Photography

Undergraduate Courses - Milan

Download the brochure

The Photography course is provided in the framework of the Visual Arts School and offers, along with a specific study plan and liberal arts, several crossover courses to enable students to acquire multidisciplinary skills and strategies.
Through lessons and workshops supplied by major photographers and curators on the national and international scene, students experience the various fields of photography: commercial, editorial, documentary and artistic, to learn to translate abstract concepts and photographic ideas into observable representations.
Graduates from the photography BA will be able to work on both applied or self-assigned photography projects, but also in art direction or as curators, photo editors, photo retouchers or art buyers.  

Title – The First Level Academic Diploma is recognized by MIUR (Ministry for Education, University and Research) and equated with the Bachelor’s Degree issued by Universities.

  • Credits
    180
  • Start date
    October 2021
  • Duration
    3 years
  • Attendance
    full-time
  • Language
    English

Get an insight into the creative professions: Photographer

Context – Photographers nowadays are challenged not just technically but – and above all – in the interpretation and rethinking of their own assumptions to expand their knowledge and ideas and become notable contributors to the visual arts culture.

Methodology and structure – Bachelor's Degree in Photography is an intensive undergraduate program addressed to both technical and creative aspects of current digital and analog image practices.

Students explore all the main areas of photography through an expansive curriculum which includes theoretical, creative and technical skills, contextual subjects (photographic history, arts semiotics, the phenomenology of contemporary arts...) and professional development.
They gradually learn to use the equipment, to set up lighting and shoot pictures both outdoors and in highly specialized environments - such as the photographic studio – and to develop and to print black and white films in the darkroom.
Within each semester students produce technically outstanding and always more conceptually compelling images, learning how to organize their activities, deal with clients and design individual marketing strategies.
Liberal Arts lectures challenge students to understand cultural and social contexts, to read potential shifts in the interpretation of images through historical and contemporary perspectives thus improving their awareness of a wide range of issues.
Students are also invited to enter cross-disciplinary approaches, working collaboratively and respond to external events and activities.
The course is delivered by a team of professional photographers, artists, curators, and journalists, and broadened up by visiting tutors and speakers.

Careers - Photographer, Photographic Publishing Specialist, Photo Editor, Art Buyer, Photography Curator, Art Director, Studio Manager.

Remarkable is that teacher who accomplishes himself what he teaches to others.
(Italian proverb)

IED faculty are professionals that daily face the market. Here you can read their bios.

Carlotta Cattaneo Carter - Course Coordinator

Carlotta Cattaneo Carter - Course Coordinator
Art Director with a cross-disciplinary experience, her work is developed through collaborative practices, spanning from photography, graphic design, and visual research. She's had her projects featured on Dangerbird L.A., Spheres, Objectify New York, Annus Mirabilis, Colors Notebook, Show me Pictures, RCS, LaRepubblica, Celeste Prize, Florence Biennale of Contemporary Arts. She's Photography department coordinator at IED Milano.

Giuseppe Andretta

Giuseppe Andretta
Colour Manager. His career began in the 80’s as a film developer and darkroom printer. Consultant specialized in digital photography and digital color management. Adobe Certified Instructor in Photoshop CS5 and testimonial for X-Rite Pantone and Wacom. Co-founder of a digital printing service specialized in digital photography and digital color management.

Matteo Bricchi

Matteo Bricchi
Photographer and Photoshop expert, born in Milan. Interested in digital technology since young age, developed his Passion for Photography and Photo Retouching really early. Graduated at Accademia dello spettacolo in Milan, Adode Certified Expert in Photoshop. Been always fascinated and passionate about digital image workflow, works as a Photo Retoucher and a consultant in Turin and Milan.

Paula Andrea Callejas

Paula Andrea Callejas
Industrial Designer. She has collaborated with many studios in Milan such as Italform, Francesca Valan, Future Concept Lab, participating in different research projects and approaching different design fields: C.M.F. and trends, environmental design, playing concepts and toys. Since 2002, she has been heading the project 100%natural - monitor, dedicated to design, materials, jewelry, trends and crafts.

