Before the invention of the photo camera, around 2000 years ago, a forerunner called the camera obscura was used by ancient Greeks and the Chinese. The camera obscura consisted of a dark room with a hole in one of its walls. Through this hole, images of the outside world were projected onto the opposite wall. When in 1727, German anatomy professor Johann Heinrich Schulze confirmed that the darkening of silver salts was caused by light, he further contributed to the invention of the first camera. The first-ever camera was made in 1826, after this many camera techniques emerged. Read on to learn more about nineteenth-century photography techniques.

1. Best-Known 19th-Century Photography Technique: Daguerreotype 

In 1826, Joseph Nicéphore Niépce (1765 – 1833), managed to take the first developed photograph using a technique called the heliography. The heliograph method involved holding a portable camera obscura next to a window, as to expose a pewter plate coated with bitumen or asphalt, to sunlight. After this successful experiment, Niépce began collaborating with French artist and chemist Louis-Jaqcues-Mandé Daguerre (1787 – 1851). Daguerre worked as a professional stage painter for the theatre, using the camera obscura technique for drawing. The fact that he was interested in capturing reflections, brought him and Niépce together.

After Niepcé’s death in 1833, Daguerre continued their work, using Niépce’s early experiments as a foundation. In 1839, Daguerre experienced a breakthrough and developed a pioneering technique. The Daguerreotype was born and so was the first commercially successful photographic process. Daguerre went on to introduce the technique to the French Academy and the Académie des Beaux-Arts. This event was later referred to as the birth of photography.

The Daguerreotype technique consisted of a silver-plated copper sheet that would first be polished until its surface was mirrorlike. After the polishing was done, the copper plate was kept in a dark room, where it was exposed to iodine, bromine, and chlorine vapor to form a light-sensitive layer of silver iodine. The plate would then be placed in the camera, after which it would be exposed to light for a short or long period, depending on how light the photograph was supposed to be. The longer it was exposed, the lighter the result.

Following the exposure, the plate was removed from the camera to let the image develop by exposing it to mercury vapor. After development, the plate would be bathed in a salt solution, which removed the developing compound. To protect the image, the plate was then coated with gold chlorine, before it was covered by a glass sheet and placed into a frame.

There was a downside to the Daguerreotype technique. It could only produce a single copy of an image. Making additional copies wasn’t possible. In addition, the single copy that was made represented a mirrored image of the person portrayed. A daguerreotypist could attach a mirror or reflective prism in front of the lens to obtain the right reading result. Yet, in practice, this was not often done.

Moreover, to ensure that the result of a Daguerreotype photograph was sharp at the end of a long exposure time, it was important for the posing individual to sit very still. Because of this, some Daguerreotypists made use of a head support tool, which ensured that the person’s head was kept in the same position. However, seeing that the Daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic technique, these aspects of its process were only minor disadvantages.

Apart from Daguerre himself, a good number of Daguerreotypists arose during the 1840s and 1950s. Among these were the French André-Adolphe-Eugène Disderí and Jules Itier, the Swiss Johann Baptist Isenring, the British Richard Beard, Antoine Claudet (a Frenchman active in London), and Thomas Richard Williams. There were also a good number of Daguerreotypists in the United States. Among these were James Presley Ball, Samuel Bemis, Abraham Bogardus, Mathew Brady, Jeremiah Gurney, Albert Southworth, Augustus Washington, and John Adams Whipple.

In most cases, these Daguerreotypists worked as portraitists, although some also took photographs of landscapes and cities. Wipple even practiced astrophotography. Seeing that the Daguerreotype cameras were large, and their process lengthy and expensive, taking them outside wasn’t very practical. However, some did it anyway and it resulted in beautiful images.

Finally, the Daguerreotype was succeeded by the wet collodion plate technique. Despite the fact that many photographers turned to newer techniques, some kept working with the Daguerreotype. Even today, there are artists who still experiment with this technique. These include Jerry Spagnoli, Adam Fuss, Patrick Bailly-Maître-Grand, and Chuck Close.

