In today's media driven society, photography is one of the primary tools of marketing. Appalachian State University's Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Commercial Photography provides students with technical and visual literacy skills through courses with a strong industry focus. The program specifically covers the elements of photographic theory with an emphasis on practice that prepares students to enter the commercial marketplace and succeed as photographers, videographers, producers, stylists, image retouchers and photo editors, as well as roles in industry sales and support.
Courses provide a solid foundation in commercial digital imaging, digital workflow, studio lighting, small medium, large format cameras and lab/studio management. You will work on assignments in a wide variety of areas including portraiture, fashion, product, catalog, advertising, location lighting, studio lighting, documentary, and HDSLR video production and narrative construction.
You will meet professionals in the field who are important connections for internships. An annual trip to New York City includes visits at magazines such as Martha Stewart and Food Network, commercial studios such as Root/Drive-in Studios and Industria, industry expos like PDN PhotoPlus, and manufactures such as Nikon, Bron and Leica. Students have won numerous awards in national and international photography and video contests, including First place in the Photographer Forums photography contest and Third place in Nikon's Everyday Cinema contest.