The New York Film Academy Master of Fine Arts in Photography is a four semester (16-weeks per semester) conservatory-based, full-time graduate program.

This exceptional course of study is designed to train a new generation of visual artists whose work is grounded in a thorough awareness of the history of the medium, who are masters over a broad array of photographic tools both old and new, and who are equipped with the creative and business skills to succeed in a competitive marketplace, whether they choose to specialize in commercial, fine art, video or documentary traditions.

In this program, students are given unique opportunities to engage with an incredibly diverse international student body on our campus at Universal Studios, Hollywood, CA. Visits to world-class museums, galleries, studios, labs, agencies, publishers, and trade shows; guest lectures and critiques by working photojournalists, artists, and curators; internship opportunities; instruction by a core faculty comprised of working professionals - these are all key parts of the rich NYFA experience. Results of the successful completion of the MFA program include:

• A comprehensive knowledge of digital and film cameras and optics from 35mm to large format
• In-depth experience with a wide range of digital and photochemical image creation and printing techniques
• Practical expertise in contemporary professional business practices
• A comprehensive awareness of and expertise with lighting, digital imaging and printing tools
• Mastery of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom
• Knowledge of research techniques for documentary and news assignments
• Knowledge of the history of photography practices, aesthetics and technology
• Knowledge of aesthetic theories of photography and experience with their practical application
• The ability to work independently in a high-pressure creative environment
• A broad portfolio of fine art, commercial, documentary, and personal images

The NYFA MFA photography program uniquely embraces today’s state-of-the-art cameras as tools that produce not only still images of unprecedented resolution, but also high-definition video of astonishing quality. The photography department embraces all lens-based media, offering a unique curriculum that includes not only still digital and film-based photography, but also video production.

Whether the intention of your work is to flicker as briefly and brightly as an unforgettable advertisement, or to create an art icon that rewards generations of scrutiny, the value of your ideas, the quality of your execution and the impact of your style will ultimately determine its success. Content has never been more important, even as professional image-makers must constantly upgrade their technical skills and sharpen their conceptual faculties to produce work that is daring, provocative and influential. Technological change promises to continue to push the synthesis of mediums and distribution mechanisms. There has never been a more exciting time for visual artists.

SEMESTER ONE OVERVIEW

The main goal of the first semester is to develop core photography skills by shooting immediate and ongoing assignments with a state of the art digital SLR, the Canon 5D Mark II. As students shoot and edit, they are immersed in the theory and history of photography. Looking at master works and participating in critiques, students develop skills to conceptualize, pre-visualize, compose, expose and edit powerful images using light and perspective to underscore content.

Photographers are first and foremost light hunters. Students learn to recognize the power of dramatic light and the potential of shadows as we bend the sun, the moon, and every conceivable artificial light source from sparklers to fresnels, studio flash to LEDs to illuminate our subjects. Even as they learn traditional 3-point lighting, students are encouraged to think beyond convention to choose lighting techniques with the emotional and dramatic impact.

As students examine a wide range of imaging disciplines, they also practice the essential business skills that enable any professional to run a successful practice, including research, assignments, bidding, self-promotion, marketing, stock imagery, studio organization, contracts, exhibition, licensing, publishing and artist grants.

Photography today is intrinsically linked to Adobe Photoshop as the pre-eminent digital darkroom tool. Industry experts help students master non-destructive image editing, learn the staggering power of RAW processing, how to target and shift colors with incredible precision, professional selection and masking techniques, and even how to manipulate time in the editing process.

SEMESTER ONE OBJECTIVES

PROJECT GOALS

• Test apertures ranges, shutter speeds, lenses, lighting tools, and filtration options on a wide variety of subjects.
• Thoroughly test the limits of over and under exposure and RAW processing and the effect on the "look" of an image.
• Research, conceptualize, shoot, edit and output a photographic documentary essay, including a written artist's statement.
• Conceptualize, shoot, edit and output a fine-art exhibition on a single cohesive theme, including a written artist's statement.
• Develop and participate in a community of creative peers capable of providing invaluable critical feedback.

LEARNING GOALS

• Understand the components of exposure.
• Acquire a working mastery over the Canon 5D Mark II digital SLR camera and standard lenses for still imaging.
• Develop working digital darkroom skills using Adobe Photoshop.
• Understand basic color management and be able to output accurate prints to modern inkjet printers.
• Recognize the characteristics and make creative use of basic lighting tools and camera position to create drama and emotional impact under typical lighting conditions.
• Examine the history of photography and photo technology up to the arrival of handheld 35mm cameras.
• Understand and apply theories of aesthetics, semiotics, design, composition and color.