Francesco Casolo

Francesco Casolo
He has been writing for cinema for many years, among his most successful works and collaborations: I resilienti, documentary film awarded at Lampedusa film festival and selected at the Beirut International Film Festival and Cutting the grey parts, Golden Leopard at Locarno Film Festival. He works as Editor and Ghost Writer for RCS-Rizzoli Media Group and magazines.

Marco Nero

Marco Nero
He is a professional photographer specialized in people & advertising photography. He’s been teaching at IED since 2006 . Among his clients: Arena, Airoh, Unibell, Piaggio, Rocchetta, CO GE DI, Brio Blu, Ittierre, Plus IT, GFFerrè, CNC, Just Cavalli, Galliano, Tim, Pirelli, Mc Donald's, Ferrero, Moby Lines, Sony, Rum Pampero, LG, Corriere della Sera, Nautical, Newfoundland, Henkel, Lumberjack, Gis Gelati, Decathlon, Unilever, Il Secolo XIX, Vision Optics Group, Jollisport, MV Agusta, Campagnolo, Bayer, Sphinx USA, Helen Seward.

Andrea Gelpi

Andrea Gelpi
He earned a Ph.D. in Sociology of Communication from Catholic University Milan. Worked as teaching assistant in the subject of  intercultural communication and history of the radio and television. Worked as a free-lance qualitative researcher for several university research institutes on the subject of media, technology and communication. Currently working as a director of qualitative research in market research.  

Sergio Lovati

Sergio Lovati
He is a graduate of IED in Photography. Since 2003 he has been working for Ied as lab assistant and teacher and that same year started exhibiting his personal photographic work in group and solo shows. He has been Photo Editor of Pizza Magazine until the beginning of 2011.

Giorgio Majno

Giorgio Majno
After obtaining a Fulbright Grant in 1980, he received his Master of Fine Arts at SIU Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, USA. He displayed his works in many solo shows, both in Italy and abroad. His eye is carefully attuned to beauty, history and composition. In his personal exploration he tries to capture the relationship between man and nature. Currently teaches “History and Techniques of Photography” at the Faculty of Design and Arts of Venice University (IUAV), situated in San Marino, Italy.

Sonia Marin

Sonia Marin
She is a Milan based professional photographer and author. Along with her career she is also a longtime resident lecturer at IED for the photography and fashion departments.She collaborates with influential fashion, accessories and interior brands and companies, and her work is featured on several international and national magazines. In 2014 she worked on a Photographic Project for Unicredit using 120 film format that became a book called “Sketches of Milan, an Artist’s View of the Unicredit Tower” published by Skira.

Raffaele Solaini

Raffaele Solaini
He received the Ph.D. in Semiotics from the University of Bologna, under the guide of Umberto Eco. He started teaching at the University of Pavia and since 2006 he teaches Semiotics, Rhetoric and Branding at the European Institute of Design. Former columnist for the online paper Affaritaliani.it, he commented on communication phenomena and social trends. He worked with the most important market research agencies. Among his major clients, Ace, Scavolini, Mercedes, Telecom Italia, Enel, Italian Premiership.

Silvio Wolf

Silvio Wolf
He studied Philosophy and Psychology in Italy and Photography and Visual Arts in London, where he received the Higher Diploma in Advanced Photography at the London College of Printing. He created large-format works which have been shown in Italy and abroad, including Aktuell '83 in Munich and Documenta VIII, in Kassel. He has been gradually introducing new languages in his work, creating multimedia projects and sound installations. He has created temporary and permanent installations in galleries, museums and public spaces worldwide.

