University News Last updated 13 July
Photography students from Birmingham City University (BCU) will have their work seen by thousands of people in the West Midlands this summer, as an advertising campaign featuring their snaps goes live across the region.
West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) worked in partnership with BCU and creative marketing agency Impero to find talented, local photography students to contribute to the summer phase of the ‘You’re Bussing It’ campaign, aimed at encouraging residents to hop on board Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) buses.
The campaign will be displayed on digital billboards and social media, reaching thousands of local people every day.
Jasleen Kaur, Josh Reilly, Josh Thomas and Nikhil Odedra from BCU’s BA Photography course were chosen through a process that reflected real-world industry standards, requiring each of the students to make a professional treatment proposal, present their portfolio and attend a meeting with their clients, WMCA and Impero.
The four successful students received professional contracts, usage rights over their photography and payment for the commission.
They were then given a brief of taking natural and authentic photos of people travelling on the 16A, 50 and 50A bus routes, focusing on groups and social scenes.
Second-year student Nikhil, aged 21 from Tamworth, said: “My studies at BCU have been great as I’ve been able to learn and gain experiences in the photography industry.
“This has meant a lot to me as a student as it has given me an insight into what it is like to work on an advertising campaign, which is something that is great to add to my CV.”
Twenty-three-year-old Joshua, from Redditch, added: “Working with TfWM let me take a step into the industry of working professionally on campaigns, something that I am lucky to have access to so early on in my photography career.
“I really enjoyed working with the team, working to a creative brief, engaging with members of the public and working with them to capture candid moments on the transport.”
Chris Spore, Creative Director at Impero, mentored the students on the first day of the shoot and was impressed with their professionalism, saying: “Partnerships like this are invaluable because they give students a genuine taste of the industry - the pace, the collaboration and the unpredictability of working on a live brief.
“But it’s not just valuable for them. Fresh eyes ask different questions, notice different things and often arrive at ideas the rest of us wouldn’t have considered. That’s why we love working with emerging talent. It’s rewarding for everyone."
Martin Brent, Lecturer in Photography at BCU, said: “I couldn’t be more proud of the four successful students, who each produced a professional treatment proposal, attended a meeting with the client and their advertising agency and subsequently won the commission entirely on their own merits.
“This was a rare and fantastic opportunity for our students and I'm very grateful to the team at TfWM for creating this brief and putting their trust in BCU.
“This is such a massive step up for the students who have now been lucky enough to work directly on a campaign that probably wouldn’t have come along for number of years into their careers. I hope that other client companies seeing the work will also get in touch to see how our students could help them with their brand advertising.”
Image: A mock up of how one of the adverts will look in Birmingham City Centre. (L-R) Joshua Thomas, Jasleen Kaur, Nikhil Odedra and Joshua Reilly. Credit: West Midlands Combined Authority