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.
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.
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
Archivist, Alexander Gray Associates Gallery
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.
The Department of Photography is committed to the education of artists and professionals who have acquired a comprehensive understanding of the artistic and professional opportunities in the field. The curriculum provides an extensive photographic education through a series of core classes that promote students’ technical and conceptual development. Photography majors move from a 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 is intended to facilitate the transition from student to independent artist and professional. Completion of the curriculum culminates with an exhibition in the Pratt Photography Gallery, as well as a group show in a New York City gallery, and a collaborative photography publication. Small class sizes help to promote a strong sense of community in the intimate setting of Pratt’s Brooklyn campus. Students are given opportunities to meet artists and critics through the Pratt Photography Lectures, visiting critiques, and artist studio and museum visits. This access can help students build contacts and relationships with influential professionals in the field. Like a small town within a big city, we look to give students their own voice, so they can employ it in whichever direction they choose.
Undergraduates establish strong photographic practices and discourses through the study of analog and digital processes, the history and theory of 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 this experience prepares students to actively contribute to culture and society as leaders in the photographic arts and applied industries, as well as to pursue graduate studies in related fields. Graduates are expected to demonstrate excellence in artistic vision, professional skills, innovation, and a contextual understanding of their work in contemporary culture.
Upon completion of the program:
• Students will demonstrate an understanding of the broad range of possibilities available in analog and digital photographic materials.
• Students will demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the aesthetic principles of photography.
• Students will articulate a broad knowledge of photographic and relevant cultural histories and an in-depth understanding of contemporary issues in photography pertinent to their practices.
• Students will create a cohesive body of photographic work in which an artistic vision and contextual awareness of their work is evident.
• Students will apply the technical skills and professional practices necessary to pursue careers or graduate studies in 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 launch of ‘PPI Issue #4: Material Acknowledgment: A Case Study in Environmental Learning’ and ‘PPI Issue #5: Input, Use, Stock, and Output’ ✨
🗓️ Saturday, December 6th
🕑 2PM – 5PM, presentations at 3PM
📍 BAXTER ST at the Camera Club of New York, 154 Ludlow St.
We hope to see you there 👏
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @baxterstccny @dancing_foxes @lightworkorg
In Memory of Philip Perkis
November 12, 1935 to November 21, 2025
Philip Perkis was born in Brookline, Massachusetts, the son of Jewish immigrants from the Ukraine.
Professor Emeritus at Pratt Institute, he taught from 1969 to 2001. Walter Civardi established the Photography Department in the late 1960s. Perkis was instrumental in its further development and expansion, serving as chair through the 1970s and 80s during which he created a uniquely vigorous atmosphere of warmth, reciprocity, and common purpose. He was not only admired, but beloved by students, faculty, and staff alike for his positive energy, his wit, intelligence, insightfulness, and ability to communicate with clarity and directness. Many found him inspirational and remained close throughout the years.
Philip Perkis graduated with a BFA from the San Francisco Art Institute in 1962. He served on a flight crew as tail-gunner in the US Air Force from 1954 to 1958, during which he was introduced to photography, recognizing immediately that he was home. In addition to teaching at Pratt, he taught at NYU, The Cooper Union, and Graduate Studies at The School of Visual Arts.
Philip was buried in the Beth Shalom Cemetery in Florida, NY. A memorial will be held at a future date to celebrate his memory.
TOMORROW: Join us for the last of our fall Photography Talk Series with Yuji Agematsu ✨
🗓️ Wednesday, December 3rd
🕛 6PM
📍 Pratt Photography Gallery, LL ARC
We hope to see you there! 👏
@prattinstitute @soartpratt
TOMORROW: John O’Toole ✨
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 lunch—we hope you’ll join us! ☺️
🗓️ Tuesday, December 2nd
🕐 1:00PM
📍E-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 📸 🦃 ✨
The photo labs are closed beginning today, and will reopen on Monday. See you in December! ☺️
Hear from Aidan McLellan, Photography MFA Class of 2025, as he reflects on his time in the program.
To learn more about Pratt Photo MFA, join us for our upcoming info sessions (links in bio). An application waiver will be offered to all attendees.
Video filmed and edited by recent graduate Cléo Sương Mai Richez.
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @atkm.studio @richezcleo
TOMORROW ✨ 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 lunch—we hope you’ll join us! ☺️
🗓️ Tuesday, November 18th
🕐 1:00PM
📍E-4, LL ARC
@prattinstitute @soartpratt @anneturyn
