Photography Major
Moore’s Photography major is designed for all future editorial, runway and architectural photographers; photojournalists; art directors; photo editors and beyond.
Our Photography major is perfect for the kind of person who...
- Loves documenting life events for posterity
- Takes photo retouching apps very seriously
- Wants to make a career out of telling stories through a visual lens
If this sounds like you, then our Photography BFA might be the Moore major for you.
Photography Major Student Work
Show us the world through your lens. See what current Photography major students and recent alumni have accomplished.
Elizabeth Heath ’24.
Noelle Ramirez-Faisca ’21.
Wren Garner ’25.
Zaire Hart Hodges '23.
Sydney Kazansky '22.
Emily Morton ’22.
Claudia Rubio ’24.
Check out more student work!
WHY CHOOSE A PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR AT MOORE?
- CUSTOMIZED: Our unique Photography degree program can be tailored to your interests—whether you want to create impactful visuals for commercial industries like fashion, journalism, weddings and special events, or you’re more of a fine arts photographer.
- CREDENTIALS: You’ll gain important industry experience working in analog and digital formats, with state-of-the-art equipment that the pros use.
- CAREER: Get a head start with a paid internship in the photography program between your junior and senior years, and make connections with professional photographers, guest speakers, and critics who work in the field.
Header artwork in video, in order: Amelia Gish ’22, Amelia Gish ’22, Juliet Evangelista ’22, Juliet Evangelista ’22, Ori Tucker ’23, Juliet Evangelista ’22, Ameilia Gish ’22, Emily Morton ’22, Virginia Boddie-Taveras ’22, Madeline Milliken ’23, Madeline Milliken ’23, Madeline Milliken ’23
KICKSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY CAREER WITH A PAID INTERNSHIP
100% of Moore Photography degree program students receive a paid internship between junior and senior years, gaining experience with digital cameras and organizations like:
Love Me Do Photography
National Portrait Gallery
Philadelphia Fashion Incubator
TILT Institute for the Contemporary Image
Petah Coyne
Carrie Mae Weems
Zoe Strauss
Hank Willis Thomas
LAND YOUR DREAM PHOTOGRAPHY JOB
Photography alumni have been published in places like the New York Times, The Nation, Buzzfeed, and Vogue Italia, and have landed jobs at companies and organizations like…
Free People
King Creative
National Association of Black Journalists
Philadelphia Film Society
Visit Philly
Wonderful Machine
WXPN Radio
IN OUR OWN WORDS
“Moore has taught me what it means to be a photographer and how to be taken seriously as a photographer. My skills have evolved exponentially—I’ve tried macro, fashion and studio photography, and I’ve strengthened my knowledge of professional lighting!"
TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OUR EXPANSIVE PHOTOGRAPHY FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT
Professional Shooting Studio
Fully equipped with a Hasselblad H5D-50 50MP camera, colored backdrops, green screen, strobes, hot lights and other accessories
Equipment Cage
Photography degree students can rent large format digital cameras and the same equiptment professional photographers use, such as professional Canon SLRs and mirrorless cameras up to 45 megapixels, Prosumer DSLR and point-and-shoot cameras, film SLR cameras, 4 x 5 film cameras, HD video cameras, tripods, and audio accessories like digital audio recorders, boom mics, gimbal stabilizers, and more
Computer Labs
Everything you need for digital work: 27” iMacs, Epson P800 17”x22” inkjet printers, Epson V750 scanners for film scanning and neutral color temperature viewing booths
Print Center
For wide-format work, including multiple 44”-wide photo-quality inkjet printers
Wet Darkroom
For processing film and printing black and white photos
MEET YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY MAJOR
Watch our Meet Your Major: Photography video to take a deeper dive into everything this program has to offer!
NETWORK WITH THE PROS
You’ll also meet guest critics and speakers—photography superstars who started out just like you—at special department events. Here’s a glimpse of some of our recent visitors:
Alex Da Corte
Da Corte is a Venezuelan-American artist based in Philadelphia who creates vibrant and immersive large-scale installations that include wall-based works, sculptures, and videos. He has exhibited at the Whitney Biennial, the Venice Biennale, the Hammer Museum, MASS MoCA and elsewhere.
Naomieh Jovin ’17
Jovin is a first-generation Haitian-American, a photographic artist, and a Moore alum. Her work has been featured in The Nation, Vogue and Buzzfeed, and she’s photographed for the New York Times and Vogue Italia.
Gab Bonghi
Bonghi has worked with clients like Universal Music Group, Starr Restaurants, and Philadelphia Distilling Company, and her work has been featured in EATER, Philadelphia Inquirer, NYLON, and elsewhere.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Click the plus buttons below to get an overview of our Photography major’s courses and core curriculum, and also choose from a variety of exciting electives like:
- Fashion, Editorial, and Lifestyle Photography: create a brand and learn to work with clients
- Photojournalism: discover visual storytelling strategies for recording current events
- Animating the Image: use software to animate photographs, video, sound and illustrations
- Web Media: explore motion, time, information and interactivity in a web environment
- The Photo Book: examine a wide range of book- and zine-making style
Photography Core Curriculum
Year 1 is your Foundation year! You’ll get a head start with your bridge-to-major class (Photography Core) and choose between drawing or design in your second semester.
- 2D Design
- 3D Design
- Photography Core
- Foundation Drawing I
- Color Theory
- Visual Thinking
- Creative Design OR Drawing for Visual Communication
- Writing Workshop I & II
- Art History I & II
Immerse yourself in your major in Year 2. Classes like Studio & Location Lighting, Digital Photography and Video Core will give you foundational skills for future work.
- Digital Photography I & II
- History of Photography
- Studio & Location Lighting
- Video Core
- Photography Elective
- Modern Art History Course
- Non-Western Art History
- Gender, Race, Class & Power
- Studio Electives
In Year 3, explore your options and start to think about your future through electives and Professional Development, which will prepare you for an exciting $1,000 paid summer internship.
- Photography Junior Studio I & II
- Video Projects
- Photography Elective
- Theory, Criticism & Aesthetics
- Professional Development I
- Creative & Critical Studies Electives
- Studio Electives
In Year 4, take your final electives and Senior Studio and Thesis classes, and apply the skills you’ve learned to a final thesis project. Then get ready for your journey to post-graduation success!
- Senior Studio
- Contemporary Issues in Photography
- Senior Thesis
- Professional Development II (Internship)
- Theory, Criticism & Aesthetics
- Creative & Critical Studies Electives
- Photo Elective
- Open Electives
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PostedMoore alums are soaring in their fields, using their unique talents and skills as artists and designers to make a difference in the world around them. Meet Taylor Baldwin ’18, a Photography hero, and learn more about her career since her time at Moore.
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PostedHear from Photography senior Claudia Rubio ’24 about how she personalized her education at Moore and created career opportunities for herself.
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PostedWroblewski, a Photography senior and transfer student, put her fellowship toward a UELO in Kyoto, Japan, where she chronicled the world and art around her.
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PostedGet to know Ashley Smith, an adjunct instructor in Moore’s Photography department!
