Photography Degree at College of Visual Arts Minnesota
The Photography Program at the College of Visual Arts embraces the overarching principles of photography, including a comprehensive understanding of darkroom and digital techniques, plus an historic and working understanding of alternative processes in photography.
After completion of the first year Foundation Program, students embrace their photography program with hands on camera and darkroom work, in both black and white and color. The objective is for students to gain an in depth understanding of how an image can be created through careful photographic manipulation.
The advanced photography classes build on this foundation teaching the use of medium and large format cameras, working in the studio on lighting strategies, understanding metering, film choices, and other professional techniques. Simultaneously, students address content, exploring the power of the medium and contemporary issues in photography. These issues are further explored within the history of photography and the art and criticism courses in the Liberal Arts Program.
In the third year, students will examine the techniques and possibilities of digital photography. They will investigate digital capture and film scanning, color management, advanced image editing with Adobe Photoshop, outputting to the web, use of our archival photo inkjet printers with beautiful 100% rag art papers, how to work with service bureaus, and how to best implement a digital work flow into their practice.
In the final year students will explore age-old alternative photographic processes. This will include compounding sensitizers and hand coating beautiful art papers to create cyanotypes, gum bichromate, platinum/palladium, and other hands on processes that will round out an understanding of the old and new of photography.
Through CVA’s internship program, students will have an opportunity to explore the various professional opportunities open to photographers. This experience will be supported by the development of a professional portfolio in conjunction with the capstone Photo Studio and Seminar Thesis courses.