Rochester Institute of Technology News
Visual Media Option - Photographic and Imaging Arts BFA

Recent photography graduate gained confidence and experience by spending a semester working in New York City thanks to the RIT in NYC study away program.

PetaPixel speaks to Eric Kunsman, assistant professor in the Department of Visual Communications Studies, about the logistics of planning an event like Big Shot.

Ricky Figueora taking over as the new director of RIT's School of Film and Animation headlines exciting promotions and additions to the College of Art and Design faculty.

On Saturday, Oct. 11, the Big Shot will return for its 37th event to illuminate the Buffalo Bills Highmark Stadium. RIT and the Bills invite the community to shine a light on the interior of the stadium to document the iconic location before it closes, making way for a new stadium set to open in 2026.

This is the first semester RIT in NYC was offered, and nine students jumped at the opportunity to gain work experience through internships, take in-person classes tailored to the program, and enjoy excursions around one of the largest creative industry landscapes on the East Coast.

Students from various majors across RIT made a website providing wall-to-wall coverage of the 2025 Special Olympics New York Winter Games. This was the fourth year RIT partnered with Special Olympics to document the events.

Film and animation MFA student Gabriel Ponte-Fleary received the Jury Award for Best Documentary (East Region) for his emotional documentary about the faith and hardships of a Nicaraguan family who migrated to the U.S.

RIT’s annual Big Shot is returning for its 36th event on Friday, Sept. 20. The Rochester community is invited to shine a light on RIT’s Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED), the university’s newest facility housing makerspaces, performing arts areas, and high-tech classrooms.

David Turner, who began teaching in RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, died June 18 at the age of 65, according to his obituary. Former students and colleagues paid tribute with stories of his generosity, creative abilities, mentorship, and friendship.

Interdisciplinary teams of students applied their ingenuity and technological sensibilities in collaboration with local professional musicians to create interactive experiences.

Students leveraged the variety of makerspaces in RIT's brand-new SHED facility to create arts-integrative work responding to a theme of "Play."

Sam Su, a third-year photographic and imaging arts/visual media option major from New York City, has partnered with athletic companies to photograph products and athletes. He recently went to the Cayman Islands and photographed Olympic athletes training for Protean Sports.