Looking at Ourselves: A Historical and Practical Exploration of Portrait Photography
On campus
Media, Materials and Methods
Spring School on Campus
Alistair Morrison and Dr Tim Satterthwaite
Monday 13 – Thursday 16 April 2026
£545
Course Description
This course explores the paradoxical nature of portrait photography, as both a public and private art form, an expression of social identity and of psychological vulnerability. Through discussion of photographic portraiture from different periods and contexts, and practical experiments in photography and curation, we shall search for insights into the history and contemporary meanings of this vital cultural practice.
The course is intended for everyone interested in the history of photography and portraiture and in the practice of photography. It does not require previous photographic experience, and students can use any digital device – including mobile phones – as their camera. Theoretical and practical classroom sessions will be complemented by visits to exhibitions and museum collections relating to the history and theory of portraiture. On the final day of the course there will be a digital exhibition of students’ work in the company of a guest speaker of note, with an invited audience including students’ friends and families.
Lecturers' Biographies
Dr Tim Satterthwaite is a senior lecturer in the History of Visual Culture at University of Brighton. He completed his doctorate at the Courtauld Institute of Art in 2016, and has taught widely at universities in London and the south-east, and on several Courtauld short courses. Tim’s acclaimed first book, Modernist Magazines and the Social Ideal, was published by Bloomsbury in 2020; a second, edited volume, Magazines and Modern Identities (Bloomsbury), was published in October 2023. He is currently working on a new book, exploring the Gestalt tradition in critical theory.
Alistair Morrison is a prominent International photographer, with over eighty examples of his work included in the primary collection of the National Portrait Gallery in London. For the past forty-five years, he has worked alongside some of the most notable international icons and dignitaries. His portraits are collected by private and corporate clients worldwide and he has exhibited in Paris, New York, Palm Beach, Miami, Florence, Berlin, Barcelona, and London. His recent work Immune from Praise and Abuse takes Morrison closer to his roots, trailing the theme of the Time to Connect project – capturing powerful portraits of ‘everyday’ people, conveying their intimate and personal stories through photography; celebrating who they really are, rather than who they are expected to be.
Website: https://alistairmorrison.com/
Instagram: @alistairmorrisonphotography