First Level Academic Diploma in Photography -- IED Roma

Language

Italian

Start date

October 2027

Frequency

Full time

Fruition

On campus

Duration

3 Years

Credits

180 CFA / ECTS

Course Coordination

Daria Scolamacchia

Course also available in:

Milan
Turin

The Bachelor of Arts in Photography at IED Roma trains professionals able to interpret reality and translate it into images through a balance of analogue processes and digital tools. The city itself, so iconic, becomes a field of research and experimentation, offering unique settings for projects in documentary, fashion, advertising, and street photography. Rome provides opportunities to collaborate with national and international museum institutions on exhibition projects, as well as with the entertainment industry—from cinema to television and sport. The course also fosters collaborations with public institutions and private companies, and encourages participation in national and international competitions with the support of the faculty.

Course structure and contents:

The IED programme is structured over three years, integrating design with cultural knowledge, dialogue with professionals, technical skills and innovative tools.

First Year: Introductory, providing the foundations of analogue and digital photography, from shooting and lighting techniques to developing black-and-white negatives and post-production with software such as Photoshop, Lightroom and InDesign. Students also develop design skills through analysis of photographic language, the study of major authors and initial practical exercises, including a street photography workshop. Theoretical training focuses on contemporary art, the history and aesthetics of photography and art semiotics, providing tools for a critical reading of images.

Second Year: Deepens design and authorial approaches, refining shooting and post-production techniques with the introduction of CaptureOne. Students undertake projects across different genres—portraiture, fashion, still life, documentary, and artistic photography. Project and cultural complexity increases, with studies on contemporary photography history and cinema aesthetics. Projects are inspired by real contexts, such as editorial campaigns of a commercial or artistic nature, often in collaboration with students from video, graphic design, and related fields.

Third Year: Focuses on advanced design and professional preparation. Students acquire skills in video and graphic design, essential for a multidisciplinary approach. DaVinci Resolve is introduced for video editing, alongside advanced tools in artificial intelligence, photomontage and fine art digital printing.

The dissertation project, the culmination of the programme, simulates a real professional context where, individually or in interdisciplinary teams, students develop a personal or thematic photographic project that results in a publication. The aim is to produce a photographic work—either focused on a specific genre or spanning multiple areas—which is then transformed into a book where the images reflect a clear aesthetic choice and a coherent authorial vision.

Faculty

Course Coordinator

Daria Scolamacchia

Photo Editor and Curator

Teacher

Eolo Perfido

Photographer

Teacher

Ilaria Magliocchetti Lombi

Lecturer

Teacher

Massimo Siragusa

Photographer and Editorial Director of Phaos Edizioni. 

Teacher

Simona Ghizzoni

Photographer and Visual Activist

Teacher

Guido Gazzilli

Photographer

Teacher

Vincenzo Piscitelli

Teacher

Fabio Barile

Teacher

Giorgio Di Noto

Photographer

Teacher

Angelo Turetta

Photographer specialising in reportage

Teacher

Antonio Barrella

Photographer

Teacher

Alessia Tagliaventi

Teacher

Antonio Cama

Teacher

Giancarlo Possemato

Teacher

Laura Cusano

Teacher

Lorenzo Pesce

Photographer

Teacher

Simone Strano

Teacher

Stefano Pennacchietti

Teacher

Lorenzo Poli

Photographer

Teacher

Fausto Nieddu

Teacher

Roberto Frusteri

Teacher

Sergio Alberini

Video Editor & Colorist

Teacher

Paolo Bravi

Photography Director

Teacher

Barbara D'ambrosio

Projects

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Final projects / thesis projects
Mourning Tide

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Latent autobiography

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Final projects / thesis projects
Geographies of the Prototype and of a Self Found Elsewhere

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
River

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Consumerism ratio

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Condition/Report

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Rotting in bloom

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Didactic projects
Oneirai drawings

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Biobits: exploring living archives

What people say

Special Lesson with Martina Recchiuti

"I like to think that photography contributes to narrative through its images. I think this will last for many years to come, because it started with the history of mankind"

Martina Recchiuti

Editor-in-chief of Internazionale Kids. IED alumna. Since 1995 she has collaborated with Internazionale, working in writing, web and illustration.

