An Expansive Understanding of Photography
Explore photography in all its forms, from its material possibilities to its role in contemporary culture. Challenge assumptions, experiment with new processes, and develop a practice that is critically aware and personally resonant. We welcome contemporary artists excited by the photographic image, whether your practice is lens-based—from analog cameras to digital sensors—or extends to found imagery, moving pictures, and critical research.
A Curious Culture and Responsive Community
Students and faculty create a tight-knit and supportive community, finding inspiration in each other and developing a shared visual vocabulary. Small class sizes and an intensive studio culture contribute to a rich and challenging learning environment.
State-of-the-Art Facilities and Exhibition Spaces
Students have their own individual studios for both years of the program at Dock 72, our new facility at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, which also features dedicated fabrication shops and a 1,500-square-foot gallery space.
Our main Brooklyn campus offers a full suite of state-of-the-art facilities:
- 35mm, medium, and large format film cameras
- the latest DSLR and mirrorless cameras
- medium format digital cameras
- lighting equipment, exclusively for graduate student use
- dedicated 1,000-square-foot digital photography lab with wide-format printers, film scanners, computers, and industry-standard editing software
- black-and-white darkroom
- non-silver process studio
- 1,500-square-foot shooting and lighting studio
Students are always welcome to set up a one-on-one instructional meeting to gain a deeper understanding of our tools and technology.
Learn more about our photography facilities.
Critical Understanding and Cultural Discourse
Photography as a medium inspires critical thinking. Through our Photography Talk Series, Visiting Artist Lecture Series, and individual studio visits with visiting artists, critics, curators, and writers, you will explore the photographic medium within the various disciplines of contemporary art.
“My practice is centered around unanswerable questions. How are our identities formed through visual culture? What do collective cultural traumas and experiences feel like inside other people’s bodies? Alongside obsessive research, I employ strategies of the archive, the re-make, and impersonation, to create images and videos that collapse history with the present and offer possible answers, if only for a fleeting moment.”
Baillie Vensel, MFA Photography ’23
From the Catalog
Our Faculty
Our faculty members are distinguished artists and creative professionals who hail from diverse backgrounds, contributing to the expansive nature of our program. They are dedicated to nurturing each student’s creative potential. See all Photography faculty and administrators.
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Chairperson of Photography
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Adjunct Professor – CCE
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Associate Professor & MFA Program Faculty Director
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Assistant Professor
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Visiting Assistant Professor
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Visiting Associate Professor
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Adjunct Associate Professor
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Adjunct Professor
“You’ll be amongst the most intelligent, responsive, caring, and engaged faculty possible. You’ll have access to excellent facilities, and the opportunity to take classes that push you outside of your comfort zone, while still honing your specific processes and craft.”
Nic Anselmo (he/him), MFA Photography ’23
After Graduation
Our alumni are thriving in their careers after graduation. Some have become full-time artists, while others are working in notable organizations across industries.
Where They Work
- Photo Editor at New York Magazine
- Senior Designer at Scape Landscape Architecture
- Studio Manager for Yigal Ozeri
Career Support for Life
Students and alumni can schedule one-on-one appointments with career strategists in Pratt’s Center for Career and Professional Development. A career strategist can work with you to develop your job/internship search strategies and life and business plans, as well as review résumés, cover letters, websites, and other marketing materials.
News
Seeing the Big Picture
Article
Painting Visions of Home
Prattfolio Story
A Practice Rooted in Imaging Black Life
Prattfolio Story
Ready for More?
| HERE’S HOW TO APPLY | Graduate Studies at Pratt | OUR CAMPUS & BEYOND |
|---|---|---|
| Join us at Pratt. Learn more about admissions requirements, plan your visit, talk to a counselor, and start your application. Take the next step. | Whether your goal is to advance your career, pivot to a new field, or explore your craft or groundbreaking research, our 33 graduate programs provide the rigor and support to achieve your vision. Explore our graduate programs in architecture, fine arts, design, information studies, and the liberal arts and sciences. Learn More. | You’ll find yourself at home at Pratt. Learn more about our residence halls, student organizations, athletics, gallery exhibitions, events, the amazing City of New York and our Brooklyn neighborhood communities. Check us out. |
Join us for events, follow us online, and learn more about Pratt’s impact in the world.