2. Calotype 

William Henry Fox Talbot (1800 – 1877) was educated at Harrow and Trinity College in Cambridge. He published many articles in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, and physics. He also worked as a chemist, linguist, and archaeologist. He even briefly served in Parliament from 1833 to 1834, before becoming well-known for his photographic technique. In 1835, Talbot made his first photographic negative and wrote an article that documented this discovery. However, he largely abandoned his experiments and left his photographic work untouched for a while.

A few years later, Talbot received news about the French Daguerreotype, which inspired him to continue his own research. Fortunately so, during his new experiments, Talbot found out that the chemical gallic acid, from tree galls and barks, increased the sensitivity of prepared paper and created a latent image. In other words, a latent image is an image made on photographic film or paper that remains invisible until it’s chemically treated.

It was the first process that allowed photographers to create a negative—an image in which the shades of light and dark were reversed from which multiple positive prints could be made. In addition, the gallic acid speeded up the development process from one hour to one minute. Talbot named this new invention the Calotype, referring to the Greek word for beautiful picture. In 1841, Talbot went on to patent the Calotype—sometimes also called the Talbotype—and subsequently received a medal from the British Royal Society in 1842 for it.

When it comes to the technical process, the calotype process involves five steps. The first one of these was to iodize a high-quality sheet of paper by applying solutions of light-sensitive silver nitrate and potassium iodide to the paper under candlelight. Simply said, the paper would be treated with solutions of certain salts and metals. After the first step, the paper would also be washed and dried, before its surface was sensitized by the use of another chemical solution. The third step included putting the sheet of paper in the camera and exposing it to light.

Once the desired image was captured, the paper could be removed. It was important to then brush it with the same sensitizing chemical solution to bring out the invisible image to the desired density. Subsequently, the developed negative would be rinsed with water and then washed with a solution of potassium bromide again, before laying it out to dry. The washing was important as it removed any remaining silver, and fixed the image.

Now that the negative was done, positive prints of the image could be made with the use of the so-called salted paper print process. During this process, the translucent negative would cover a new, prepared sheet of paper, that would react to light. This sheet of paper would then be put in a printing frame, which was then taken outside in order to be exposed to light. Subsequently, the light passes through the lighter parts of the negative, making these go dark in the positive image. The result was a nice, warm sepia-colored image.

Regardless of the flexibility and ease with which the Calotype photographs could be made, this technique did not replace the Daguerreotype. The quality of the Calotype image was not as fine and sharp as that of the Daguerreotype. The main difference in quality between these types of photographic techniques was caused by the difference in the material of the negative. In a Calotype, the texture and fibers of the paper were visible, which made the image slightly grainy or fuzzy. In Daguerreotype photographs, this was less of an issue thanks to the use of polished copper sheets. Regardless of this, the Calotype remained popular in England and mainland Europe. The Calotype wasn’t as popular in France, the native country of Daguerre, as well as in the United States.

Some of the best-known Calotypists were the Scottish photographer Robert Adamson and landscape painter David Octavius Hill. As Scotland was exempt from Talbot’s patent, people could freely use the Calotype here. The partnership between Hill and Adamson was formed in 1843. During this year, Hill received a commission for a group portrait of over four hundred ministers of the Free Church of Scotland. Because there were so many people to paint, Sir David Brewster, a physician who had learned about the Calotype process from Talbot himself, suggested photography to Hill. Hill then reached out to Adamson, and their partnership began. Moreover, they photographed ministers and many other individuals as well as a number of cityscapes.

3. The Wet Plate Collodion 

The Wet Plate Collodion process of photography is often mentioned as the technique that revolutionized photography. It was the English Frederick Scott Archer (1813-1857) who developed the process in 1851. Archer was a butcher’s son and he began his own career as an apprentice silversmith in London. However, he ended up working as a portrait sculptor. While making sculptures, Archer began using the Calotype technique. However, Archer was not content with the result of the Calotype photos, so he started experimenting with a variety of solutions and surfaces until he discovered the Wet Plate Collodion process.