Claudia Buzzetti

Claudia Buzzetti
Freelance project manager and content curator. She works in the field of big event production and she is a marketing consultant. From 2009 to 2011 she was the consultant of the Italian Cultural Institute in Rio for photography. She has been assistant photoeditor at La Stampa’s weekly supplement and still regularly publishes articles on photography. In 2012 she edited Patricia Gouvêa’s book Imagens Posteriores. She worked as a Proeject Manager for the Vogue Italia marketing office and between 2016 and 2017 coordinated and supervised content production of Monaco Pavillion for Expo Astana, a project that won several international prizes.

Tiziana Gemin

Tiziana Gemin
New media Art Critic and Curator. Graduated in Digital Design at IED Milano. Her final thesis was realised in collaboration with the interaction design studio Limiteazero, with which she had been collaborating for several years. She writes articles concerning new technologies and digital culture in general. Moreover, she curates and organizes exhibitions and events related to new media art and interaction design.

Federico Lanzani

Federico Lanzani
Graduated in photography at IED, in 2008 he started Orange Studio Milano: an analogic and digital space for his still life assignments and interior design works. He has been in charge of IED darkroom since 2007 where he also teachs development and old printing techniques. In 2014 with Roberto Prosdocimo he started F31 “large analog instant photography”: a challenging project to rediscover the core values of photography. Among his clients: Fiorucci, Kerastase, L'Oreal, Shu Uemura, Interni, Hotels and Restaurants, Sag80, Dome Milano, Moncler, Nespresso, Cosmopolitan.

Stefano Pirovano

Stefano Pirovano
He is a critic currently directing Conceptual Fine Arts, an on-line art magazine he founded in 2013 with fine art dealer Fabrizio Moretti. He is the author of Forma e Informazione (Johan&Levi, 2010), and co-author of Scene da un patrimonio (Galaad, 2013). Since 2007 he has written more than 300 articles about art, and has been published in newspapers and magazines such as ilSole24Ore, D La Repubblica, Panorama, Apollo Magazine, Arte, Antiquariato, Velvet, CasAmica, DOVE. Since 2011 he is Fellow Lecturer at IED in Milan.

Luca Rotondo

Luca Rotondo
In 2013 he launched his career with his first publication “Landscape Assumptions”, curated by Angela Madesani. He worked on editorial assignments published in IoDonna, Corriere della Sera, D Repubblica, D-lui, Icon Design, Icon Australia, Domus, Elle Decore. Over time he collaborated with numerous architects, designers, businesses and media agencies. His “Metropolitan Lullabies” project won him the 12th edition Ponchielli award. He has participated in several collective exhibitions and some of his artworks are now part of the Bracco Foundation’s collection.

Stefano Vigni

Stefano Vigni
Photographer with strong graphic design attitudes, video and art direction experiences. He deals with long term projects of documentary photography and reportage. He is working on a trilogy of photographic books about Italy. Author of a photobook about the Palio of Siena called Magic Campo. His work has been showcased on La Repubblica, Le Figaro, Foto8, FotoIT, Witness Journal among others. He has exhibited in festival and events like Salone del Mobile, Castelnuovo Fotografia, The Open Monumenten Dag of Amsterdam. Founder of Seipersei® Books.

Magali Avezou

Magali Avezou
Curator. She graduated in Photography from Central Saint Martins and London College of Communication. Visiting lecturer at Southampton University (UK), Escola Massana (Spain) and IED Milano as well as a contributor for Yet Magazine and Photomonitor. She also collaborates with Sproxton Award, Vienna Photobook Festival, Camberwell Book Art MA. In August 2016, she was invited as curator in residence by Das Weisse Haus in Vienna (Austria).    

Giulia Astesani and Roshana Rubin-Mayhew

Giulia Astesani and Roshana Rubin-Mayhew
Beyond Beyond is a cross-disciplinary creative studio set up by Giulia Astesani and Roshana Rubin-Mayhew. Their work spans contemporary art, commissioned photography and lecturing. Clients and featurings include: The Independent, The Guardian, The Telegraph, British Journal of Photography, University of the Arts London, Self Publish Be Happy, Photography Research Archive Centre (UAL).

