Photography
Pratt Institute’s MFA in Photography is a two-year (four-semester) terminal degree. We seek advanced applicants with interests in contemporary art practices of all varieties that rely heavily on the role of photographic imagery and imaging. This can include artists who use lens-based cameras, photosensitive chemistry and/or sensors; re-photography, aggregation, and quotation; and all approaches that fall under the umbrella of the photo-graphic, including research and critical positions with relation to the histories and practices of photography.
Our pedagogy encompasses lens and print-based technologies alongside the history and context for the making of photographic images and objects in the 21st century. Fluency in the language and currency of images in our cultural and media landscapes are a core value of our program. In addition to courses in photographic and interdisciplinary practice, each student in the program works in their own studio and in shared production facilities.
The Facilities
In addition to individual, 160-square foot private studios, graduate students in Photography utilize state-of-the-art facilities to help them produce a variety of photographic works. Key features include a brand new digital media studio and lab equipped with Epson printers capable of printing up to 44 inches wide, a Hasselblad Flextight film scanner, a large-format Versascan flatbed scanner, and Apple workstations with dual monitor color calibrated displays. Photographers also have access to analog printing facilities for both silver gelatin and non-silver processes.
Students have a large selection of digital and analog photography equipment available for checkout, including digital medium format Hasselblad cameras and lenses, mirrorless full frame camera options, 4K video and on-location sound recording, and traditional medium and large format film cameras.
Students create work in our 1,500-square-foot lighting studio featuring Profoto professional lighting equipment and Apple tethering stations equipped with Capture One software. The Institute-wide facilities and studios in various materials, methods, media, and tools are available to photography students via elective courses and activities.
Faculty and Visiting Artists
Core MFA Photography faculty currently include Program Director Sara Greenberger Rafferty, Allen Frame, and Ann Mandelbaum. Affiliated faculty include the Chair of the Photography Department Shannon Ebner, Anna Collette, K8 Hardy, Patrice Helmar, Carrie Schneider, and Carla Shapiro, in addition to Fine Arts and Photography faculty teaching core and elective classes throughout the interdisciplinary program.
The 2020 Visiting Artist and Critic in Photography is Carissa Rodriguez. Recent Pratt Photography lectures have included: Rhea Anastas, Yto Barrada, Lucas Blalock, Charlotte Cotton, Moyra Davey, Rineke Dijkstra, Nicole Eisenman, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Jason Fulford, Lucy Gallun, Michelle Handelman, Lyle Ashton Harris, Leslie Hewitt, Nina Könnemann, An-My Lê, Leigh Ledare, Zoe Leonard, Kalup Linzy, Richard Maxwell, Zanele Muholi, Rashaad Newsome, Catherine Opie, Trevor Paglen, Jeff Preiss, Eileen Quinlan, Kathy Ryan, Stephen Shore, Taryn Simon, Lorna Simpson, Guido Van Der Werve, and Bryan Zanisnik.
The MFA program initiated Teaching Photographs in October 2019 which to date includes: Fia Backström, Pradeep Dalal, Leslie Hewitt, Matt Keegan, Gelare Khoshgozaran, Anouk Kruithof, Julie Pochron, Josephine Pryde, Stephanie Syjuco, Sara VanDerBeek, and Carmen Winant. An archive of this ongoing project lives at teachingphotographs.info.
Admission Requirements
Applicants for admission to the MFA degree program in Photography are recommended to have an undergraduate degree from an accredited U.S. college, university, or art/design school, or the equivalent degree from a recognized international institution. It is not required that applicants have majored in studio art or photography as undergraduates, only that they demonstrate the maturity, preparation, and readiness for the intensity and challenges of graduate study in art.
Application Guidelines
The MFA Admissions Committee is looking for work that demonstrates the applicant’s aesthetic and conceptual development and potential for successful growth over the two years of the program. We value depth over breadth in graduate applicants.
