Ravensbourne launches photography project with Above+Beyond

Ravensbourne has partnered with creative agency Above+Beyond to launch an exciting project that will help our BA (Hons) Digital Photography students build industry connections and give them the opportunity to win a coveted internship.

Above+Beyond, whose CEO and founder Zaid Al-Zaidy is a Ravensbourne governor, works with a number of consumer brands, including Subway and the Walgreens Boots Alliance beauty brand. The project forms the first stage of the wider Beyond Us strategy, which aims to challenge the advertising industry to produce inclusive content and embrace emerging talent.

The ‘Beyond Us’ project will launch in March 2021, and sets out to build a collective portrait that faithfully represents the nation beyond the depiction that’s usually shown by the advertising industry. Led by Above+Beyond, the project is exclusive to Ravensbourne students initially. Our students have been asked to ‘give a window into their worlds during the last year’, and photograph the people, things and places that encapsulate life in lockdown. To fulfil the brief, students must submit five photographs and explain the story behind the images.

The project will give them valuable hands-on experience of fulfilling a commercial brief for a client, which will be judged according to industry standards. The expert judging panel will include Above+Beyond’s executive creative director, Dom Goldman and picture editor/creative consultant Marian Paterson.

Successful submissions will be published on an official Instagram feed, and one lucky entrant will have the opportunity to win a bespoke summer internship at Above+Beyond. Pandemic restrictions permitting, this could see them shadowing a professional photographer on a shoot, or completing work for one of the agency’s brands.

Zaid Al-Zaidy, CEO of Above+Beyond, said: “As a London based agency, we’re aware of how important it is that we reach out beyond our own four (currently virtual) walls. There’s been a lot in the media about the impact the pandemic has had on students, but we want to give students themselves the opportunity to share their experiences directly. We can’t wait to see the different perspectives they bring to the brief, and we look forward to more exciting initiatives with Ravensbourne in the coming months.”

Andy Cook, Vice Chancellor of Ravensbourne University London, said: “This is a brilliant opportunity for our students to work on a relevant brief that utilises the many disciplines we teach. Access to the advertising industry with an initiative such as this is hugely beneficial for the next generation of creative talent. We’re delighted to be in a position to offer this in partnership with Above+Beyond.”

Ravensbourne's brand new Digital Photography top up (year 3 entry) launches in September 2021. This one-year, online level six award is the flexible choice for final-year photography students.