Carlo Furgeri Gilbert

Carlo Furgeri Gilbert
After graduating in architecture, he became a photographer and a videomaker. As a Portrait Photographer he is a regular contributor to important magazines such as RollingStone, WallStreetJournal, GQ, Vanity Fair, IoDonna, Amica, Icon. Always trying to find new ways of expression, his personal projects lead him today to experience contemporary photography throughout antique techniques.

Ivo Sekulovski

Ivo Sekulovski
Photographer and Artist. At the age of 19 he moved to Milan to study photography where he gained his BA degree at IED Milan. After assisting some photographers during his studies, now he works as freelance photographer shooting editorial, personal and commercial works. He collaborated with clients and magazines such as JW Anderson, Stella McCartney, ELEVENPARIS, Elle UK, Vogue Italia, Flair Italia and others.

Marianna Schivardi

Marianna Schivardi
She is a director of documentaries and music videos.Some of her works have been selected by several film festivals.She has been teaching Film Direction since 2008.

Thomas Wiedenhofer

Thomas Wiedenhofer
Photographer, graduated from IED, working in Milan since 1989. He owns a photo studio where he shoots fashion, beauty and still‐life fashion, both for commercial and editorial fields, in Italy and abroad. He’s been working on digital postproduction since 1993, first for his productions only then offering services of digital post‐production, multimedia communication and Web for photographers, artists, art galleries and media agencies.

Sha Ribeiro

Sha Ribeiro
He is a staunch believer in raw instinct. Over the span of his career documenting music subcultures, he has learned to trust his sense of what is culturally relevant and point his camera towards it. His visual vocabulary has informed projects capturing everything from the New Orleans bounce and London grime scenes to major campaigns for Nike to art books publication for Pirelli Hangar Bicocca. He is fascinated by all of it and it shows in his work.

Claudio Morelli

Claudio Morelli
Hei is a journalist and a documentary photographer.He first approached photography during his studies, starting to cooperate as an assistant for commercial productions, and becoming interested in journalism in the meantime.In 2009 he gets registered in the Journalists’ association, and cooperated with the main Italian periodicals; he’s one of the founders of the photojournalists collective Whynot andof D77 and Pantesia studios in Naples. As a freelance he continues his work as a photojournalist for many international magazines, especially in the fields of travel and lifestyle. He is actually curating the slow-journalism project “Supervulcano”, on the theme of coexistence between man and volcanic risk in Campi Flegrei.

Nancy Fina

Nancy Fina
She is a fashion, advertising and portrait photographer, an image maker and creative thinker. Her work is published worldwide in international fashion magazines and advertising campaigns. She works out of Milan, Shanghai, New York and Dubai. She combines an American joy of life, an Italian visual aesthetic, a feminine sensitivity, and harmonious use of light and color. With these ingredients, Nancy creates visual stories with a powerful and unmistakable impact.

Gianni Romano

Gianni Romano
He is an art critic and art teacher since the late Eighties. He curated art exhibitions and teaching seminars in Europe. His most popular book is "Contemporanee" an important survey on the work of women artists since the Seventies. In 1955 he founded one of the first art websites which will later (2002) turn into a publishing company with the name of "postmedia books".

Luca Toccaceli

Luca Toccaceli
Degree in Philosophy from the Università degli Studi di Milano. He is currently teaching communication and music event planning. He’s been Music Advisor for commercials, Tv programs, movies and documentary films, video productions; as music publisher he also acts as promoter, press agent and manager for the artists he represents in Italy.     .

Davide Famoso

Davide Famoso
Interested in computer science and its applications as a kid, he approached first to programming and then to 3D graphics in junior high school. Since 1999 he has been working as a freelance 3D rendering and DVD authoring for major publishing houses. Since 2006 he is involved in the design and development of web-oriented applications on Flash and Flash Media platforms using the latest technologies to create social networking products and new media. Since 1999 he has collaborated with Adobe Italia as consultant specializing in Video, Web, and Development.