Events
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Pratt Shows 2026
![A person stands in a gallery space pointing toward a framed photographic artwork mounted on a white wall. The individual wears a sleeveless black top and jewelry on one wrist, with their arm raised to indicate a specific detail near the upper edge of the artwork. Additional framed photographs are visible along the wall behind them, and overhead gallery lighting illuminates the exhibition space.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![A gallery visitor stands in profile wearing over-ear headphones connected by a cord to an illuminated wall-mounted artwork. The person wears a knit beanie, sleeveless black top, light-colored pants, and carries a jacket over one arm. The artwork consists of a framed lightbox displaying multiple small objects arranged in compartments, suggesting a shrine or collection. To the right, a framed photographic portrait of a woman hangs on the wall. The gallery space has white walls, minimal fixtures, and even overhead lighting.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![A close-up view of a photographic artwork partially concealed behind sheer white lace curtains. The image depicts a seated woman in a light-colored dress, positioned in a dim interior space and looking outward through the parted fabric. In the foreground, a viewer’s hand reaches toward the curtain, creating a layered composition that contrasts the tactile lace texture with the smooth photographic surface. The scene emphasizes themes of intimacy, separation, and the act of looking within a gallery context.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![Gallery visitor wearing a patterned short-sleeve shirt, tan shorts, and a backpack stands in profile, closely examining a wall-mounted photographic installation. The exhibition consists of black-and-white documentary photographs, short blocks of wall text, and a continuous horizontal strip of small blue-toned images running across the wall at mid-height. The viewer holds a light-colored bicycle helmet at their side. The gallery space is brightly lit with white walls, emphasizing the photographs and text panels arranged in a grid-like layout.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
Opening Reception | Pratt Shows: Photography MFA Thesis, Show 1
![Gallery visitor wearing a patterned short-sleeve shirt, tan shorts, and a backpack stands in profile, closely examining a wall-mounted photographic installation. The exhibition consists of black-and-white documentary photographs, short blocks of wall text, and a continuous horizontal strip of small blue-toned images running across the wall at mid-height. The viewer holds a light-colored bicycle helmet at their side. The gallery space is brightly lit with white walls, emphasizing the photographs and text panels arranged in a grid-like layout.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![Visitors stand and converse inside a white-walled gallery during a photography exhibition. In the foreground, three people face one another in discussion, one holding a clear water bottle. Additional visitors are spaced along the gallery wall in the background, viewing small framed artworks and wall-mounted pieces. The room features polished concrete floors, overhead track lighting, and evenly spaced artworks arranged at eye level, creating an open, informal exhibition environment.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![Wide view of a contemporary art gallery with white walls and polished concrete floors. Several visitors stand and walk through the space, viewing artworks installed along the walls and in the central room beyond a large rectangular doorway. A horizontal band of small blue photographic prints runs along the walls at eye level. In the foreground at right, a wooden bench supports a sculptural metal outline of a seated human figure. A camera on a tripod is set up in the central gallery, suggesting documentation or exhibition recording. Overhead track lighting and ceiling panels illuminate the space evenly.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![Gallery visitor wearing a patterned short-sleeve shirt, tan shorts, and a backpack stands in profile, closely examining a wall-mounted photographic installation. The exhibition consists of black-and-white documentary photographs, short blocks of wall text, and a continuous horizontal strip of small blue-toned images running across the wall at mid-height. The viewer holds a light-colored bicycle helmet at their side. The gallery space is brightly lit with white walls, emphasizing the photographs and text panels arranged in a grid-like layout.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![Visitors gather and converse inside a white-walled gallery during a photography exhibition. In the center of the room, a group of people stand in discussion near a tall, irregular dark sculptural form. Framed photographic works are mounted evenly along the walls behind them. Additional visitors are visible throughout the space, including some seated on a wooden bench. The gallery features polished concrete floors, overhead track lighting, and an open layout that supports movement, viewing, and informal conversation.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
![A gallery visitor stands in profile, leaning slightly forward to view an illuminated wall-mounted lightbox artwork. The artwork displays a tabletop scene with plates of food, candles, glassware, and floral elements arranged in a ceremonial or communal setting, glowing from internal lighting and framed in black. The visitor wears a dark long-sleeved dress with pockets and has their hair pulled back, one hand resting near their midsection. In the background, a softly lit installation of draped fabric occupies the gallery space. The environment features white walls, a polished floor, and overhead gallery lighting.]()
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Pratt Shows 2026
Opening Reception | Pratt Shows: Photography MFA Thesis, Show 2
![A gallery visitor stands in profile, leaning slightly forward to view an illuminated wall-mounted lightbox artwork. The artwork displays a tabletop scene with plates of food, candles, glassware, and floral elements arranged in a ceremonial or communal setting, glowing from internal lighting and framed in black. The visitor wears a dark long-sleeved dress with pockets and has their hair pulled back, one hand resting near their midsection. In the background, a softly lit installation of draped fabric occupies the gallery space. The environment features white walls, a polished floor, and overhead gallery lighting.]()
