The photography program is designed to provide educational opportunities in photography for a diverse group of students. Some students want to become professional photographers, some are interested in becoming better amateur photographers and some just love taking phhotographs for the sheer pleasure involved. Our mission is to help each individual student succeed in achieving his/her goals in photography. To achieve this mission, we offer lectures and labs teaching basic and advanced black and white, color, portrait, comerical, digital and photojournalistic photography.
Provide a dynamic, broad curriculum unique in higher education in San Antonio which emphasizes practical application of photographic skills, knowledge and principles. Provide an academic background and laboratory experiences for students who transfer and work toward a four-year degree or who are working toward a two-year degree in photography. Provide courses for community professionals who want to retrain. Maintain strong ties with photography professionals and support high school photography programs.
Photography was first offered in night school (non-credit) in the 1950s. The first, full-time academic photography program at San Antonio College began with the fall semester of 1970. a building space had become available in Gonzales Hall for a black and white film developing room, an enlarging room, a portrait studio/classroom. The photography program at that time was included in the physics department as it was locaated in what was known then as the science building. Students were able to transfer these courses for credit to universities in the state that offered similar photography courses.
In 1973, a color darkroom was added to the program enabling the department to teach color as well as black and white photography.
In 1988, the photography program was combined with the journalism program.
In 1990, Journalism-Photography moved into the newly renovated Loftin Student Center. This move gave photography a 10,000 state of the art color and black and white laboratory, including a separate 24' x 36' studio.
Students can now take a full, applied photographic curriculum in portrait, commercial, photojournalism, digital and color photography and transfer to a photography program at a university ready to take junior level photography courses. Presently, the program offers courses in both traditional silver process and digital photography.
The Ranger, a laboratory project of journalism classes, regularly wins state and national awards, often competing against nondaily newspapers from four-year colleges. In addition, journalism students often win individual awards for stories, design, advertising and photographs published in The Ranger. Recent awards include:
Former students
Many former students work professionally in photography as photojournalists, portrait and wedding photographers and commercial photo illustrators. Some have entered retail photography sales, some run commercial photography labs and some have become technical photo reps. Some of the most prestigious, high end photo studios in this region are owned by graduates of the program. Graduates have transferred and graduated from many outstanding photo programs in the country, including Rochester Institute of Technology, Brooks Institute, the Art Center and the University of Missouri at Columbia. Two former students have received the Pulitzer Prize for their photojournalism. Some have completed postgraduate degrees and are in photo education from junior high to college.
Professional affiliations
The photography program of the department is associated with the Texas Professional Photographers of America and the San Antonio chapters of these organizations.
Photo faculty experience
Photography teachers range from full professors to adjunct instructors with diverse professional experience in industrial, photojournalism, portrait/wedding, photo illustrative, digital, nature and fine arts photography.
Student opportunities
Students may choose to work on campus publications within the department and take internships with local photographers. The community regularly calls on photo students for coverage of events and weddings.
Prospective students: E-mail inquiries to the chairperson.
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