Photography

PHOTOGRAPHY

Modes of study:

• full-time first-cycle studies (BA 3 years)
• full-time second-cycle studies (MA 2 years)

Description of the field of study:

University of the Arts Poznan was the first university in Poland to establish photography as a degree programme. Our 30 years of experience in educating new generations of artists do not only include creating an innovative curriculum and establishing the first degree programme in Photography, but also numerous art, research and popularization initiatives.  We have also managed to establish international cooperation, to participate in international competitions, exhibitions, symposia and to create issue publications. What makes the UAP Department of Photography special are the outstanding achievements of our graduates – recognized artists, teachers, popularizers of photography, animators, critiques and curators.   We offer professional didactic and research facilities, including a spacious double studio, a well-equipped computer lab, two modern darkrooms: black & white and colour, a specialist library with a reading room and a photo archive. Students have access to an online system through which they can book and rent photographic equipment. Students of Photography, apart from regular classes (in part-time studies, these are weekend reunions on average of every two weeks), participate in exhibitions, open-air events and meetings with authors. They also participate in scientific organization, edit and publish the magazine “COMO” devoted to the art of photography and take part in international student exchange programmes.  On submitting applications, candidates can choose the scope of studies between Photography and Editorial Photography. The application process includes a review of works and an interview (there are no practical entrance exams in painting and drawing). More information is available on our website: fotografia.uap.edu.pl

Types of courses:

The programme is based on 7 photography studios (compulsory or elective), selected art studios offered by other Faculties and a selection of theoretical courses (e.g. dialog: ideas and objects, history of photography, contemporary art, copyright).  The curriculum of technological courses includes essential elements such as studio lighting, digital editing, registration and edition of moving image, classic and hybrid processes of photography, preparation of photographic publications and preparation for printing. In the scope of editorial photography, the curriculum also includes basics of typography and graphic design, multimedia design and basics of animation.

The degree Programme in Photography puts emphasis on the strictly artistic aspects.  Its main area is practicing and analysing theoretical issues of the functioning of the art of photography and related media. Under the supervision of experienced artists, students create their own works and experiment with forms of imaging. Important elements of their artistic development are regular meetings with invited curators, theoreticians and photographers, trips, open-air workshops and problem-solving workshops.

In 2018 the Department of Photography of UAP opened Poland’s first degree programme in Editorial Photography. It is characterized by an extended design and multimedia profile in the broadly understood photographic publications – starting from the creation of traditional texts and albums with enlargements or photo prints, photographic books, through interactive online publications and e-books, to low-cost self-publishing.