Bachelor in Photography & Imaging

Bachelor of Photography & Imaging An estimated 300 million pictures are taken each day around the world, signaling the ubiquitous role of photography in our culture. But while almost anyone can take a photo, very few achieve great photography.

Art Center’s Photography and Imaging Department helps photographers acquire the skills and creative fluency needed to create resonant visual documents, not just well-crafted representations. Exceptional images can travel through space and time without losing their significance—whether they are displayed on a cellphone or on the side of a building.

In addition to conceptual and studio classes, our students study technology, fine art, history, and advertising, as well as courses in business planning, branding and marketing. Students can partner with peers from other majors through individual projects and corporate-sponsored Transdisciplinary Studios. Photography and Imaging students also collaborate with Designmatters on projects benefitting humanitarian organizations and providing insight into social issues.

Our state-of-the-art traditional and digital labs support a wide variety of photographic processes. Students stay abreast of the continuous technical transformations impacting photography, including the ways images are captured, enhanced and distributed. Our program also dissects issues such as authorship and originality in relation to digital technologies.

As a Photography and Imaging student, you will come to understand that what occurs before the click of the shutter is just as significant—if not more so—than what happens after. Our faculty of accomplished photographers will guide you in your development, helping you articulate your ideas and specific intentions within the larger context of image making’s future.

The Art Center community—students, faculty, staff, trustees, and alumni—came together throughout 2010 to envision the future of our institution. The result of this shared vision is a five-year strategic plan that will position us to shape and define culture, encourage relevance and social responsibility in art and design, prepare graduates for leadership in an increasingly pluralistic society, and advance learning, research and make at Art Center to the highest level.

The plan, Create Change, sets the stage for the next era of growth for the College. Learn more about the plan and its milestones at Create Change.