Photography
Discover the best information, whether you’re a new Photography student starting your first assignment, or delving into a research project.
Library essentials
Reading Lists
These are set up by your tutors to guide you to good quality, relevant and useful materials to help you with your studies. They're a great starting point before doing your own research.
Library Search
Did you know? The citation tool in Library Search can help you create references! Learn how to make the most of Library Search through our short, interactive guide: Use Library Search to find academic information for your assessments.
Subject specific resources
Key resources for photography students
Databases
Databases are searchable collections of good quality, academic material, particularly journal articles. They can be small subject specific or large collections covering a wide range of subject areas. Most databases provide access to full-text items.
| A collection of arts databases that can be accessed via ProQuest. | |
| Features 100s of magazines and journal on all aspects of art and humanities. | |
| A collection of books covering Fashion and Textiles, Design and Illustration, Photography, Film and Animation, and more. These provide inspirational images, and practical advice on research techniques, and portfolio development. | |
| A great place to start a search on most subjects, providing access to both books and journal articles. | |
| Millions of quality, peer-reviewed articles covering a wide range of topics in the sciences and humanities. |
Digital Archives
Digital Archives predominantly contain digitised primary sources.
These are original documents and objects that give first-hand accounts of a topic or event. They're created by people who had a direct connection with the topic or event. These can be:
- government
- company or personal papers
- newspapers
- books or magazines
- films
- works of art.
| Art and architecture magazines dating from 1895 - 2005. The issues are presented as full-colour page images. | |
| Primary sources covering the social, political, and cultural shifts during the period of 1950 to 1975. | |
| Primary sources exploring 100 years of youth culture from Rave, Punk, Rockabilly to Grime. | |
| The Women's Wear Daily Archive preserves one of the fashion industry's most influential reads. | |
| Archive of American Vogue, from the first issue in 1892 to the current month. Each issue is reproduced in full, including advertisements, covers and fold-outs. | |
| The complete run of Vogue Italia – one of the most influential and renowned international editions of Vogue – from its launch in 1964 to the present day. |
Video
Videos offer a dynamic way to absorb information. They often present complex ideas in an easily digestible format.
| Video streaming service from the British Film Institute, streaming acclaimed, landmark and archive films. | |
| An archive of more than 2.2 million radio and TV programmes that have been broadcast in the UK. You can search for, and watch, anything already in the archive, as well as making use of the TV scheduling service. This allows you to record TV and radio programmes that are scheduled to be broadcast over the next seven days. | |
| Large, curated catalogue of more than 30,000 educational documentaries and classic films from leading producers. | |
| A substantial collection of videos for a wide range of subject areas including, business, counselling, film, health, history, music, and more. |
Market Research
Use these resources for:
- market trends and sizes
- consumer research
- analysis of industries and the companies operating within them.
| Predicts consumer, lifestyle and product design trends. It’s a key industry resource for designers working in a wide range of areas, from fashion, beauty and home interiors to hospitality, travel, finance and more. | |
| A trend forecasting company. You can follow upcoming trends, get inspiration, and build concept boards, and colour palettes with their workable tools. | |
| Visually interesting and inspiring. Helps designers understand markets and consumer attitudes, behaviours, and decisions. | |
| Market research reports on a range of UK sectors. Also includes access to Mintel Trends which provides evidence-backed insights on how today's consumer thinks, feels and acts. |
Magazines
The library subscribes to many high-quality physical and digital magazines which you can use to strengthen your assessments. Magazines are a unique source of information, containing state-of-the-art professional perspectives, practitioner insight and creative works.
For guidance finding and using magazines in the library, look at the Magazines webpage.
Here are magazines for your subject area:
| A digital library that lets you read thousands of global newspapers and magazines using your local library membership. It provides full-content access to over 7,000 publications from more than 120 countries. | |
| Photography magazine featuring both historical and contemporary photographic work and essays. | |
| International art magazine that covers contemporary global artists, cultural trends and artists through discussions and features. | |
| British photography magazine showcasing contemporary photographic work and industry developments. | |
| A bimonthly print magazine and website. The magazine focuses on commercial creativity, covering design, advertising, photography, branding, digital products, film, and gaming. | |
| A bi-monthly British lifestyle magazine founded in 1991. It covers music, fashion, film, art, and literature. | |
| An international photography magazine published three times a year around a specific theme. | |
| A leading magazine of contemporary art and culture. | |
| Photography magazine platforming international photographers. | |
| The world's only international journal of Outsider Art, the art of “unknown geniuses” who are untrained, unschooled and uninfluenced by the art world. | |
| Quarterly photography magazine offering independent, critical discussion of contemporary art photography. | |
| An independent, quarterly contemporary art magazine known for its bold visual style and unconventional, argumentative criticism covering art and culture. | |
| Independent magazine covering fashion, art, culture, politics, and architecture through in-depth interviews and features under the motto "Elitism for All." |
Newspapers
Newspapers are a valuable source of information. They provide insight into what interests and concerns people both now and in the past.
The Library gives students and researchers access to wide-range of Newspapers.
| Full-text of more than 2,300 major world newspapers. | |
| A database of local, regional, UK national and highly prominent international newspapers, with archives back to the 1980s. |
Industry Websites
There are many great websites provided by museums, galleries and artists themselves that it’s not possible to provide a list. However, here are a couple to get you started.
| Provides information about artists and exhibitions, research reports, reviews and campaigns. Keep up-to-date on what's going on in the visual arts. | |
| Access 140,000 images from a huge number of museums, galleries and archives. | |
| Contains details for influencers and media, PR and brand contacts, as well as fashion industry news. |
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Learning offers more than 9,000 professionally produced online courses covering a wide range of technical, creative and professional skills.
Always use our institutional link to log in. You'll need your University email address and password. The first time that you log in, you'll be taken through a setup process to discover courses tailored to your interests.
Print Books
You can borrow print books from the Library. The location details below are a guide. It's best to use Library Search for exact location of items:
| Classmark | Subject area |
| 770 | Photography |
Inclusive Collections
Expand your research with diverse voices and perspectives using our Inclusive Collections initiative. Explore school-based collections to find high-quality, inclusive resources.
Develop your skills
Finding information skills
Developing information skills saves time and gives you stronger sources for your assessments. Finding information covers everything you need to learn how to search for resources effectively.
Further support
The Skills website has eLearning to help you achieve your study goals. We cover:
- academic writing support
- referencing guidance
- help with presentation skills
- using generative AI
- time management and much more
You can also attend our academic skills workshops. Contact the Academic Skills Team to ask a question or request a one-to-one appointment.