Photography
Frame your view of the world with pictures that will bring out emotions and feelings
Milan
On campus
ITA
First Level Academic Diploma in Photography
Language
Italian
Start date
October 2025
Frequency
Full time
Fruition
On campus
Duration
3 Years
Credits
180
Course Coordination
Carlotta Cattaneo Carter
Connecting with people through powerful pictures that can reveal your unique personality: this is actually what the Photography degree programme at IED Milano is all about
The three-year Undergraduate Programme in Photography at IED Milano will introduce you to photography and its practical applications. All along your way, you will learn to achieve excellence not just from a technical perspective, but most importantly, you will be encouraged to bring out your human sensibility in a constant flow of technical and practical knowledge, combined with project-centred and intellectual insights. You will learn how to render your ideas with pictures that can trigger emotions. Indeed, the key to success for anyone working with photography -and using pictures as a way of communication- is the ability to grasp all the emotions, feelings and ideas and then pass it all on to other people.
In addition, having the possibility on your third year to select one of the two tracks available between Photography and Fashion Photography, you will be able to make a decision that best suits your own interests and skills.
Create pictures that reflect your desire to convey emotions. Go out and create your own personal style and connect with others through pictures that make your style recognizable.
Issued Degree:
Diploma Accademico di Primo Livello (DAPL), corresponding to a Bachelor of Arts Degree (BA) – EQF6 Level (European Qualification Framework).
Credits:
The course awards 180 CFA (Academic Formative Credits), corresponding to 180 ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System).
Information to decide
Theory, techniques and project design to prepare future photography professionals who can catch inspiration from the world around them
The three-year degree programme in Photography at IED Milano has a strong basis in the humanities as the subjects that primarily contribute to improving expression skills. Over the years you will acquire a full command of all the techniques, but most importantly you will be able to understand different contents and meanings using high-impact visual strategies that convey your creative thoughts to the viewer.
The aim of the programme is to help you develop technical skills but most of all to bring out your own personality and professional identity that you can use as a tool for approaching photography.
On your third year, you will have the opportunity to choose between a specialization track in Photography-if you want to become a well-rounded professional who can apply knowledge and ideas to multiple areas of photo project design- and a more vertical Fashion Photography track, focusing on the fashion industry and its specific requirements.
Using the labs, the photo studio and the darkroom you will get closer to the real experience of photography as you progress from one semester to the next. You will have the opportunity to work on real photography projects where ideas, concepts, feelings, information, stories and desires will flow to be conveyed as they are perceived.
The Photography degree programme at IED Milano is designed for students who want to find a way to express their feelings and vision of the world, sharing stories, ideas and experiences with other people, and knowing that all this is possible when working as a photographer.
If you feel you need to find a way to express your creativeness and your dream job is one where you can always be giving and learning, where there is no room for routine and everything is constantly on the move, the Photography programme at IED Milano is definitely your best option.
You will be able to bring out your personality, working on different projects from one semester to the next. You will have the opportunity to explore a variety of sectors, and this will allow you to understand what specialization to focus on as you progress in your training.
The Photography degree programme at IED Milano provides the best training opportunities in the photography industry. As the Capital of the Lombardy region is a benchmark for the fashion industry, our school offers a special degree programme in this field. By the same token, we also offer a track in the area of communication, which is also a key source of inspiration for photography as a profession. Milan is indeed home to some of the most renowned advertising agencies, some of the most important publishing groups, and also the best art galleries. The overall industry is constantly looking for creative talents and professional photographers are definitely part of the picture.
Ever since your first year, you will learn how to correctly use typical professional equipment. You will also become familiar with the use of lighting and filming, working both outdoors and inside technical rooms like the photo studio. You will learn the theory and practice of each step involved in the production process: lighting, shooting, set management, post-production and image presentation.
The Photography degree programme at IED Milano is designed to meet current market demands for the communication industry, where photography plays a key role across different areas and media. Upon completion of your training, you will be able to work as a Photographer, Fashion Photographer, Photographic Publishing Specialist, Manager of Photographic Archives, Art Buyer, Studio Manager.
