At USU Photo, we are guided in our belief in photography’s critical role in contemporary culture. Through the making, learning, and sharing of images, we encourage students to utilize photography as a tool for compassionate citizenship, meaningful storytelling, and impactful social change.
Supported by distinguished faculty mentors and sustained by a close-knit culture of artistic curiosity and academic rigor, students learn the craft of image making through a dynamic curriculum combining hands-on fieldwork, interdisciplinary research, and collaborative, community-engaged coursework. Classes are rooted in the history and theory of photography and incorporate a range of techniques and approaches––from 19th-century historical and traditional darkroom processes to state-of-the-art digital technologies.
Intimate class sizes and mentorship-based teaching provide individually-focused, one-on-one attention, while our visiting artist, international travel, and professional development programs connect students to contemporary practitioners around the world.
By analyzing and applying creative knowledge, developing effective communication skills, and cultivating critical reasoning and cultural empathy, students develop highly valued and adaptable social and vocational abilities to critically meet our moment and articulate their individual voice and vision.
With principles of compassion, commonality, and community at the fore, USU Photo facilitates transformational educational experiences for our students so they may enjoy enriched creative lives and make their mark as engaged citizens.
Visit USU Photo to see student and alumni work, check out our facilities, learn about our Photobook Special Collection, and catch up on recent news.
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Studio tours and portfolio reviews are available for prospective students in both in-person and virtual formats. To schedule, email Professor Jared Ragland at photo@usu.edu.
- Fazilat Soukhakian - Associate Professor of Photography
- Jared Ragland - Assistant Professor of Photography
Commitment to Community & Inclusive Excellence
USU Photo welcomes all, and we are committed to supporting each individual student across all identities, backgrounds, and experiences. Our commitment extends to challenging the established art historical canon while celebrating all artistic perspectives throughout our curriculum and programming.
Studio & Darkroom Facilities
Comprised of five studios across more than 4,000 square feet, the USU Photo facilities provide students access to exceptional learning spaces. Our robust inventory of digital and film equipment allows students unique hands-on experiences with a range of formats and methodologies. We regularly consult with industry professionals to stay up to date on latest technologies and production standards so students are prepared for work immediately upon graduation. With the USU Caine College of the Arts’ Differential Tuition Program, students do not pay lab fees for any coursework. Instead, tuition dollars go directly into providing students with equitable access to equipment and supplies––minimizing financial obstacles and maximizing opportunities to make great work.
Darkrooms
- Black and white darkroom with 9 Saunders/LPL 4x5 enlargers
- Alternative process darkroom
- 9 private darkrooms for MFA and senior BFA students
- 3 Individual film loading/processing darkrooms
- 2 JOBO film processors
- Archival print washers
- 2 large format UV light sources
- Wet-plate collodion mobile darkroom
- Digital Production Studio
- M1 Mac Studio computers with 27” BenQ PhotoVue Monitors
- Adobe Creative Suite, PhotoMechanic, QuadToneRip, and Print Tool software
- Epson Stylus Pro 9800 printer
- 2 Epson SureColor P5000 printers
- Epson Stylus Pro 7800 printer for Piezography output and digital negatives
- Epson V750 scanner
Print Finishing Studio
- Cold mount and dry mount presses
- Professional print trimmers and mat cutters
- Viewing tables and daylight balanced review lights
- Archival framing supplies
- Flat file storage
Classroom Studio
- 8x24-foot critique wall
- 72-inch flatscreen TV
Lighting Studio
- 30-foot cyclorama wall
- iMac for tethered capture
- CaptureOne software
- Studio camera stand
- Strobes, hot lights, modifiers, soft boxes, backdrops
- Booms, camera and light stands
Equipment (available for student check-out)
- Fuji GFX 100s medium format digital camera system
- Nikon DSLR and mirrorless Z camera systems
- 4x5 Toyo 45A II field cameras and Calumet Cambo Monorail 4x5 cameras
- Mamiya RB67 and RZ67 medium format camera systems
- Pentax 67 camera system
- Fuji GSW690III medium format camera
- Rolleiflex, Mamiya, and Yashica Mat twin-lens medium format cameras
- Hasselblad XPan 35mm panoramic camera
- 35mm Nikon, Canon, and Minolta camera systems
- Tripods
- Light meters
- Portable strobes and flashes
- Changing tents, reflectors, and diffusers
Photobook Special Collection
In partnership with USU’s Merrill-Cazier Library and Nora Eccles Harrison Museum of Art, and with support from a 2022 USU Caine College of the Arts Differential Tuition Grant, USU Photo is proud to launch the USU Photobook Special Collection. The USU Photobook Special Collection prioritizes a diversity of titles. Primarily focusing on publications by women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC, and AAPI makers, the collection is augmented with books by artists from or making work about the American West as well as titles complementing USU Photo’s socially engaged curriculum.
Read more about the Photobook Special Collection at USU Photo.
Alumni
Are you a USU Photo alumni? If so, we’d love to hear from you. Visit our alumni page on USU Photo or say hello via email.
Banner image by Annora Madden, BFA ’25