Josh Meltzer Headshot

Josh Meltzer

Associate Professor

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences
College of Art and Design
jhmpph@rit.edu

Josh Meltzer

Associate Professor

School of Photographic Arts and Sciences
College of Art and Design

Education

BA, Carleton College; MA, University of Miami

jhmpph@rit.edu
Areas of Expertise
Photojournalism
Photography

Select Scholarship

Shows/Exhibits/Installations
Meltzer, Josh, et al. Beyond Addiction, Reframing Recovery. 6 Apr. 2019. Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries, Parsons School of Design, New York City. Exhibit.
Meltzer, Josh, et al. Beyond Addiction, Reframing Recovery. 6 Apr. 2019. Arnold and Sheila Aronson Galleries, Parsons School of Design, New York City. Exhibit.
Meltzer, Josh. BETH MACY AND JOSH MELTZER: PORTRAITS FROM THE FRONTLINE OF THE OPIOID EPIDEMIC. By Beth Macy. 4 Aug. 2018. Taubman Museum, Roanoke, VA. Exhibit.
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Book Chapter
Macy, Beth and Josh Meltzer. "Center Plate of Portraits." Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America. Ed. Vanessa Mobley. New York, NY: Little Brown and Company - Hachette Book Group, 2018. Center Plate after 184. Print.
Invited Article/Publication
Meltzer, Josh and Anne Bailey. "The Darker Side of Thailand's Sex Industry." Public Radio International (PRI) - The World. (2015). Web.
Meltzer, Josh. "The Refugees of Roanoke." The New York Times. (2015). Web.
Meltzer, Josh. "Come Out and Play Unified." Special Olympics. (2015). Web.

Currently Teaching

COMM-280
Community Journalism
3 Credits
Community Journalism emphasizes the local aspects of news, and teaches students how to identify “community” beyond a region and a neighborhood. A co-taught course with Photojournalism faculty in the College of Art and Design, Community Journalism sharpens students’ reporting skills, and guides them in constructing a reporting project as a complete journalistic package, with visual, artistic and written storytelling components in concert with each other. The final project will be a reported (written) piece with corresponding photographs and multimedia.
PHAR-102
Photographic Arts II
4 Credits
This course will reinforce and build upon the skills learned in the first semester of Photographic Arts I. It will emphasize aesthetics, craft, visual problem solving and critical thinking skills - the foundations of the Photographic Arts curriculum. In this semester, the studio will be introduced as a space that can be used to create and control light. This course's curriculum will continue to emphasize both craft and visual problem solving required in high-level photographic imaging.
PHAR-599
Photography Independent Study
1 - 3 Credits
Photography Independent Study will provide students with the ability to study in a specialized area with an individual faculty member. Students, with the assistance of a faculty adviser, will propose a course of study. Photography Independent Study students must obtain permission of an instructor and complete the Independent Study Permission Form to enroll.
PHPJ-280
Community Journalism
3 Credits
As mainstream newsrooms shrink, fewer stories about issues relevant to local communities are written and photographed. This course introduces students to the principles and practices of community journalism. Community journalism focuses on hyper-local issues and is increasingly becoming an important source for local news and information. Students will learn about the importance of community journalism and will practice writing and photographing stories about community leaders and organizations, neighborhood stability factors, meetings, sports, crime, and changes in a small community near Rochester. The course will be structured around class discussions, workshops, and live reporting from the community.
PHPJ-302
Photojournalism I
3 Credits
This course will explore the use of the photographic image in narrative, documentary and editorial form. There will be an emphasis on publication, public need and independent projects. Lectures, critiques, demonstrations and assignments will provide participants the opportunity to explore the still, audio, video, and multimedia aspects of story telling. Students will be expected to meet project deadlines and participate in both class discussions and critiques.
PHPJ-350
PJ Topics:
3 Credits
Photography (and photographic education) is in a perpetual state of flux due to constant changes in practices and technology. Topics in photojournalism will provide students with the opportunity to explore this shifting terrain of photography and imaging using contemporary problems. The content taught in this course will change frequently and the course may be repeated for credit, however each particular topic may have limits on repeatability.
PHPJ-352
Mini-Workshop Topics
1 Credits
This course will focus on implementing areas of special interest including new, advanced, and emerging visual communication course content. Potential topics may include areas in visual communications, video, visual storytelling, and documentary storytelling. Students may take more than one Mini-Workshop with different topics.
PHPJ-401
Photojournalism Capstone 1
3 Credits
This is the first of a two-course capstone sequence for students in photojournalism. Students will create an independent senior capstone project proposal that also demands the student research. Students will have the support and guidance of a faculty member. The students will research and plan for the production of a visual media presentation, a book/hardcopy portfolio or a collaborative editing portfolio and a written statement and conclusion. Course will include weekly group presentations on various topics to include time management, research, planning, photographic and photojournalistic subjects.
PHPJ-402
Photojournalism Capstone 2
3 Credits
This course will focus on the successful completion, refinement and exhibition of the photojournalism capstone project. Students will use advanced storytelling skills in multimedia visual journalism to finalize their projects. Students will work in a team to build and execute an exhibition and website promoting their capstone projects. The class will use the capstone exhibition as a departure point to explore career options, assess individual skills and temperament, and establishes initial and long-term career goals for each student.

In the News

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Featured Work

Presence

Vincent Alban

A legal gun owner, barber, and activist are a few of the hats that Devon Reynolds wears as a community figure in the Maplewood neighborhood of Rochester, N.Y. but most importantly, he is a father to...

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Election Day Photo Essay

Vincent Alban, Avery Howe, Julia Coburn, Maya Giron, Monique Gosselin

Students in the Advanced Multimedia Class PHPJ455 produced a class photo essay during the tail end of the 2020 presidential election cycle.

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Taste of Life

Cheyenne Boone

Katherine is a single mother of five children and has been living in recovery for three years. She became addicted to heroin at a young age and spent many years of her adult life battling addiction....

View More about Taste of Life