The wet-collodion process involved adding a soluble iodide (a salt) to a solution of collodion, which existed out of cellulose nitrate, a highly flammable compound. This mixture would subsequently be coated on a glass plate before it was dipped in silver nitrate to form silver iodide. Because of the fact that the silver nitrate created a light-sensitive layer, this dipping happened in a dark room. Only this way would the plate remain undeveloped. In addition, it was also important that the plate was still wet when placed in the camera and exposed to light.

Once the exposure was complete, the glass plate was dipped in pyrogallic acid, a substance derived from the gallic acid that Talbot used for his Calotype. Finally, the image was fixed by a solution of sodium thiosulfate. It was important to immediately develop and fix the treated glass plate since after the collodion film dried, it became waterproof and impenetrable by reagent solutions.

What came out of the described process was a negative which could subsequently be used to print paper positives. The latter would mostly be done with Albumen paper, which was invented by the French Louis-Désiré Blanquart-Evrard in 1850. Albumen (egg white) was mixed with ammonium chloride and spread on a sheet of paper. Photographers could buy this pre-made paper for little money and easily store it away until they were ready to use it. When using the paper, they only had to sensitize it with silver nitrate before placing it over a negative and exposing it. Wet Collodian photographs that were printed on this paper were also called Albumen Silver Prints.

Archer later came up with a modification that made the Collodion process cheaper and even more simple. Instead of printing positives, the underexposed negative was backed with black paper or velvet to make it appear positive. This modification became known as the Ambrotype and was a very popular style of photography during the mid to late nineteenth century. The same applied to a version of the Wet Plate Collodion called the Tintype or Ferrotype, of which the base was black lacquered metal instead of glass.

In general, Wet Plate Collodion photographs were valued because of their clarity and richness in detail. This way, this new technique combined the best features of the Daguerreotype and Calotype: clarity and replicability. A downside to the technique was that a darkroom tent and portable laboratory were needed for outdoor photography. Otherwise, the print wouldn’t be kept dark and wet. However, regardless of this, the Wet Plate Collodion dominated the world of photography for about two decades. It was used for tintype portraits and in the printing industry well into the 1900s.

The Wet Plate Collodion process resulted in beautifully clear images, which were either black and white, or otherwise a soft beige or taupe color. Some examples of well-known nineteenth-century photographers of the Wet Plate Collodion technique were the English portraitist Julia Margaret Cameron, the French photographer Gustave le Gray, the French photographer Félix Nadar, the Civil War and landscape photographer Timothy O’Sullivan, photographer of Western American landscapes Carleton Watkins, the British war photographer Roger Fenton, and the French portrait photographer Charles Nègre. The Wet Plate Collodion technique was used for more genres than the Daguerreotype and Calotype. During the 1860s, photography gained a documentary and journalistic function for the first time.

4. 19th-Century Photography Technique Called Gelatine Dry-Plate Glass Negative

The Wet Plate Collodion process involved the use of many chemicals and needed specific conditions to succeed. For example, the glass plate needed to be kept in the dark before use. It also needed to be wet upon exposure to light. This forced photographers to work very quickly. In response to what could be called the downsides of the Collodion process, the 1860s and 1870s saw the rise of individual experiments with other possible photographic techniques.

The main goal of these experiments was to find a dry substitute for wet collodion, which would allow plates to be prepared far in advance and developed long after exposure. In turn, this would free photographers from the task of preparing their own plates, and eliminate the need for a portable darkroom. In 1871, the English physician Richard Leach Maddox (1816-1902) came up with the idea of suspending silver bromide in a gelatine emulsion. A suggestion that formed the key to the development of the Gelatine Dry-Plate method.