Syllabus
first year
On your first year, you will acquire technical, cultural, analytical and project-related tools as the basis for starting your future career. You will learn how to manage your creative flow. The knowledge acquired will help you work out new forms and concepts, analysing and understanding things and ideas, while also translating creativity into projects.
HISTORY OF CONTEMPORARY ART
HISTORY OF APPLIED ARTS
PROJECT DESIGN METHODOLOGY
COMPUTER GRAPHICS 1
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTION 1
PHOTOGRAPHY 1
THEORY OF PERCEPTION AND PSYCHOLOGY OF FORM
SEMIOTICS OF ART
second year
The second year will fully express the project-oriented approach of the programme: your knowledge of theory, methods, tools and techniques will find its best expression in the projects carried out with companies from the IED network. This work will be done either on your own or as part of a team under the supervision and guidance of your lecturers.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS 2
PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTION 2
PHOTOGRAPHY 2
PHOTOGRAPHY DOCUMENTATION
PHENOMENOLOGY OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS
SOCIOLOGY OF COMMUNICATION
FILM AND VIDEO HISTORY
HISTORY OF PHOTOGRAPHY
ADVERTISING COMMUNICATION
third year
The third year is the time when you can start developing practical projects with partner companies from our network. Your main task here will be to work on your dissertation project, with the opportunity to collect and consolidate all the things you have learned over the years. As you start the year, you will be able to choose between two specialization tracks, one in Photography and the other in Fashion Photography.
Photography
This specialization track will introduce you to the theory and practice of all the steps involved in photography: lighting, shooting, set management, post-production and image presentation. You will learn how to manage all parts of the work process, from practical things like using photographic equipment, all the way to managing customers and their specific requests.
Fashion Photography
This specialization track will give you an insight into the profession, with a project-based approach to figure, lifestyle, beauty and fashion photography, these all being the driving factors of made in Italy worldwide. You will not just learn how to use the tools, but also how to interpret and share your vision with others, using photography as a way to tell stories that enhance brand identity and the message to be conveyed.
COMPUTER GRAPHICS 3
THEORY AND METHOD OF MASS MEDIA
PHOTOGRAPHY 3
TECHNIQUES OF NEW INTEGRATED MEDIA
ART DIRECTION
PHOTOGRAPHY 4
Faculty
Carlotta Cattaneo Carter
Course Coordinator
Marianne Boutrit
Artist and Photographer
Federico Lanzani
Photographer
Sergio Lovati
Photographer and Artist
Giancarlo Maiocchi
Photographer and Artist
Dario Mastrocola
Photographer
Carola Merello
Architectural and Interior Photographer
Roberto Prosdocimo
Photographer, Owner of REPARTO21
Stefano Uvietta
Photographer
Alice Guareschi
Visual artist
Thomas Wiedenhofer
Photographer, Producer
Matteo Bricchi
Photographer
Enrico Maria Brocchetta
Director of Photography
Max Schenetti Douglas Andreetti
Photographer
Luca Attilio Caizzi
Photographer and Creative Director
Elena Datrino
Photographer, Lecturer
Sara Guerrini
Photography Consultant & Picture Editor
Ivo Sekulovski
Photographer, Visual Artist, Photographer
Sonia Marin
Professional Photographer
Silvio Wolf
Visual Artist
Davide Bertuccio
Photojournalist and director of documentary photography
Nadia Charif
Senior Art Director at The Story Lab
Giuseppe Andretta
Consultant freelance
Saverio Lombardi Vallauri
Architectural and Interior Photographer
Angela Madesani
Art Curator, Author and Historian
Gianmarco Maraviglia
Photojournalist
Ornella Mignone
Scenographer and Curator
Nadia Moro
Freelance Photographer
Roberto Sellitto
Photographer and Filmprinter
Claudia Buzzetti
Freelance Project Manager, Content Curator
Marianna Schivardi
Filmmaker
Enrico Carucci
Video Designer
Claudia Pasanisi
Freelance Photographer and Creative Director
Inside the labs
+4
DARKROOM
+2
PHOTO STUDIO
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