant in the UK.

As soon as I have a degree I would like to gain experience working as a Fashion Photographer to advertise a brand or a company. At the same time, I would like to find freelance job opportunities worldwide

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Jodie’s hijab journey

captivates Vogue editors

Jodie, who has just completed her two-year MFA Photography degree, has seen her striking portraits of herself and her sister, Hannah, in their hijabs, showcased in the Photo Vogue Festival 2021 Reframing History and also in the latest issue of Photoworks.

The project, My Hijab Has A Voice: Revisited, seeks to explore the experience of Muslim women within the religion, and within society as a whole.

Through her work, Jodie wants to break the stereotypes that the media has perpetuated of the Muslim woman, instead giving her an authentic voice and a modern outlook.

I had just converted to Islam, and started to wear my hijab. That is when I decided to do a project around my journey. I always knew there was a negative stigma around the hijab in the media anyway, but I started to come across material that had absolute hate for Islam, saying terrible things about Muslim women and the hijab.

I became very angry and hurt, as I was falling in love with my religion... mostly hoped it would start new conversations and just give people the opportunity to have an insight into a convert’s personal journey to putting on the hijab, rather than just seeing it as a symbol of oppression in the West.

Jodie's work was one of 35 photographers picked from more than 2,500 around the world to be featured in Reframing History.

It is such an incredible feeling. I was lost for words when I got the recognition. It’s such a hard field to get into, with such great artists out there, so it’s really reassuring when you start to get the attention from these high-profile places, especially after receiving so many rejections.

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Roots:

A personal exploration of race

The death of George Floyd sparked a global movement – and for Fashion Photography graduate Sonny Barthley, it inspired a very personal final project.

"I felt driven to discuss the issue of race through my photography in a way that was unique and thought-provoking."

Sonny Barthley

My aim was to allow the audience to discuss an uncomfortable but important subject and to inform and educate people on the massive suffering my ancestors went through.

The message I wanted to convey is that although Afro-Caribbean people are not physically enslaved anymore, mentally people still feel shackled and chained.