Different from the Collodion wet plates, the gelatine bromide coating would dry on the glass plate, after which it could remain dry during and after exposure. For photographers, this meant that they could simply insert the plate into the camera to take a photo, and that afterward, they did not need to treat the plate with any chemicals. The fact that dry plates could be prepared in advance, led to the introduction of factory-produced dry plates in 1878. These dry glass plates were coated with gelatine containing silver salts. Subsequently, photographers could buy these commercially prepared plates in bulk. Mass production generally became possible from the 1850s onwards, thanks to industrialization. Mass production made photography cheaper and therefore accessible to more people.

Moreover, gelatine plates were sixty times more sensitive than collodion plates. The latter speeded up the process of taking a photo, which in turn freed the camera from the tripod and allowed the production of smaller hand-held ones. The Kodak Camera is a good example of this. It was introduced by George Eastman in 1888. Thanks to hand-held cameras, photographers could now move around more freely, which made it easier to photograph certain subjects and places. People also didn’t necessarily have to develop their own negatives anymore. Kodak, for example, offered a development service. They marketed their service using the tagline: You press the button, we do the rest. This led to the rise of amateur photography. The dry-plate technique remained popular until the early 1900s.

The result of the Gelatine Dry-Plate technique included images with a wider tonal range and improved image quality. Generally, the photos had beautiful, soft black-and-white or sepia shades. Some of the well-known photographers who worked with the Gelatine Dry-Plate technique were Edward Steichen, Alfred Stieglitz, Gertrude Käsebier, Sarah Angelina Acland, and the founding member of the Photo-Secession Movement Clarence Hudson White.

While the 1860s saw the rise of the first documentary and journalistic photographs, photography became increasingly used for commercial purposes after the invention of the Gelatine Dry-Plate technique. At the same time, the question of whether photography was a form of art or not was also intensely debated. As a result, the international Movement called Pictorialism emerged towards the end of the nineteenth century. Pictorialism not only represented a certain aesthetic but also formulated a few principles about photography’s role as art. Pictorialists like Alfred Stieglitz believed that photography should be understood as a vehicle of personal expression that was as important as other fine arts.

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BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) – A cherished member of our KFYR-TV news family has passed away.

Longtime photographer Donna Hardt passed away over the weekend.

Donna’s accomplishments and passion for photojournalism will never be forgotten. Neither will her kindness. She made a lasting impression on everyone she met.

Through the lens of this camera, we’ve brought you countless stories that have informed, entertained, and astonished our viewers. It’s even made reporters like me, Jody Kerzman, a familiar face. But we want to focus on the woman who shot many of those reports; on the woman who stood behind the camera, looked through the viewfinder and brought you the stories that mattered.

To Donna Hardt, there were stories everywhere. She often said, “We should do a story on that,” and often, we did. She was curious, kind and was a pioneer in the world of television news, paving the way for so many other women. She picked up her first news camera in the 1970s. That camera was nearly twice her size.

She had a way of making reporters and the people they interviewed comfortable — always making sure their hair looked good and their ties were straight. Donna never tired of meeting new people.

“If you were a reporter on staff and you wanted to get an interview done, Donna set that feeling for you when you walked into an interview. Because all the people in the community know Donna from years of experience as a photographer and the many close friends she has,” said former KFYR-TV chief photographer Dwayne Walker in a 2019 interview.

Donna was behind the camera for some of the biggest stories in the region, including a massive pot bust in South Dakota in 1980, the infamous Gordon Kahl shootout in Medina, the 2011 floods and the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. She reminisced about her career in a 2019 interview.

“Literally, I could probably say, not exaggerating, probably thousands of stories. It’s an honor to come into your home or your business,” she said.

Starting out as a single mom of two, she covered it all without losing sight of what’s important.

“You see, some faces come and go, but Donna’s was one that was always a constant,” said Lee Ellison.

“She was like a bulldog,” added former KFYR-TV news director Dick Heidt. “She finds a way to get everything done.”

“Donna will do anything for a story,” said KFYR-TV anchor Monica Hannan. “So, she’s out doing a story on a tattoo shop. No customers. So, we wait, and wait, and wait, and finally she decides, I’m not waiting any more. So, she points the camera at her ankle and films her own tattooing.”