The Fine Arts and Photography Departments are committed to creating a graduate community of artists from many different backgrounds and cultural heritages that is reflective of the city and the world in which we live.
In addition to Pratt’s general graduate admissions requirements, applicants to the Photography MFA program are required to upload the following materials to pratt.slideroom.com:
- A portfolio of 20 well-selected images (including detail views) of works made in the last 2–3 years
- Information for each image, including the work’s title, dimensions, materials used, and date of completion
International Applicants
A TOEFL of 79 (internet and home test), TOEFL ITP Plus for China of 550, IELTS or IELTS Indicator of 6.5, Duolingo of 105, or PTE of 53 is required for international students.
Campus Visits
The Photography Department welcomes visitors to Pratt at any time during the academic year. Interested applicants should contact Anna Collette, Production Manager and Program Liaison at 718.687.5372 or gradphoto@pratt.edu to schedule an appointment and tour the facilities and studios.
Chair
Shannon Ebner
Assistant Chair
Tori Purcell
Assistant to the Chair
Ashley Clark
Director of Graduate Studies
Sara Greenberger Rafferty
Photography Labs Manager
Andy Todd
Office
Tel: 718.636.5639
www.pratt.edu/gradphoto
Shannon Ebner
Chair
B.A., Bard College; M.F.A. Yale School of Art
*Sara Greenberger Rafferty
Director of Graduate Studies, Associate Professor
B.F.A., Rhode Island School of Design; M.F.A., Columbia University School of the Arts
718.687.5305 | sraffert@pratt.edu
Anna Collette
Graduate Production Manager and Program Liaison, Visiting Associate Professor
B.F.A. Massachusetts College of Art; M.F.A., Yale School of Art
718.687.5372 | acoll404@pratt.edu
James Costanzo
Adjunct Associate Professor
M.A., M.F.A., The University of Iowa
*Allen B. Frame
Adjunct Associate Professor, CCE
B.A., Harvard University
K8 Hardy
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Film and Women’s Studies, Smith College; M.F.A., Milton Avery Graduate School for the Arts, Bard College.
Patrice Helmar
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Southern Oregon University; M.A.T., University of Alaska; M.F.A., Columbia University
*Ann Mandelbaum
Adjunct Professor, CCE
M.A., The New School for Design; M.F.A., Pratt Institute
Carrie Schneider
Visiting Associate Professor
B.F.A., Carnegie Mellon University; M.F.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Carla Shapiro
Adjunct Assistant Professor
International Center of Photography; B.F.A., Syracuse University; Central London Polytechnic
* indicates core faculty
RECENT FACULTY
John Lehr
Assistant Professor
B.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art; M.F.A., Yale University School of Art
Stephen Hilger
Associate Professor
B.A., Columbia University, M.F.A., Columbia University School of the Arts
Maika Pollack
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Harvard University; M.F.A., Columbia University School of the Arts; M.A., Ph.D., Princeton University
Farah Al Qasimi
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Yale University; M.F.A., Yale School of Art
Aura Rosenberg
Adjunct Professor
B.A., Sarah Lawrence College; M.A., Hunter College
Anna Shteynshleyger
Associate Professor
B.F.A., Maryland Institute College of Art; M.F.A., Yale School of Art
AFFILIATED FINE ARTS FACULTY
Michael Brennan
Adjunct Associate Professor - CCE
B.A., University of Florida; M.F.A., Pratt Institute
William Carroll
Visiting Associate Professor
B.F.A., Pratt Institute; M.F.A., Queens College, CUNY
Joseph Fyfe
Adjunct Professor - CCE
B.F.A., University of the Arts, Philadelphia College of Art
Anne Gilman
Adjunct Professor - CCE
B.F.A., State University of New York at New Paltz; M.F.A., Brooklyn College
Jennifer Langdon Graves
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.F.A., Virginia Commonwealth University, Painting + Printmaking; M.F.A., Parsons School of Design, Fine Arts
Steve Locke
Professor
B.S., Boston University; B.F.A., Massachusetts College of Art; M.F.A. Massachusetts College of Art and Design
Jennifer Mazza
Visiting Assistant Professor
B.A., Mary Washington College; M.F.A., Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University
Ann Messner
Professor
B.F.A. Pratt Institute
John Monti
Professor
B.S. Painting, Portland State University; M.F.A., Pratt Institute
Donna Moran
Professor
B.A. Art Education, C.W. Post College; M.F.A. Painting/Printmaking, Pratt Institute
Carlos Motta
Associate Professor
B.F.A., School of Visual Arts; M.F.A., Bard College
Jean Shin
Adjunct Professor - CCE
B.F.A., M.S., Pratt Institute
Laurel Sparks
Visiting Associate Professor
B.F.A., School of the Museum of Fine Arts; M.F.A., Milton Avery Graduate School of Art, Bard College; M.A., Tufts University
This course is focused on producing written documentation to accompany studio work completed in PHOT FA-650, Thesis I and II.
