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

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

Visual and Interactive Arts

Rome

It's gonna be Okay

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

10 July 2026

Degree Show 2026 opens IED Kunsthal Bilbao to talent, design and the city

Once again, the Papelera Building opened its doors to the public, showcasing the work developed by students over four years of study and turning the school into a meeting point for design, culture, industry and institutions.

03 July 2026

July: Exhibitions, Installations and New Horizons for IED.60 Public Program

With the arrival of July, IED Graduation Days enter their busiest phase across IED’s Italian campuses, bringing with them a series of public events designed to showcase the ideas, projects and research developed by students.

01 July 2026

Forbes Next Leaders: the July cover by Elisabeth Arana

The collaboration between IED and Forbes Next Leaders continues through the project that engages students and alumni in the creation of the magazine’s monthly covers.

23 June 2026

Best Thesis Awards 2026 – IED Barcelona

Fashion that evokes nostalgia through layered fabrics; a reinterpretation of retail as a living biological interface; an exploration of how Korean Wave (Hallyu) cultural products generate value within the luxury fashion sector; and an interactive digital experience that makes a previously hidden financial language visible.

15 June 2026

Eight ADG Laus Awards for IED Spain Students

IED Madrid, IED Barcelona and IED Kunsthal Bilbao won two Gold, four Silver and two Bronze awards at the 56th ADG Laus Awards, reaffirming the creative talent driving the next generation of designers.

15 June 2026

Three IED alumni among the winners of the iF Design Student Award 2026

Three alumni from IED Kunsthal Bilbao and IED Madrid have been recognised in the iF Design Student Award 2026, one of the world's leading international competitions for emerging design talent.

12 June 2026

Issue 3: Future Memories - Plural Intelligences

What will we choose to remember from the present we are living through? This is the starting point of the third issue of Notes on Plural Intelligences – Future Memories.

12 June 2026

IED shortlisted for the Habitácola Awards

The project “SOLEA”, by Interior Design students Mahé Goutard and Noor Benhima, has reached the final of the 38th edition of the awards organised by ARQUIN-FAD.

09 June 2026

Creativity in motion: the IED.60 Public Programme gets underway

June marks a special moment for IED: the Public Program IED.60 is in full swing, with a rich calendar of events spanning fashion, design, illustration and visual arts, bringing talks, exhibitions and open events to Milan, Rome, Florence and New York for the IED community and the wider public.