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Art Photography B.F.A.

The art photography program provides essential critical and technical skills to help you gain confidence to take risks and find your own voice.
A person looks at framed photographs on a wall in a gallery
Seniors exhibit their work on campus each spring.

About this Program

  • Explore contemporary photographic practices that embrace a wide array of idioms, including cinema, documentary, fashion, ecology and other contemporary art.
  • Work closely with a faculty of professional artists whose work has been exhibited and published all over the world.
  • Engage in classroom discussions that focus on the combination of professional skill development and a strong engagement with the world.
  • Immerse yourself in the creative process, giving you the confidence to produce work that is both technically and visually professional. 
  • Gain easy access to a range of professional cameras and lighting equipment through our check-out program.
  • Produce museum-quality photographs through the use of our excellent digital, color and black-and-white facilities.
  • Benefit from our strong partnership with Light Work, a world-renowned photography center housed on the Syracuse campus, and have access to their production facilities, lectures and workshops.
  • Participate in our annual B.F.A. student exhibition, the Photography Annual, hosted by Light Work.

Program Information

Degree Type

Major

Outcome

B.F.A.

Modality

In-person

College or School

Career Path

A woman looks at large color photos coming out of a printer while a man works on a computer in the background.

College of Visual and Performing Arts

Home to the visual and performing arts at Syracuse University, VPA supports the creative process and professional development of its students. VPA is divided into seven areas: the School of Art; the Department of Communication and Rhetorical Studies; the School of Design; the Department of Drama; the Rose, Jules R. and Stanford S. Setnor School of Music; the Department of Film and Media Arts; and the Department of Creative Arts Therapy.
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Curriculum

The program’s curricula allow students to gain expertise in the full range of digital processes, including image capture, lighting, postproduction and professional output. In addition, required courses and electives allow students to explore the wide variety of contemporary photographic practices, including fashion, abstraction, documentary and conceptual approaches. By emphasizing creativity, intellectual development and the acquisition of skills, our students have succeeded in finding employment at museums, photo studios, magazines, galleries and in the fashion industry. Students have the option to join the Design Living Learning Community.

  • Demonstrate full digital workflow from image capture to print.
  • Shape light in both studio and on-location settings.
  • Precisely articulate project parameters, written and orally.
  • Conceptualize and develop projects with depth and lyricism.

Learn more about this program

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