This is a technical course covering the proper use and implementation of analog medium and large format cameras as well as professional film scanning techniques. Students will become familiar with multiple film formats, camera types, capture techniques, light metering methods, and scanning workflow that can be applied to variety of photographic practices. Exposure basics, camera and lens function, large format camera movements, and color and black and white scanning techniques will all be covered in this course.
This is a technical course covering the proper use of a variety of digital cameras, image adjustment techniques, and inkjet printing methods. Students will become familiar with multiple digital camera types, capture techniques, image adjustment methods, and inkjet printing workflows that can be applied to variety of photographic and artistic practices. Digital exposure basics, camera and lens function, file management, image adjustment, and inkjet printing techniques will all be covered in this course.
This is a technical course covering the proper use, maintenance, and implementation of studio lighting equipment. Students will become familiar with all of the equipment available in the Pratt Photography Lighting Studio and learn lighting techniques that can be applied in a variety of situations. Best studio practices, light metering, continuous light sources, strobe light sources, and light shaping modifiers will all be covered in this course.
This course explores new approaches to social documentary photography, making use of techniques such as appropriation and digital manipulation, and conceptual and self-reflexive strategies, including the autobiographical, the fictive and the performative. The class will consider the work of contemporary artists whose work exemplifies these directions. There will be regular critiques of the students' work and efforts at creating their own innovative documentary projects.
This course explores the integration of diverse elements such as video, photography, objects, performance and traditional studio media (drawing, painting, and sculpture) into traditional studio media (drawing, painting, and sculpture) into environmental installation. Students are expected to have working proficiency with these media and be willing to experiment with their possibilities on both a visual and conceptual level.
This graduate level seminar will introduce students to perspectives on art, ethics, visual culture, race, and equity, focusing on photography and lens-based media and politics of representation through are history, cultural studies, critical race theory, gender studies, queer studies.
Project Video is designed for Graduate Photography and Fine Arts majors to undertake significant moving image projects. Students will learn basic digital video production methods and general filmic concepts. They will work collaboratively with faculty to achieve technical skill and to develop personal vision. The curse welcomes diversity of practice, innovation, and experimentation. Students new to video and moving image are welcome.
This course offers students experience with non-silver photographic processes (platinum, gum bichromate, etc.) and their extension into non-traditional photographic presentation. Students will experiment with construction techniques and object making in both studio conditions and in daylight, sometimes using models. Incorporation of other media is stressed in both group and individual projects.
This course is an examination of non-silver processes (platinum, gum bichromate, etc.) and their extension into non-traditional photographic presentation. Construction techniques and object-making, done in both studio conditions and daylight, as well as the use of lighting set-ups and the human form to study the experimental tradition in photography will be examined. Incorporation of other media is stressed in both group and individual projects.
In Thesis I students establish a rigorous studio practice. Individual and group critiques and a public review will offer clarity and focus going into their final semester. Students pursue a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for preview.
This course culminates with a Thesis exhibition of creative work.