Davide Monteleone - IED

Special Lesson with Davide Monteleone. Powered by SONY

"I like to think that photography contributes to narrative through its images. I think this will last for many years to come, because it started with the history of mankind"

Davide Monteleone

Photographer and visual artist, IED Alumnus, he has published four monographs and exhibited at international institutions such as the Saatchi Gallery and the Nobel Peace Center.

Cristina Vatielli - IED

Special Lesson with Cristina Vatielli. Powered by FUJIFILM

"Photography started as a passion for me, and then it became my job. It still makes me really happy and feel lucky to this day. As a result of my job, I wake up happy every day. As a photographer, you never really have a break from your work. That's because it becomes part of your life."

Photographer

Giulio Di Sturco - IED

Special Lesson with Giulio Di Sturco. Documentary Photographer.

“Engaging with students is always important for both professional and personal growth.Today has been a big day for me because returning to IED as a teacher, having studied there myself and meeting today's students who have ambitions, questions and dreams that are different from the ones I had when I was a student, was really interesting”.

Giulio Di Sturco

IED Alumnus. Winner of 3 World Press Award, the Sony Photography Awards, the British Journal of Photography International Awards, the LensCulture Exposure Award and 2 Getty Grants.

News

Graduation Days 2026 IED Italia

05 November 2026

Laurea and Laurea Magistrale: New Official Names for IED Academic Qualifications

Italian legislation has introduced new names for first- and second-cycle qualifications in the AFAM higher education system. Here’s what this means for current and former IED students.

04 November 2026

ADCI Awards 2026: IED wins two Golds and two Bronzes

Projects from IED Torino and IED Milano receive four awards, spanning social communication and brand campaigns, recognising the work of Communication Design and Master’s in Creative Direction students.

03 November 2026

IED joins LADFEST 2026 to support emerging Latin American talent

Puño will take part in the festival, while IED will award a scholarship to the LAD Young Talent 2026 winner.

02 November 2026

Irina Kavtaradze, IED Barcelona Alumni, shortlisted at the International Creative Awards 2026

Her final degree project, “Querencia”, continues to receive recognition and, after impressing audiences and industry experts at festivals such as ADC*E High Potentials, Brut! and Blanc!, has been nominated in the “Good Cause” category.

02 November 2026

Selekted 26 selects Carmina Goran’s “Sutura” as one of the projects competing for the Stone & Wood Awards

The final degree project by the IED Barcelona Graphic Design alumna is among the finalists in the New Talents category.

30 October 2026

IED joins the Chile Diseño 2026 Awards as institutional partner, speaker and jury contributor

IED supports the awards through jury participation and a talk by Spanish illustrator Puño.

30 October 2026

IED Madrid shines with GRADA at the 7th Edition of Recreo Book Art Fair

The collaborative project, developed by Graphic Design students in partnership with the fair and Carton Lab, transforms the auditorium into a space for play, interaction and connection.

28 October 2026

National Portfolio Day Milan 2026

In its 60th anniversary year, IED hosts the Milan edition of National Portfolio Day, the international event for anyone who wants to study or specialize in art, design, fashion and visual communication.

Art and design exhibition featuring two central rocks sewn with printed fabrics

23 October 2026

“Valor Ancestral: Latam Creative Talent 2026” makes a stop at IED Barcelona

Following its presentation at IED Madrid and ahead of its move to IED Kunsthal Bilbao, the latest edition of the international exhibition, an initiative promoted by IED since 2022, was on display to coincide with the Barcelona campus’s activities as part of Barcelona Design Week.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

29 October 2026 - 15 November 2026

Madrid

IED Madrid takes part in BID26 with a project exploring identity and identification systems

The project combines installations, interfaces and immersive experiences to reflect on depersonalisation, exclusion and the role of digital and social codes in shaping identity.

Exhibitions and Festival

10 November 2026 - 04 December 2026

Madrid

Fulvio Roiter’s Photography Exhibition Deus mihi dixit

IED Madrid hosts an exhibition by the renowned Italian photographer from 10 November to 4 December.