Tompkins Cortland Community College
Degree Programs

Photography — Digital Emphasis

A.S. Degree

Photography is used to illustrate, advertise, communicate, and express. Emerging digital technologies are expanding the realm of what is possible in photography and, at the same time, fueling the demand for outstanding creative images. In the Photography program, you will master black and white photography, color photography, digital photography, and video production.

Digital Emphasis

In the digital emphasis, six courses use the computer as the primary creative tool. You will integrate the computer into your art-making process in the first semester and continue to build and refine your technical and aesthetic skills throughout your four semesters. Additionally, the digital emphasis addresses the profoundly changing method of visual communication afforded by digital technology. You will learn to use the web as a content-delivery tool, become fluent in technologies that allow images to be integrated with motion, sound, animation, and interactive dialogue. The digital emphasis also provides you with a solid foundation in traditional photography processes such as black and white and color printing.

Career Opportunities

Students who complete the digital emphasis will be prepared to embark on an exciting journey into the future of imaging. Digital technology is rapidly evolving and redefining what is possible in photography.

It is difficult to predict the full range of employment opportunities that will become available in the near future, but at the present time the major areas of activity are:

  • New media photographer (multimedia, interactive, and moving image)
  • New media producer (creative production of material on CD and DVD)
  • Web content producer
  • Digital photographer
  • Digital artist

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Transfer Options

The A.S. degree program in photography is intended to facilitate transfer to a four-year college with studies in photography or related image-making disciplines such as digital media and new media. While this concentration is a relatively new direction within the higher education system, it is being widely embraced by four-year institutions.

Transfer institutions in New York State Include:

  • SUNY Cortland
  • SUNY Oswego
  • SUNY New Paltz
  • Syracuse University
  • University of Buffalo
  • Ithaca College
  • Cazenovia College

For specific transfer information, contact the Counseling, Career, and Transfer Services office.

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Program Requirements

Program requirements by semester are detailed in the Degrees and Certificates (pdf, 1.6MB) section of the TC3 college catalog.

All sections of the current college catalog are available online.

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Program Chair / Faculty

Nicolai Klimaszewski

Program Chair
Professor (Art)

B.S. , SUNY College at Buffalo; M.F.A. , University of Pennsylvania. Awarded recognition and support from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Rockefeller Foundation. Exhibited nationally, numerous "best of show" awards. 2004 Chancellor's/Trustee's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activities.
E-mail Professor Klimaszewski

Keith Millman

Assistant Professor (New Media)

B.F.A. , University of Oregon; M.F.A. , California College of Arts and Crafts. Received grant from the council of the Arts at Cornell, and is in the permanent collection of the Portland Art Museum and the Preus Fotomuseum (Norway). Exhibited nationally.
E-mail Professor Millman

Chris Xaver

Associate Professor (Communication and Media Arts)

B.S. , Broadcast Journalism, Newhouse School of Communication at Syracuse University; M.A. , Maxwell School of Citizenship at Syracuse University; Ph.D., Capella University. Professional clients include NBC, Time Warner, and Fox.
E-mail Professor Xaver

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