Explore every facet of photography as you develop your creative vision. Pratt prepares you to flourish as an independent artist and a professional photographer.
Study all aspects of photography in our hands-on program. From day one, you will be practicing both digital and analog photography. Our program and facilities stay current with advances in technology and practices, allowing you to experiment and push the boundaries of photography.
Student Work: Vision in Practice
See how our students push the boundaries of the medium.
Photograph by Haley Sessoms, BFA Photography β25
Develop Your Critical Practice
Photography as a medium inspires critical thinking. At Pratt, you will gain a critical understanding of photography and its place in contemporary art. Through intensive studio work, visiting artist lectures and critiques, the study of photographic history and contemporary art, and the development of your writing skills, you will acquire the dexterity and language to thrive as a professional and an artist.
Our faculty members are distinguished artists and creative professionals who are committed to nurturing the creative potential of each student. The faculty come from diverse professional and educational backgrounds, contributing to the expansive nature of our program.
Our dynamic study-abroad offerings include Pratt Berlin, a semester-long program where students take Pratt courses with Pratt faculty while living in Berlin, Germany. The Photography Department also offers elective courses with short-term travel embedded into the curriculum, such as opportunities to travel and study during spring break in Havana, Cuba, or San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Internships
Our students gain experience through internships at various art institutions, galleries, and studios such as the Whitney Museum of Art, Conveyor Arts, Distributed Art Publishers (D.A.P.), David LaChapelle Studio, Diverse Works, and many others. During their time at Pratt, students have the option to complete an internship for program credit, with a Pratt faculty advisor to guide them.
After Graduation
Our alumni are leading diverse and thriving careers, creating and expanding upon the visual culture of our present-day world. Some have become renowned photographers, their work featured in publications and galleries, while others are working at celebrated institutions.Β
Where They Work
Programs Manager, Baxter St. Camera Club of New York
Assistant Collections Manager, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Founder, Blue Hour Press
Editor-In-Chief, The Daring
Commissioned Photographer, The New York Times Magazine
The Department of Photography is committed to the education of artists and professionals who have acquired a comprehensive understanding of the artistic and proΒfesΒsional opportunities in the field. The curriculum providesΒ an extensive photographic education through a series of core classes that promote studentsβ technical and conceptual development. Photography majors moveΒ from aΒ highly structured program in their freshman and sophomore years to a more flexible program in their junior and senior years in which students choose from a variety of electives in photography, other studio disciplines, and in the humanities. This approach isΒ intended to facilitate the transition from student toΒ independent artist andΒ professional. Completion of theΒ curriculum culminates with an exhibition in the Pratt Photography Gallery, as well as aΒ group show in a New YorkΒ City gallery, and a collaborative photography pubΒlication. Small class sizes help to promote a strong sense ofΒ community in the intimate setting of Prattβs Brooklyn campus. Students are given opportunities to meet artistsΒ and critics through the Pratt Photography Lectures, visitingΒ critiques, and artist studio and museum visits. ThisΒ access can help students buildΒ contacts and relationΒships with influential professionals in the field. LikeΒ a smallΒ town within a big city, we look to give studentsΒ their own voice, soΒ they can employ it in whichever direction theyΒ choose.
Undergraduates establish strong photographic practices and discourses through the study of analog and digital processes, the history and theory ofΒ photography, and the development of critical thinking and writing skills through required and elective courses in photography, other creative disciplines, and the liberal arts. Participating in thisΒ experience prepares students to actively contribute toΒ culture and society as leaders in the photographic artsΒ and applied industries, as well as to pursue graduate studies inΒ related fields. Graduates are expected to demonΒstrate excellence in artistic vision, professional skills,Β innovation, and a contextual understanding of their work inΒ contemporary culture.
Upon completion of the program:
β’ Students will demonstrate an understanding of the broad range of possibilities availableΒ inΒ analog and digital photographic materials.
β’ Students will demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the aesthetic principles of photography.
β’ Students will articulate a broad knowledge of photographic and relevant cultural histories and anΒ in-depth understanding of contemporary issuesΒ inΒ photography pertinent to their practices.
β’ Students will create a cohesive body of photographic workΒ inΒ which an artistic vision and contextual awareness of their work is evident.
β’ Students will apply the technical skills and professional practices necessary to pursue careers or graduate studiesΒ inΒ the photographic arts and applied industries.
Ready for More?
HERE’S HOW TO APPLY
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.
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.
TOMORROW: Join us for the last of our fall Photography Talk Series with Yuji Agematsu β¨
ποΈ Wednesday, December 3rd
π 6PM
π Pratt Photography Gallery, LL ARC
We hope to see you there! π
@prattinstitute @soartpratt
TOMORROW: John OβToole β¨
We are pleased to share the last of our fall Lunchtime Talk Series: a chance for students and peers to hear from Photography Department faculty and staff, as they share their work.
Please feel free to bring your lunchβwe hope youβll join us! βΊοΈ
ποΈ Tuesday, December 2nd
π 1:00PM
πE-4, LL ARC
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @johnmotoole
Some of the 50-plus(!) equipment reservations that went out last week and had the Tech Office shelves overflowing. We hope everyone has a restful and happy Thanksgiving break πΈ π¦ β¨
The photo labs are closed beginning today, and will reopen on Monday. See you in December! βΊοΈ
TOMORROW β¨ Anne Turyn: My History of Group Photos
We are pleased to announce the second of our fall Lunchtime Talk Series: a chance for students and peers to hear from Photography Department faculty and staff, as they share their work.
Please feel free to bring your lunchβwe hope youβll join us! βΊοΈ
ποΈ Tuesday, November 18th
π 1:00PM
πE-4, LL ARC
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @anneturyn
There are TWO π more days to catch the last round of our fall Open Call series, featuring:
Synthesis by Keongbok Lee
Bang, Crunch, Shriek, Whimper by Brooklyn Cobb
Lopez Island Photographs by Claude Cobbs
π Open 10AM - 5PM today and tomorrow
π Pratt Photography Gallery, LL ARC
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @keongboklee @brooklyn_cobb @pseudoname01