SEMESTER ONE CLASSES

Studio Practice I
Studio Practice is the core of the curriculum, encompassing lecture, demonstration, shooting assignments on location or in the studio, and critique. Students learn the mechanics of cameras and lenses and the components of exposure. Students are taught to be aware of the unique characteristics that light can take: direct, diffused, reflected, tempered by atmosphere. They begin to master the modern digital SLR, and analyze digital capture’s pleasures (instant gratification!) and pitfalls (generic, competent images). Every technique is practiced through individual assignments, which are critiqued by faculty and peers.
Digital Imaging I
This course is an intensive introduction to Adobe Lightroom as a RAW editor and indispensable organization tool, and Adobe Photoshop, possibly the greatest tool of visual illusion and manipulation ever invented. Bypassing the flashy effects that wow trade show patrons looking for the path of least effort, students learn professional digital darkroom techniques that give unprecedented color and tonal control over their images. Students build their digital workflow from RAW processing through non-destructive editing, and output from print to web page to iPod. This course includes lecture, demonstration and lab time for students to edit their own images with the assistance of expert faculty.

History & Theory I
Intensive study, analysis, and critique of the work of master photographers, their techniques, aesthetics and approaches helps to equip students to choose the most effective means of realizing their own projects. The history of photography is studied from its beginning through the proliferation of the handheld 35mm camera. Students are guided to analyze the cultural and societal impact of photography, and the evolution of the medium from the original assumed veracity of photographs to the exploitation of the viewer’s acceptance of the photograph as “truth,” given the use of modern photographic manipulation with tools such as Photoshop. Additionally, students become intimately familiar with a particular photographer’s body of work through written research projects.

Discussions include composition, traditional and non-conventional framing, color theory, design, semiotics (signs and symbols), the effect of technological changes on photography, the use and limitations of photography as a documentary and personal record, and the surprisingly long history of using viewer assumptions to distort the truth.

Documentary Photography I
In this class, students take a close look at the evolution of documentary photography through the work of established and emerging masters such as Bernice Abbott, Diane Arbus, Jonas Bendiksen, Matthew Brady, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, Alfred Eisenstadt, Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin, Dorothea Lange, Mary Ellen Mark, Steve McCurry, James Nachtwey, Sebastiao Salgado, Eugene Smith, and others.

Guest presentations play a major part of this course, as well as written analyses. Students build on their in-depth exposure to the work of these masters to research, plan and execute their own documentary and project for in-class critique. Students also learn multimedia technique for the presentation of images using audio interviews, ambient sound and music.

Visiting artists address the business practices of successful documentary photographers, including private and public funding, assignment work, self-promotion, exhibition, approaching galleries and museums, book publishing, stock and commercial licensing.

Fine Art Photography I
A semester long workshop to explore the possibilities of photography as a fine art form. Students will become acquainted with principles of graphic design, composition, color and perception. We will discuss the distinctions — however occasionally slippery they may be—between art and commerce, and examine the schism between so-called “straight” photography and concept-over-aesthetics art. Students will conceptualize, shoot, edit, process, present and discuss in class their work, which will derive from weekly assignments. The course culminates with a final body of finished, printed photographs of conceptual rigor and a high level of technical accomplishment.

The long tradition of work of established and contemporary masters is examined, such as Florian Aichen-Maier, Bill Brandt, Keith Carter, William Eggelston, Lee Friedlander, Michael Kenna, Sze-Tsung Leong, Philip Lorca-diCorcia, Loretta Lux, Sally Mann, Richard Misrach, Tina Modotti, Sandy Skoglund, Cindy Sherman, Edward Weston, William Wegman, and others. Guest presentations are expected to play a major part of this course, as well as written analyses. Students build on their in-depth exposure to the work of these masters to research, plan and execute their own documentary and fine art projects for in-class critique.

Shooting Lab
This lab is a hands-on opportunity for students to learn professional techniques on location with rotating faculty. Covering a wide range of genres, aesthetic, logistical and technical challenges, students work directly with teachers to apply concepts to assignments of increasing complexity. Field trips to photograph the infinite variety of locations and subjects near New York and Los Angeles play a major part of this course, as well as studio assignments.

SEMESTER TWO OVERVIEW

The second semester builds on students’ basic skill set and challenges them to refine their technical, aesthetic and business skills. Focusing on commercial image-making, students look at established masters as they work intensively with studio lighting, the 5D D-SLR and medium format camera systems on a wide variety of assignments. Art direction and design elements are employed to create distinctive visual styles. In-post production, students move beyond basic color and tone correction into sophisticated compositing techniques, dynamic range extension, and advanced retouching and masking techniques. The creative potential of unconventional image-making technology is thoroughly explored.

Students are also given an intensive four week immersion in filmmaking using the incredible high-definition video capabilities of the Canon 5D Mark II. Immersing themselves in a unique curriculum of visual storytelling techniques, including concept, direction, editing, lighting, and sound design, students create three film projects in four weeks.

Students expand their repertoire of techniques with light and shadow as they work with professional strobe lighting and grip hardware, as well as inexpensive and unconventional practical sources of light and shadow.

