NMU Photography Program

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Marquette, MI
NMU Photography Program

Photography and art related happenings and opportunities for Northern Michigan University students and beyond.

The photography track within the School of Art & Design at Northern Michigan University starts with a strong foundation of technical expertise and compositional awareness. The lower-level classes are rooted in giving students a strong foundation of technical skills and visual literacy; Students learn how to use their cameras as a tool to successfully make the photographs they envision, how to produce professional-grade inkjet prints, how to employ basic lighting techniques, about film photography and traditional methods of analog printing, and advanced post-processing methods with software such as Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop. As students move through the upper-level courses, the foundational skills that were learned in the earlier classes are built upon - students learn advanced studio lighting techniques, alternative and historical photographic processes such as cyanotypes, among many other skills. Upper-level classes also provide an in-depth exploration into concept development and the creation of meaning within photographic works. Students leave their last class with several portfolio ready series of works - which they can then use to apply for jobs, graduate school, or exhibitions. Whether you come to the program interested in commercial, documentary, or fine-art photography - the program leaves room for each individual student to follow their interests and develop portfolios that will help them in succeeding in their desired career path.

09/24/2026

Can a photograph be fictional and still tell the truth?

Today in Digital Methods, we talked about photography’s complicated relationship with truth and fiction and after reading interviews with artists Cristina de Middel and Laurie Simmons, we discussed how photographers can construct or reconstruct reality while still speaking to something true.

Then we shifted from discussion to making by experimenting with one particularly fun form of photographic fiction: multiple-figure composites. Taking inspiration from the techniques and visual strategies of both historic and contemporary photographers, students used layers and masks in Photoshop to multiply themselves (and each other) within a single frame.

Photography has never been quite as straightforward as “the camera doesn’t lie.”

NMU School of Art & Design

This technique isn’t new!

Hannah Maynard, Self-Portrait with Multiple Exposures, 1893

Working in the Photo Lab
RiverSide Photography Reagan Reese Hope Weber

Good vs Evil
lana mac clairice salem ☆

Whimsy
lana mac clairice salem ☆

NO HORSE PLAY IN THE LAB
Featuring: salem ☆

BTS lana mac clairice salem ☆

BTS Hope Weber Reagan Reese RiverSide Photography

BTS lana mac clairice salem ☆

BTS Hope Weber Reagan Reese RiverSide Photography

09/16/2026

A perennial favorite, Francesca Woodman’s self-portraits have inspired generations of photographers with their strange, intimate, experimental energy. We’re excited to include this gorgeous book in the photo library… and even more excited to see what ideas it sparks in the studio. 📚📷✨

09/03/2026

NEW ARRIVALS FOR THE PHOTO LAB LIBRARY 😍

08/31/2026

Ever wonder what your professors were making when they were your age? Take a step back to the early 2000s with me!
NMU School of Art & Design

08/28/2026

Aaaaaaand we’re back at it! This lesson always starts off with a little nervous energy, worry about whether those first rolls are going to turn out… and it ALWAYS wraps up on relief and excitement when those frames appear! That’s that analog magic that keeps me coming back. 📸❤️

NMU School of Art & Design

08/24/2026

Looking forward to seeing your faces in the classroom and your photographs on the wall! Let’s make this school year the best one yet!

07/29/2026

Photography classroom by day. 📸
Wildlife observatory by chance. 🦌

Northern Michigan University | Public College on Lake Superior NMU School of Art & Design

04/28/2026

Digital Methods 📸 students presented their final projects over the last two weeks. Ten-image portfolios exploring a wide variety of self-directed topics ranging from identity to athleticism, mental health to fashion, from documenting the mundane to staging moments of fairytale. Students used techniques such as self-portraiture, long-exposures, thermal-imaging cameras, studio lighting, and collage to achieve their work and ✨WOWZA✨ they did not disappoint! What a way to round out the end of the semester. Congratulations to everyone on their remarkable work this semester.

03/26/2026

students installed work at in downtown Marquette this week 😍 You’ll want to add this to your list of things to do! Treat yourself to a coffee while you’re there (and don’t forget to tip your barista!) ❤️☕️📸

01/26/2026

📸 CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: SEEN/UNSEEN

NMU photography students & recent alumni — this one’s for you!

SEEN/UNSEEN is our annual juried student photography exhibition, celebrating the wide range of work being made by photographers at NMU. The theme is intentionally broad and open-ended—almost anything can fit.

✨ Work does not need to be made for class
✨ Literal, conceptual, abstract, personal—it’s all welcome
✨ Selected work will be printed + framed by NMU Photo

📍 The Crib + Art & Design Lobby
📅 Submission deadline: WEDNESDAY, JAN 28

Submit up to 3 images. You probably already have work that fits 👀

🔗 Link in bio

Address

1401 Presque Isle Avenue
Marquette, MI
49855

Telephone

(906) 227-2194

Website

http://art.nmu.edu/department/photo/

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