Her life may have never led any newscast, but Donna Hardt’s presence will always be felt.

Donna was 76.

She retired from KFYR-TV at the end of 2019.

She is survived by her loving husband, Sid Hardt, her daughters, stepchildren, grandchildren and many, many of her KFYR “kids.”

You can find funeral information here.

Copyright 2023 KFYR. All rights reserved.

One recent subsection of Fergus’ ongoing project is Moonrakers and Sunseekers, named after an overnight 300 km Audax that takes place each year. Riders leave Bristol at 10pm, make their way south to Bournemouth, then Poole Harbour where they stop off at Lilliput Sea Scouts control for basic food, rest and to have their brevet card stamped.

It was at this rest point that Fergus stationed himself between the hours of 2-7am, photographing riders who came through. “It’s a strange time to be awake and I was interested to see how that might affect the interaction between photographer and sitter,” Fergus says. “When riding at night, you’re acutely focussed on a small pool of light emitted in front of the bike, reading the road and watching out for dangers such as potholes.” It’s this intensity that Fergus sees translating into the images – palpable in the riders’ eyes as their portraits are taken, staring into the camera, or in some cases beyond, and the atmosphere of the sparse blue-and-white harbour setting. “There’s a monastic silence, broken only by the sound of cutlery against plates and cycling shoes tapping in and out of the door.”

During the shoot Fergus encountered a few “celebrities” within the Audax community who were “hailed for quietly and consistently putting in the miles”. Like Dai – one of the few cyclists with a large smile on his face in his portrait. Known for his heavily laden fixed gear and broad Welsh accent, one significant detail of his portrait (and something Fergus sees as setting him apart from road cyclists) is the fact he’s wearing two Paris Brest jerseys from separate years on top of each other. Fergus also has a soft spot for Zlatamira’s portrait. It was the last photo in a roll of film and she blinked, but the resulting image is one that resonates, as “a serene, meditative moment before she continued on into the early hours”.

Oliver Akinfeleye remembers Burna Boy’s first show in New York. The location was Palladium Times Square, the year was 2017.

Akinfeleye, an American Nigerian photographer known professionally as DrDrummerD, or Drummer, was close to the stage, ready to capture every moment of the Afrobeats star’s intimate show in front of around 2,000 fans. He had been booked by a local promoter and left with a clutch of images of one of Nigeria’s biggest recording artists. The next day he posted some on social media, which reappeared on Burna Boy’s accounts. The musician, or likely someone from his team, had screengrabbed Drummer’s work – not that he cared­. The following week the two crossed paths again and the photographer let Burna Boy know the photos were his. “Oh, you’re bad,” the musician shot back, Akinfeleye remembers (“In Nigerian it means you’re super-dope,” he explained). “We laughed it off, shook hands, and from that point he trusted my vision,” he added. The two have been sharing stages ever since.

Born in Queens, New York, to Nigerian parents, Akinfeleye has had a closer than front row seat to Afrobeats’ ascendance in the US and other parts of the world, documenting gigs and behind-the-scenes moments as the genre has come to the fore internationally.

By 2022, Burna Boy was headlining Madison Square Garden (capacity: 20,000) and last July he became the first Nigerian to sell out a stadium show in the US when he performed at Citi Field, New York (capacity: 41,000). He went one step further on the other side of the Atlantic, selling out the 60,0000-capacity London Stadium this summer. He’s far from alone. This year his countryman Wizkid was a headliner at the UK’s biggest musical festival, Glastonbury, and sold out London’s Tottenham Hotspur Stadium (capacity 45,000), following three sold-out shows at the O2 Arena in London in 2021.

If further evidence was needed that the genre has a seat at the table of popular music, the MTV Video Music Awards now has an Afrobeats category, and in 2024 the Grammy Awards will introduce a new category, Best African Music Performance, which is expected to feature Afrobeats artists. Burna Boy is already a Grammy winner, while in September, “Calm Down” by Nigerian rising star Rema and Selena Gomez became the first song led by an African artist to hit one billion streams on Spotify.  

