“It is important to see what is invisible to others—perhaps the look of hope or the look of sadness. Also, it is always the instantaneous reaction to oneself that produces a photograph.”—Robert Frank
The photography program at Burlington College combines rigorous instruction in craft and technique coupled with an unusually personalized approach to taking pictures that recognizes the complex social, temporal, and spiritual relationships between the photographer and the subject—whether that subject is a lake, a building, an animal, another human being, or something that may not be quite recognizable. Great attention is paid to each student’s way of seeing; the ultimate goal of mastering the technical processes of the medium is viewed here as a means to a more intense and immediate kind of looking that yields distinctive photographs.
Because the technology of photography is changing so rapidly, the program offers courses that give students the tools to work in both digital and film and that often explore the ways those two formats can be combined.
All students are required to complete an upper-level internship in the major; typical placements include settings such as newspapers, museums, galleries, schools, local arts organizations, and may include apprenticeships with photographers. Each student also undertakes a 6-credit Degree Project in the last two semesters that includes both a creative component (usually a portfolio of work and a public show displayed in our gallery) and a process paper.
This program prepares graduates to go on to further study and/or careers in commercial or fine arts photography, photojournalism, or teaching.