Alexandra Von Fuerst

Alexandra Von Fuerst
She started working on photography across different European cities, to learn and benefit of different cultural approaches.Her work appears as a bridge between art and fashion and focuses primarily on female sexuality and awareness, challenging perception and identity within contemporary society. Among her collaboration are some of the most iconic publications such as Vogue Italia, Numero France, CR Fashion Book, Harpers’ Bazaar and the British Journal of Photography. She is also involved in art education to promote human and environmental consciousness.  

Sergio Messina

Sergio Messina
Sound designer, multimedia author, journalist and performer, has to his credit realizations for production centers, festivals and radio stations all over the world. At the dawn of Italian private radio broadcasting, he collaborates with several broadcasters and later with AudioBox, Rai-RadioUno's radio experimentation program, as Producer, Director, Producer and Author. Founder of Radio Lilliput, the first free access web station in Italy. He contributed to the foundation of the IED Milan course in Sound Design.  

Labs

Projects

IED Project: Myoho
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
The project is a photographic book that shows how the bankruptcy of the author's father factory, along with his personality, become the expedient to rebuild a value that has been forgotten and put aside. Project by Federico Modena.
Visualizza

IED Project: Sogol Sobhi
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
This project was shot in Iran between Qeshm and Mesr desert, and examines complexities of women’s identities in a mixture of reportage and staged photography.
Visualizza

IED Project: Migrate
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
The concept originates from personal experiences moving away from home and the profound sense of anxiety and sadness that resulted. It explores the juxtaposition between isolation/inside and freedom/outside. Project by Gabriella Alessandra Corrado.
Visualizza

IED project: Essere presenti svanendo
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
Essere presenti svanendo aims to translate in a photographic way the disturbances of memory linked to the re-enactment of memories. Project by Greta Valente.
Visualizza

IED Project: La costruzione di una mano
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
This work, collected in a photographic book, highlights the value of the project of aesthetic and functional parification between center and periphery applied to the city of Copenhagen. Project by Bruna Pellegrino.
Visualizza

IED Project: Habitat
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
We never recover from what we lack, we adapt, we tell ourselves other truths. (M.Mazzantini)  Project by Bianca Venturelli
Visualizza

IED project: Muse
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
This project stages the condition of alienation and detachment that we live through on a daily basis, as we are projected into a dimension in which artificiality and appearance become factors that underlie survival. Project by Rosa Tammaro.
Visualizza

IED Project: Fake Plastic Trees
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
This project stages the condition of alienation and detachment that we live through on a daily basis, as we are projected into a dimension in which artificiality and appearance become factors that underlie survival. Project by Diana Del Franco.
Visualizza

IED Project: Underbeauty
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
A series of portraits, women wearing a non-conforming beauty that shines beyond any bodily outline. The author recreates her own vision using a deliberate connection to 16th-century Mannerism.
Visualizza

IED Project: Olivie
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
Olivie (sald) is the metaphor the author chose for this project, as it traces the history of a family through estrangements and reunions, political difficulties, silences and hidden feelings.
Visualizza

IED Project: Respiro
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
Breath (respiro) is the rhythmic process through which air is inhaled and exhaled, and that can be modified according to one’s will. Exhale, send out, blow. We say “breathe again” when we feel relieved when a critical phase is overcome. Relief, rest.
Visualizza

IED Project: Pelle (Skin)
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
This project is a perceptive and strongly sensory journey in which the author guides us, through the study of shapes, colors, materials, surfaces, and structures into a contemporary and unconventional vision of the term skin.
Visualizza

IED Project: Identity of Immigration
  • Città: Milano
  • Scuola: Visual Communication
  • Corso: Photography
The project lenses the immigration crisis occurring at Idomeni camp in 2016, where thousands of people were trapped in appalling conditions on Greece's border with Macedonia since the Balkan Route to Western Europe was sealed off.
Visualizza