Photofinishing Schools
Probably the most successful of all photography education programs, from the standpoint of consistently placing graduates into meaningful, well paying positions, is photofinishing. All of the schools with two or four year courses in this technical specialization now have one or more operating mini labs for students to work with while learning, in addition to the large volume photofinishing equipment customarily found in big, high volume labs. Therefore, students can become familiar with operating and repairing the equipment found in the majority of processing labs. Most photofinishing schools report nearly 100 percent placement of recent graduates.
Schools offering specialized training programs in photofinishing include:
- Dakota County Technical Institute, Rosemount, Minnesota
- Lansing Community College, Lansing, Michigan
- Randolph Community College, Asheboro, North Carolina
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, New York
DEGREE PROGRAMS
There are over 800 departments offering courses that lead to degrees in photography and related fields. Some schools have more than one department with photographic courses, so there are fewer than 800 schools with such courses. Some of these schools are listed in Appendix C.
An example of a comprehensive photography program at the bachelor's degree level is provided by Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. Ithaca's Roy H. Park School of Communications offers majors in cinema, photography, film, and visual arts among other related programs. An especially attractive element at Ithaca is its program of internships. Recent students have earned professional experience at Eastman Kodak, CNN, and other leading organizations.
Another example is the bachelor's degree program with a major in photography offered by Northern Arizona University. This program combines three major areas of study to prepare students with both technical and management knowledge. These areas are: technical and creative skills in photography sound business basics an introduction to the arts and sciences
At Northern Arizona, students complete ten photography classes plus communication classes, liberal arts requirements, electives, a minor, and an internship.
Two of the best known schools offering degree programs are the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology and Brooks Institute of Photography.
Rochester Institute of Technology
The School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) offers undergraduate two year(A.A.S.) and four year (B.F.A., B.S.) degrees, and graduate level (M.F.A., M.S.) degrees. All levels of degrees are offered in a variety of photographic specializations.
The primary goal of the RTT professional photography curriculum is to prepare the individual student for a career involving photography as a chief means of support.
Undergraduate courses are offered in seven subject areas:
Biomedical Photographic Communications, Film and Video, Imaging and Photographic Technology, Photographic Processing and Finishing Management, Advertising Photography, Photojournalism, Fine Arts Photography
The current RIT course catalog lists more than 180 courses in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. A brief sampling of course titles at this school includes:Biomedical Photo I and II, Film History & Aesthetic, Portable Video Production, Visual & Commercial Film Production, Sound Recording, Photography Core, Photographic Workshop, Animation & Graphic Film, Applied Photo I and II, Creative Problems, Photojournalism I and II, Advertising Illustration, Portraiture, Photo Process Control, Color Transparency Processing Techniques, Materials and Processes of Photography, Color Printing, Theory Color Photo Design, Introduction to Dye Transfer Holography I, High Speed/Time Lapse History & Aesthetics of Photography as a Fine Art Survey of Imaging Science Geometric Optics Optical Engineering
In addition, independent studies and group seminars are arranged throughout the year to explore specialized techniques in photography. Some short workshops and seminars are offered during summer months.
Brooks Institute of Photography
Another highly respected, independent photography school is Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, California. Brooks offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in professional photography and a graduate level program leading to the Master of Science degree. Photographic major programs offered at Brooks include:Color Technology, Commercial, Illustration/Advertising, Digital Imaging, Digital Media, Industrial/Scientific Media, Motion Picture/Video, Portraiture
Among the photographic courses listed in the Brooks catalog are:Conceptual Photographic Illustration, Video Production, Photography as an Analytical Tool, Photojournalism Techniques, Advanced Nature Photography, Undersea Photography Technology, Portraiture Fundamentals, Advanced Portrait Techniques, Advanced Multimedia Projects, Digital Imaging, Web Page Development.
Typical Four Year College/University Course Titles in Photography and Related Areas:Introduction to Photography, History of Photography, Contemporary Photographic Issues, Introduction to Black and White Photography, Color Photography, Photography: Advanced Studio, Documentary Photography, Photojournalism, Advertising and Illustration Photography, Film Production, Publications Photography, Studio Photography, Location Photography, Industrial Photography, Portfolio Development, Introduction to Layout and Design.