SEMESTER TWO OBJECTIVES

PROJECT GOALS

• Apply professional business practices to each project, including bidding, releases, scheduling, casting, licensing, and contracts.
• Thoroughly test a wide variety of lenses and alternative image capture devices.
• Conceptualize, shoot, edit and screen three short high-definition video projects.
• Conceptualize, shoot, edit, and exhibit eight commercial photo projects, working with models, art directors, hair and makeup artists, sets, and professional lighting equipment.
• Conceptualize, shoot, edit, and print a cohesive, conceptually unified fine art exhibition.

LEARNING GOALS

• Refine lighting skills that can be applied under controlled and any real-world conditions using a comprehensive array of tools.
• Acquire working expertise with video features of the Canon 5D Mark II D-SLR camera.
• Learn motion picture storytelling techniques, including writing, directing, producing, cinematography, and non-linear editing.
• Become familiar with commercial business practices, ethics, contract, and legal issues.
• Become familiar with medium-format systems.
• Develop expert digital imaging skills using Adobe Photoshop.
• Examine the history of photography and photo technology from the arrival of handheld 35mm cameras through today.
• Expand and refine aesthetic sensibilities in composition, color, design and lighting.

SEMESTER TWO CLASSES

Studio Practice II
The semester begins with an intensive immersion in digital filmmaking. Each student works as director, cinematographer, gaffer, camera assistant and sound recordist, as well as edits his or her own projects. The astounding high-definition video capabilities of the Canon 5D camera are employed as students learn the grammar of cinema, plan shots that serve the story and support editorial continuity, and practice set protocol. Finally, narratives are deconstructed and rebuilt using the power of non-linear editing.

Medium format systems, using both film and digital backs and alternative cameras - scanners, cell phones, pocket cameras, video cameras, even copiers - are investigated. Students are encouraged to analyze how the choice of format affects the subjects, point of view and shooting approach.

Students learn to find and create dramatic light under any conditions, using conventional tools like the latest hot and cool continuous sources, studio and portable strobe lighting, and professional grip hardware, as well as unconventional sources from flashlights to headlights. Discussion includes 3-point lighting, soft and hard light, color temperature, gels, diffusion and light shaping tools.

Digital Imaging II
Transformations, layer masks, tone, texture and color matching are used in this class to composite entirely new visual worlds, full of startling and utterly believable juxtapositions. Also taught are in-depth RAW processing, commercial retouching, advanced color and tone control within multiple color spaces. This class demystifies color management in order to get accurate results through the workflow, including device profiles, RGB, CMYK and LAB color spaces, conversions and workflow configuration. Finally, students explore output options in depth, including ink and carbon based output, dye sublimation, 4-color press, Lambda, Kodak Approvals and others.

History and Theory II
Study and analysis of the work of master photographers continues from the proliferation of the handheld 35mm camera to the present day. The impact of the digital revolution in relation to the proliferation of image distribution devices (the cell phone, iPod, the web, etc.) and its relationship to popular culture, photojournalism, the blurring of art and commerce is explored. Students examine the radical degree to which commercial retouching practices have distorted viewer expectations, had a profound effect on society, and utterly transformed the very nature of what a photograph is. Students also analyze the aesthetic and technical techniques of particular photographers through written research projects.

The Commercial Photographer
The object of this course is to immerse students in the business and craft of commercial photography, and to challenge them to produce consistently outstanding images within finite constraints. It is that ability which separates the professional from the amateur, and which will play a major factor in their success after school.

Students apply professional practices through the comprehensive execution of a number of typical commercial assignments, while developing their personal style. Each assignment includes: researching and conceptualizing each shoot; pitching an idea to the client; creating a bid; arriving at a budget; picking locations; obtaining permits; casting; getting model releases; choosing props and clothes; shooting tests; creating mockups; testing, selecting, renting, and insuring equipment; selecting assistants, stylists and art directors; shooting the assignment within the planned time and budget constraints; providing contact sheets; editing, processing, and retouching images; creating a layout; creating a licensing agreement; printing; final delivery; invoicing; and debriefing.

The work of successful commercial photographers such as Erik Almås, Richard Avedon, Chris Buck, Patrick Demarchelier, Jill Greenberg, Chase Jarvis, Annie Leibovitz, Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Ellen von Unwerth, and Albert Watson is examined.

Personal Work: Fine Art II
This assignment-based and class is a continued investigation of concept-driven photography with a heightened focus on investigating themes and icons of individual interest. As the antithesis but also the rich gold mine of ideas for commercial assignments, the pursuit of an ongoing body of personal work is essential.

Students conceptualize, shoot, edit, process, present and discuss in class a body of work based on a single concept. Current business practices of successful fine art photographers must be followed, including writing an artist’s statement, creating titles, planning an exhibition in terms of sequencing, layout, and framing, deciding prices and editions, and assembling an exhibition catalog.

The course culminates with a cohesive body of exhibition-worthy prints of conceptual rigor and polished technique.

Commercial Lab
This lab provides hands-on demonstrations of techniques specific to the current assignment in The Commercial Photographer course. Topics include lighting, grip/electric, working with models, hair and makeup, art direction, bidding and budgeting, location scouting, invoicing, licensing agreements, shooting tethered, special optics, digital workflow, archiving and backup options.

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