Lens-Based Arts

Not all visual artists paint, draw, and sculpt. For many of our students, photography and video production provide a creative outlet in media that they encounter continually. Photography may involve mechanical cameras and traditional photo printing. It may also lead the student into the digital arts, where they will find image manipulation and video production.

Since its advent, still photography, the practice of making non-moving photographs, has been a versatile tool that encompasses science, arts, and the humanities. Photo-based courses focus on developing technical and conceptual aspects of the medium, using an array of image-capturing devices (35mm cameras, digital cameras, large-format cameras, lens-less cameras) and alternative processes, such as cyanotypes and Van Dyke Brown processes. In addition, students investigate studio lighting and the features of the wet lab (black-and-white darkroom). This specialization encourages students to develop a skill set necessary for critical thinking and storytelling in an ever-changing technological world.

Video production shares many conceptual and aesthetic elements with photography and adds the dimension of time. An overarching goal of the video track is for the student to learn production methods that enable them to produce video that closely resembles the project as conceived in their imagination. This process requires a thorough knowledge of the tools and some tried and true production methods. The student may develop skills that lend themselves to commercial production, or perhaps their production will be oriented toward online or gallery spaces. The video track strives to help the student develop the important and timely skills required to think critically about media content.