This class explores the camera as a thread that connects all of the visual and performing arts. Students will create sculptures, installations and performance and document these in still or moving images.
In this seminar students will investigate contemporary photographic work and critical issues through current museum and gallery exhibitions, magazine reviews and recently published books. Emphasis will be on developing a critical viewpoint and vocabulary, but relevant technical issues will not be slighted. In addition to oral and written reports, students may expect assignments in techniques and procedures not generally used but which are employed by certain contemporary photographers.
Project Photo is designed for Graduate Fine Arts majors to undertake significant photographic projects. Students will learn basic digital printing methods and general photographic concepts. They will work collaboratively with faculty to achieve technical skill and develop personal vision. The course welcomes diversity of practice, innovation, and experimentation. Students new to photography are welcome.
This course studio course is structured around the tropes of comedic aesthetics: Stand-up, slapstick, situations, puns, pratfalls, and pity. Artists will integrate this mode of thinking into their existing studio production. Taking aesthetic and thematic cues from comedians and funny situations rather than from a specific artistic medium or technique, students will utilize photographs, video, audio, diagrams, performance, and sculptural props to create and document new artworks that are informed by the aesthetics and practices of humor.
This graduate studio course explores contemporary art making by emphasizing reproduction and quotation within unique and editioned works. Students will combine unique and mechanically reproduced marks, gestures, surfaces, and imagery using logics of pictorial space, pattern, reference, and self-reference. Class meetings will be devoted primarily to discussions, critiques, workshops, and presentations.
Photography for Non-Majors is designed for students who have an interest in learning basic photography techniques and concepts in the context of their major areas of emphasis. The course will explore both traditional darkroom techniques and digital photography methods. The class will culminate in portfolio presentations/critiques and a research paper.
This course introduces students to the critical issues surrounding the invention of photography and its development as a medium and a phenomenon during the 19th century. The course will focus on photography's relationship to the other arts as well as to the events it recorded.
In this studio course students pursue work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques with faculty, students will test their expressive concepts, research methods and technical possibilities. In the area of Photography, the world of the still photo will be opened up to include time, sound, sculpture space, and installation.
This studio course continues to foster the student's individual development while focusing on the relationship of one's own artistic practice to the greater cultural environment. Students will sharpen their practice by engaging in critical dialogues about their work with peers, faculty and visiting artists. In this particular section a special emphasis will be placed on learning the paradigms and cultural context of contemporary photography. We will examine the variety of practices that are available to contemporary photography.
In this studio course students continue to pursue advanced work in their chosen area of emphasis. Through group and individual critiques students will further refine their concepts, research and technical capabilities. Students should be working toward the creation of a consistent and focused body of work in preparation for Survey and Thesis the following year. In the area of Photography, the critiques will take place in smaller groups, with an emphasis on editing, sequencing and presentation.
Symposium I is the first course of a required two-semester sequence that prepares students to situate and present their work in contemporary critical and public contexts. Students will research and analyze their art practice in relation to movements and ideas in contemporary art, their work's art historical references and broader social and cultural contexts. This course prepares emerging artists for the professional world by giving critical feedback on how they present their work to an external audience, whether in peer settings with faculty, or in more formal professional environments. Students will develop their narrative and oral presentation skills as well as their capacities in research and critical perception. In Symposium I, students will create effective strategies for their Survey review as well as engage in a critical assessment of the second-year students' MFA Thesis exhibitions.
Symposium II is the second course of a required two-semester sequence that prepares students to situate and present their work in contemporary critical and public contexts. Students will research and analyze their art practice in relation to movements and ideas in contemporary art, their work's art historical references and broader social and cultural contexts. This course prepares emerging artists for the professional world by giving critical feedback on how they present their work to an external audience, whether in peer settings with faculty, or in more formal professional environments. Students will develop their narrative and oral presentation skills as well as their capacities in research and critical perception. In Symposium II, students will focus on creating effective strategies for their Public Critique and prepare a formal Artist Talk to be given in a designated public forum.