Higher National Diploma Live Online

Trace photography's beginnings and discover how the medium has evolved across cultural, technological, and political landscapes. This module introduces major movements and genres - from Pictorialism to modernism and digital manipulation - while exploring the ethics of representation and the building blocks of composition and colour. A focused case study on Edward Weston and the still life tradition deepens historical understanding and inspires contemporary practice.

Build technical confidence with cameras old and new - from camera obscura and pinhole to mirrorless, DSLR, and computational photography. You'll master aperture, shutter speed, and ISO within the exposure triangle, and learn how depth of field, focal length, and focus modes shape an image. Foundational composition tools help you translate technical control into strong visual storytelling.

Step into the studio and learn to craft light with precision. This module covers essential equipment, safe working practices, and lighting setups using flash, continuous sources, modifiers, and reflectors. You'll balance creative experimentation with technical discipline to produce polished, repeatable results suitable for client work and portfolio building.

Explore the strategies behind persuasive commercial imagery. Through case studies and lifestyle examples, you'll learn how brands communicate through visuals and how to plan shoots that deliver to brief. The module also introduces efficient digital workflows - from capture to Lightroom editing, file management, and exports for multiple platforms.

Kickstart your project with structure and clarity. Define aims, audiences, and competitors while planning for brand, budget, timeline, and compliance. You'll combine research methods with creative ideation - storyboards, mind maps, and mood boards - using reflection, critique, and stakeholder feedback to drive iterative development.

Master the art and technique of portraiture across studio and location. Learn lighting styles, subject direction, and composition to create images with character and mood. Visual diagrams and case examples demonstrate how to shape light, choose modifiers, and adapt to different environments with professionalism.

Elevate your creative process with systematic ideation and quality assurance. Explore methods such as role-play, simulation, forced relationships, and de Bono's Thinking Hats, then embed documentation, version control, and technical checks into your workflow. The result: more consistent outcomes and stronger creative decisions.

Prepare for the pace and unpredictability of shooting on location. This module covers pre-production planning, logistics, and contingency tactics across events and specialist genres. Case studies from leading practitioners reveal how to maintain creative intent while adapting to changing light, spaces, and schedules.

Understand how professional productions come together. Learn the roles across creative, technical, and managerial teams, and how communication, scheduling, and resource management keep projects on track. Health, safety, and wellbeing essentials ensure robust, responsible practice on set and on location.

Turn concepts into workable shoots. Plan for studio and location, select and direct models, and manage props, backdrops, styling, and makeup. You'll also implement best practices for kit care and storage, ensuring smooth, professional execution from prep to wrap.

Get industry-ready with practical professional skills. Learn to tailor outputs to different audiences, manage time and assets, and plan contingencies. You'll build confidence handling expectations and delivering to commercial and creative briefs with consistency and care.

Practice responsibly with a clear understanding of rights, representation, and sustainability. This module covers copyright, intellectual property, releases, and the protection of vulnerable audiences. You'll examine equality, diversity, and accessibility alongside environmental impact across the photographic lifecycle.

Curate and present work to a professional standard. Learn portfolio sequencing, image refinement, and layout strategy, combining strong typographic choices with visual hierarchy. Whether for digital or print, you'll shape cohesive bodies of work aligned to client briefs and audience expectations.

Communicate ideas with clarity and impact. Explore written, visual, audiovisual, and interactive formats using industry-standard tools. You'll structure content for varied audiences, use hierarchy to guide attention, and present progress via contact sheets, mock-ups, and visualisations - while developing teamwork and feedback skills.

Polish your project for submission or professional presentation. Review feedback, refine imagery and layouts, and check sequencing, consistency, and technical accuracy. You'll ensure your final outcomes align with brief requirements and stand up to industry expectations.

Situate your work within wider histories and cultures. Analyse how politics, technology, and society shape practice and reception, and learn to articulate your intentions in relation to precedents. Structured discussion and case studies help you define your emerging voice and position in the field.

Engage with theories that illuminate how images make meaning. From structuralism to feminism and queer theory, you'll examine frameworks that inform both historic and contemporary practice. Apply these lenses to your own work to sharpen analysis and clarify intent.

Understand the forces shaping today's photographic landscape. Explore globalisation, rapid production cycles, stock libraries, AI, and social platforms - along with sustainability pressures. Case studies reveal strategies for navigating commercial realities while protecting creative integrity.

Develop a reflective practice that fuels growth. Use structured frameworks to evaluate progress, clarify style, and understand your audience and market. You'll refine your USP and benchmark against professional standards to guide next steps with confidence.

Translate creative ambition into structured, client-ready documents. Define objectives, deliverables, and KPIs; consider legal and ethical factors; and plan for multi-platform rollouts. You'll craft proposals that communicate value, feasibility, and strategic alignment.

Elevate your ideas with rigorous research. Combine interviews, surveys, focus groups, and literature reviews with creative frameworks like GROW, lateral thinking, and the Double Diamond. You'll iterate intelligently, shaping concepts that are original, relevant, and well evidenced.

Gain precision control over image-making tools. Dive into advanced formats, lens behaviour, hyperfocal distance, optical aberrations, histograms, and filters. Practical exercises connect theory with field craft, preparing you to handle demanding technical scenarios with ease.

Design robust production workflows for diverse environments. Build complex lighting schemes, balance hard and soft sources, and manage power and exposure across interior and exterior settings. You'll compose for movement and space while keeping results consistent and client-ready.

Combine people skills with hybrid media practice. Learn to cast, brief, and direct subjects while coordinating styling and makeup. Introduce moving image fundamentals - from capture and sound to editing and sequencing - so stills and video complement each other in contemporary deliverables.

Master end-to-end finishing for print and digital. Refine RAW files, recover highlights, correct lenses, and batch process at scale. You'll design layouts, combine image and text, prepare for book arts and exhibitions, and ensure consistent quality across platforms.

Run creative projects with confidence. Apply initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, and closure using tools like Kanban, Gantt, RAID, and Critical Path. You'll choose methodologies that fit the job - Agile or Waterfall - and deliver on scope, time, cost, and quality.

Embed QA from concept to delivery. Establish milestone reviews, interim outputs, and audience testing, while checking resolution, colour accuracy, and platform compatibility. Consistent standards ensure reliable results - and stronger reputations.

Build the business skills to support your creative ambitions. Learn pricing, pitching, and contracts alongside networking, personal branding, and membership of professional associations. You'll plan for freelancing or employment with clarity around tax, insurance, and sustainable growth.

Communicate with clarity across client, collaborator, and public contexts. You'll practice consultation, pitching, briefings, and negotiation, and present updates via reports, visuals, and online platforms - always with cultural sensitivity and accessibility in mind.

Bring everything together in a capstone project that's exhibition- or portfolio-ready. You'll iterate with stakeholder feedback, refine creative and technical execution, and position your work within professional and cultural contexts - confidently stepping from study into practice.