Yet a few years ago, not many US photographers were dedicating their time to documenting Afrobeats musicians, said Akinfeleye, and even fewer wanting to take an intimate view of their lives. “I think that’s what a lot of the artists found most interesting about my work and what I do,” he added. “It was something different. There was something fresh; it was something that they hadn’t seen before.”

The photographer said his parents instilled in him “a focus to really highlight our own.” Whether fashion editorials, album covers or concerts, Akinfeleye’s lens has put Black – and particularly African – faces front and center in his portfolio.

Starting with some early gigs with Mr Eazi, Runtown and Brandon Boyd, his first big Afrobeats concert was an evening with Wizkid in Washington DC on July 4th weekend, 2017. The two had been introduced by Wiz’s DJ, DJ Tunez, and after that first show he went backstage to show Wizkid his work. “From there it’s just been history,” Akinfeleye said.

Of all the artists Akinfeleye has worked with, he says his bond with Wizkid is the tightest. He has documented the Nigerian musician at festivals and arena tours, traveling throughout the US and Europe.

Wizkid brought Akinfeleye to London to shoot his breakout series at the O2 Arena in 2021, when an all-star line-up took to the stage in support of the headliner. “I will never forget it,” Akinfeleye said, “I remember each moment like it was yesterday.”

The body of work from those nights is one with great contrast. The sea of mobile phone spotlights that greet Wizkid like bioluminescent creatures is a world away from the intimate shots off-stage of Wiz and his tight inner circle. The photographer has the rapport and the eye to capture both sides of the man, who will largely be the focus of Akinfeleye’s upcoming photobook “Eagle Eye” (release date to be announced).

“Wiz is a very private person, you know,” he said, “(there’s) not a lot of people around him.” What they have goes beyond photographer and subject, he added. “It is definitely a relationship in itself. And that bond translates into my work because it makes it easier. He’ll feel comfortable when I bring out a camera. He won’t feel under pressure, he’ll feel like it’s a regular thing.”

Getting to that point takes time, Akinfeleye said. One thing he’s had in his favor is his shared heritage with many of the artists he’s documented. “It has been amazing just sharing personal spaces with these artists, getting to know them, sharing laughs, just talking more about the culture, talking more about our visions, our country,” he said.

“Nigerian music – African music – is there to make people feel good no matter what,” he added. “That energy is so normal to us: having joy from nothing. That’s a joy I want the world to see … I want my imagery to convey that feeling.”

That same infectious good time is why he believes the genre is music for our times. “The world needs love. The world needs to feel good,” Akinfeleye argues, and that need isn’t disappearing any time soon.

“Seeing where Afrobeats has come to now, it’s been an amazing journey,” he reflected, and “it’s only going to get bigger.”

“Afrobeats to the world is all I can say.”

Captured Moments Photography has played an immeasurable role in many families’s lives in the Owensboro community for nearly 2 decades. Owners Jason and Kate Higdon said their business model is now evolving, as they have decided to close their studio at 801 Old Hartford Road and instead conduct sessions on location. 

The last studio session will be on December 20, and it will close completely on December 31. Kate Higdon encouraged clients to call 270-685-5164 or email [email protected] to book a studio session as soon as possible. 

The company will continue photographing on location for sports, dance, and cheer teams as well as offering family, senior, professional, and branding sessions. 

“We are so excited for this new pivot in our business,” Higdon said. “We are making this move to allow more freedom to our life as new empty nesters ready to travel and explore other opportunities in addition to our photography business.”

The Higdons initially launched the studio as a way to enjoy more of the children’s lives, often bringing the youngsters to work with them. Higdon said closing the location is certainly bittersweet because it’s where their children grew up, and they’ve formed many memories there. 

With the closure, the Higdons are selling most of their studio contents — including furniture, frames, backgrounds, props, and more. They will keep their camera equipment, lighting, and some “signature” Captured Moments props and sets.

“We have a passion for photography that will never disappear, and we love our little Kentucky home,” Higdon said. “We’ve been so blessed and immensely grateful to a community who chose us to capture such special times in their lives.”

