Level 1 Award in Photography

This is a part-time course taught on one evening per week at our outstanding Houghall Campus.

Interested in photography? No matter what stage of your photography journey you’re on, from complete beginner to reasonably comfortable using all those buttons on your DSLR, our photography course at our Houghall campus will help you increase your skills, learn the ins-and-outs of your camera and learn exciting new techniques to take your captured images to the next level!

The course covers both the theory and the practical elements behind taking images, so you’ll learn all about things such as the exposure triangle before going out and taking part in practical sessions.

Please note that our L1 Photography course is a shorter course programme available exclusively for adults. Learners age 16-18 can alternatively study A Levels and take photography as a subject, or consider studying on our full-time media courses which also include elements of photography.

Our Level 1 photography course includes two core units:

- Use a Camera to Capture Creative Images
- Digital Image Manipulation

At the end of the course, you’ll produce a full portfolio of your work which you’ll get the opportunity to exhibit.

These units all come together to give you the credits you’ll need to successfully complete the course and progress onto the Level 2 if you wish.

After studying the Level 1 Award in Photography, some learners choose to open their own business or studio, some will work freelance, whilst others will use the knowledge and skills learnt on the course to support their work.

Upon successful completion of this programme you can progress onto the Level 2 Certificate in Photography

Please note that our photography courses is only available to adults above the age of 19. For those who are below 19, we offer a photography A Level option as part of our sixth form, ED6.

No formal entry requirements - You must be physically capable of completing all assessments without support after training and have literacy skills sufficient to access the course materials. This will be assessed by a short 10 min initial assessment.

Our entry requirements are in place to support our students in achieving the qualifications they have chosen to study. In addition to the entry requirements, all students will be regularly assessed by East Durham College at an early stage in their study programme. This is to ensure that students are enrolled onto courses which suit their abilities – following assessment, there may be occasions when students are transferred to a relevant course at a higher or lower level in order to ensure they are enrolled on to the right course for them to achieve and progress.

Entry onto any course at EDC may have entry requirements in addition to exam results; this includes but is not limited to DBS checks, references, fitness to practice and at times physical requirements to be capable of achieving the practical elements of the course without assistance. Entry onto any course at East Durham College is subject to final approval from the Assistant Principal.

East Durham College's Houghall Campus is committed to providing a supportive and welcoming environment for all our students. The campus, some of which is over 80 years old, has seen over £40m invested in new facilities over recent years. However, there are still some aspects of the site which are not fully accessible and would cause an issue for those with limited mobility or wheelchair users and due to the nature of the site, adjustments may not always be reasonable at this stage. The College is committed to further investment and improvements of the site, as we work towards ensuring the campus is as accessible as possible. If you have limited mobility or are a wheelchair user and wish to undertake a course at the Houghall Campus, please contact Student Services on 0191 375 4710 in the first instance to discuss your needs and options.

You will create a portfolio of evidence which will be assessed internally by your tutor before being approved by an External Moderator. The Moderator will visit at the end of the course.

2025

10 weeks
Wednesday 5.30-8.30