Photo Image Making

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A group of students stand in front of a gallery wall in a classroom, attentively viewing a display of photographic artwork. The wall features a variety of vibrant images, including portraits, experimental compositions, and black-and-white prints with selective color accents.

Formulate your own visual language and explore your world.

Who We Are

Two students sit side by side in a classroom, holding up sheets of photographic film negatives to the ceiling lights to examine them.

Photo Image Making fosters artistry through the exploration of lens-based, photographic media. Photography is a rich medium, with a long history, a deep connection to the contemporary art world, and boundless potential for self-expression. Our students are driven to find their own voice within the medium and explore their identities, their imagination, and their connection to the world around them. In addition to a strong technical tool set, you will gain awareness to contemporary art making issues, learn how to interpret images, and understand the place of photography in the context of art history. Whether you want to explore commercial photography, documentary or photojournalism, or fine art image making, our program supports diverse perspectives and interests.

Student Work

YOUR
COURSEWORK

FOSTER PROFESSIONAL-LEVEL COMMAND OF PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNIQUES

Our courses are structured to enable you to concentrate on expressive, personal applications of the photographic medium. You will learn the technical fundamentals and foundations of photography, as well as the visual language and aesthetics. Explore lighting, large format photography, digital workflow and techniques, the history of photography, and image-based storytelling. You will drive your own research into the medium while creating original images to express your individual vision. We encourage interdisciplinary and experimental work, as well as more traditional approaches.

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A close-up of a student carefully cutting a strip of developed black-and-white film negatives using purple-handled scissors on a backlit light table.

As with each of our concentrations, your coursework will be supported by our Foundations Program, giving you a visual language, a critical eye, and the technical skills to find your voice and participate in the advancing world of photography.

Our students leave the concentration with a number of job skills to support them in their careers. Because you are responsible for every part of the image making process, you’ll be uniquely equipped to work in commercial and studio environments.

Our Facilities

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We have the facilities to enable offerings in a wide range of processes & techniques, from standard silver-based imagery production & digital capture/output methods to alternative processes such as cyanotype & palladium printing. Our classroom is a flexible space that can be set up for lectures or demonstrations as needed.

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A 10-station darkroom is dedicated to 35mm format & beginning instruction. Intermediate & advanced classes can access a 12-station darkroom that can accommodate enlargement work from 35mm to 8"x10" film formats. In addition to our inkjet printing for color imagery, we have a color processor that offers color print enlarging capacity up to 30"x40" from any film format up to 8"x10", fed through a 2-station color enlarger darkroom. The facility is completed by a large print finishing area that included mounting & matting equipment.

Our studio production facilities include a Mac-based computer lab with multiple workstations, as well as Epson scanning equipment and inkjet printers. Photo students can also access department computer labs for work on other Mac and PC format computers as needed to complete projects. We have two darkrooms available for enrolled students.

Ready to Take the Next Steps?

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How to apply