In 13 years at the location, Captured Moments has conducted more than 7,000 sessions in the studio. That doesn’t consider the several hundred more they’ve done on location at various businesses, balls, and nonprofits. 

Higdon said she and her husband are excited about the next chapter in their lives. She added they’re incredibly grateful to their many clients, which they hope to continue serving in the future. 

“We aren’t leaving – we are just cutting back to enjoy some life freedom and have the time to pursue our other passions,” she said. “Our clients have been the greatest gifts to us, and we have enjoyed every minute with you and look forward to more in the future.”

Visit their Facebook page here to stay updated on Captured Moments’ evolution. 

The Department of Photography & Imaging at New York University, Tisch School the Arts seeks a tenure track faculty (open rank). We are looking for candidates who are deeply involved with a creative practice in Photography, Imaging and related media. Applicants should have an understanding of and engagement with historical and contemporary issues and the liberal arts. We are interested in artists who can show evidence in their practice or teaching of a commitment to photo-based image making as a means to reflect and celebrate diversity and intersectionality in their practice. The successful candidate will have a vibrant studio practice, show innovation with regard to keeping up with a constantly changing field, the ability to teach a range of undergraduate studio classes and have an interest in curriculum development, creative research, and leadership. 

Qualifications: (1) MFA in Photography or equivalent related degree. (2) Solid understanding of a range of creative practice in photo-based processes. (3) 5+ years teaching experience. (4) Recognition in the field of photography and related media—exhibitions, publications, speaking engagements, etc.

The Department of Photography and Imaging (DPI) in Tisch School of the Arts at New York University is a four-year BFA program situated in New York City. Centered on the making and understanding of images, DPI offers students both the intensive focus of an arts curriculum while demanding a broad grounding in the liberal arts. Our department embraces multiple perspectives and approaches which encourages critical engagement both in and outside of the classroom. Our majors explore photo-based imagery as personal and cultural expression while working in virtually all modes of analog and digital photo-based image making, multimedia, new media, immersive, and post-photographic 3D simulation technologies. In addition to studio courses, our required critical studies courses include history, theory, critical studies across photography and digital media and other courses in museum studies and critical contemporary art practices.  As a Photography & Imaging faculty member you will work closely with students advising them in designing a rigorous program of study that challenges and expands the conceptual and technical boundaries of the medium. See tisch.nyu.edu/photo for more information.

Apply by November 15, 2023 via Interfolio with:
–A letter of application detailing qualifications
–An up-to-date CV
–A teaching philosophy
–Future of Photography Statement
–A diversity statement that addresses the candidate’s values regarding diversity, equity, inclusion,  and history working with or teaching diverse populations
–Sample syllabi that show your ability to teach both foundational classes and advanced topics
–PDF Portfolio of up to 20 professional works that represents your artist practice (links within the pdf can also be supplied for video and web-based work)
–PDF Portfolio of 20 examples of student work (links within the pdf can also be supplied for video and web-based work)
–The contact information for three professional references
–Publications

In compliance with NYC’s Pay Transparency Act, the annual base salary range for this position is 80,000–130,000 USD. This pay range represents base pay only (for 9 months) and excludes any additional items such as incentives, bonuses, clinical compensation, or other items. New York University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate’s work experience, education/training, key skills, internal peer equity, as well as market and organizational considerations when extending an offer.

NYU is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a policy of equal treatment and opportunity in every aspect of its recruitment and hiring process without regard to age, alienage, caregiver status, childbirth, citizenship status, color, creed, disability, domestic violence victim status, ethnicity, familial status, gender and/or gender identity or expression, marital status, military status, national origin, parental status, partnership status, predisposing genetic characteristics, pregnancy, race, religion, reproductive health decision making, sex, sexual orientation, unemployment status, veteran status, or any other legally protected basis. Women, racial and ethnic minorities, persons of minority sexual orientation or gender identity, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply for vacant positions at all levels.