The PhotoPhone podcast was established in 2023 by Jesse Alexander and Clare Bottomley as a space for discussing and reflecting on ideas and experiences around teaching photography in higher education. Guests have included creative practitioners, cultural professionals, recent graduates and educators. As well as examining current concerns, themes have also been defined by listeners submitting questions, ideas and anxieties that they would like to be discussed. With both authors engaged extensively with online learning, PhotoPhone has leaned towards the experience of online learners and the idiosyncrasies of teaching and learning at a distance.
Jesse Alexander (MFA, SFHEA) is a photographer, writer and lecturer based in Somerset, UK. He has taught in a range of educational contexts and at all levels including the Further Education sector and with community groups. The majority of Jesse’s teaching practice has specialised in distance learning at undergraduate and postgraduate level. He started working for the Open College of the Arts as a tutor in 2007 before leading the BA(Hons) Photography course before joining Falmouth University in 2016, establishing the MA Photography (online) programme followed by a BA Photography (Top Up) course. Jesse continues to lead the MA and supervises postgraduate research students.
Clare Bottomley (MA RCA, FHEA) is a Doctoral Researcher at Aalto University, where her research investigates re-enactment as a creative methodology for re-examining historical representations within photography, academic research, and pedagogical practice. She is a founding member of the Image/Matters research group. In addition to her research, she is a Lecturer at Falmouth University (UK), teaching across the online MA and BA Photography programmes. As a practicing artist, her work has been exhibited in the UK, Finland, and internationally, including as part of the Hayward Gallery touring exhibition Act of Creation: Art and Motherhood (2025).
If you have questions or themes that you’d like to hear discussed on the podcast, we’d love to hear from you. You can contact us via Instagram or though our websites:
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