The advertising photography option prepares students for diverse and rewarding careers in the field of visual communications. While encouraging and nurturing students' individual image-making practice, students learn to create photographs and moving media for a wide range of commercial use in today's fast changing media environment. This option is part of the Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA program.
The option provides flexibility and specialization within the course curriculum, providing students with a broad overview of the field. Advanced courses allow students to explore a variety of commercial specializations from traditional still life and portraiture, to interdisciplinary courses that model real world team collaborations with graphic designers, new media artists, industrial designers, and computer scientists. This flexibility also enables students to take elective courses from other departments across the university, in majors as diverse as graphic design, visual culture, philosophy, or fine art, in order to enrich their personal visual expression. Within the curriculum, advertising photography students study the inner workings and business aspects of the photographic and imaging industries. In an ever-growing global market, the school encourages and offers many study abroad opportunities for students.
The faculty consists of both full- and part-time professors–all of whom continue their personal photo arts practice and have extensive commercial experience as professional photographers. Students work collaboratively to conceive and execute camera-based work that is both cutting-edge and strategic. Along with conventional print-based imagery, students may also work in moving media, emerging and interactive technologies that have real-world application in the commercial industry. Students build a strong professional portfolio throughout their time in the program.
