First Level Academic Diploma in Photography -- IED Roma

Language

Italian

Start date

October 2026

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

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

Geographies of the Prototype and of a Self Found Elsewhere

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Biobits: exploring living archives

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

It's gonna be Okay

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Final projects / thesis projects
AI Dream

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Final projects / thesis projects
Ho cercato i tuoi inverni

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

La meta dei sogni (the goal of dreams)

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

Storie intorno al fuoco

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

14 April 2026

Albert Folch leads a new session of IED MUSES Talks at Bilbao

A new session of IED MUSES Talks brings together Albert Folch and Isabel Fernández to explore design from an expanded perspective.

13 April 2026

IED presents The Searchlights: the urgencies of our time through the photographs of people in their twenties

As part of EXPOSED Torino Photo Festival, IED presents the second chapter of the three-year project Ti vorrei dire, developed in collaboration with Gallerie d'Italia - Torino, a part of Intesa Sanpaolo

02 April 2026

Forbes Next Leaders: Noemi Giulianini designs the March magazine cover

Forbes Next Leaders and IED join forces to promote next-generation creativity, continuing the partnership dedicated to the Next Leaders covers.

25 March 2026

IED ranked among the world's top 100 academic institutions in the QS World University Rankings® by Subject 2026

Europe's largest Art and Design school network secures 78th place worldwide in the Art & Design discipline, marking its 60th anniversary year.

19 March 2026

Plural Intelligences: IED Announces the Theme of Its 60th Anniversary

IED reveals Plural Intelligences, the theme dedicated to the 60th anniversary of its foundation, which will take place in 2026.

Forbes Next Leaders – IED Student designs the February cover of Next Leaders

12 March 2026

Forbes Next Leaders – IED Student designs the February cover of Next Leaders

Forbes Next Leaders and IED come together to promote the creativity of a new generation: the partnership dedicated to the covers of Next Leaders begins.

06 March 2026

IED Madrid’s Workshop Week 2026 explores new creative territories with international guest lecturers thanks to the Erasmus KA131 programme

Guest lecturers Lavinia Rosseti, Filippo Rossi, and Nicolas Lambouris brought new perspectives on materiality and contemporary audiovisual practices within the #TimesNew concept.

03 March 2026

This was IED MUSES Talks: Omar Sosa

The co-founder of ‘Apartamento Magazine’ shared his creative dynamics at the intersection of art, architecture and editorial design in the second episode of the second season of the IED’s inspirational talk series.

IED Expands Its English-Language Offer with New Courses in Design, Fashion and Film

27 February 2026

IED Expands Its English-Language Offer with New Courses in Design, Fashion and Film

IED – Istituto Europeo di Design is broadening its international offer with a new range of English-taught courses. A strategic move that strengthens IED’s position as Europe’s largest design network, opening its doors to students and creative professionals from across the globe.

Don't miss it

Exhibitions and Festival

16 April 2026 - 16 April 2026

Barcelona

OFFF Barcelona 2026

Alumnus Jaime Rose De Candole (IED Barcelona) will present her final degree project at NXT, the platform for emerging talent within the festival of art, design and creativity.

Lecture and Panel discussion

16 April 2026 - 16 April 2026

Bilbao

Jornada Open Branding

IED Kunsthal Bilbao will host an event exploring branding as a driver of growth, examining how it can become a real tool for management and differentiation, as well as analyzing current trends and their impact on companies.

Exhibitions and Festival

23 April 2026 - 23 April 2026

Turin

Re - Resistance Ester Valabrega, a possible archive

Sofia Valabrega’s project at the Polo del '900, bridging family memory and the history of the Resistance.