By John Encela

The newly established College of Fine Arts and Design opens Cavite’s first ever degree program in Photography. This 4-year bachelor’s degree is curated for those who want to pursue an artistic career in image-based practice. It will specialize in developing research and critical thinking to be able to create meaningful images. The focus is not just on sharpening technical skills, but in understanding history, contexts, ethics, and contemporary issues concerning the use and production of images.

“There was an unexpected spike in enrollment for the Arts when the K-12 program started, we wanted to figure out what program would work well with the new incoming student artists,” says CFAD Dean Mr. Javier Laurel on the Photography program’s addition to the college’s growing slate of career paths in the Arts. “After a survey of what program would benefit them, it was determined that a Bachelor’s in Photography would be the best degree to add to the repertoire of the school.”

Subjects to look forward to? CFAD Program Chairperson Mr. AG De Mesa dishes in on courses and topics in the program’s curriculum, “there’s Photography Theory and Criticism, Visual Literacy, Directed Assignments for portrait, documentary, and landscape, and of course their graduation show.” To further elaborate on these courses, Photography Theory and Criticism for example will tackle the debates and discourse regarding photography as an art form. It will also examine key writings in the history of photography and apply them to contemporary experiences. On career opportunities, Mr. De Mesa says it’s to work in the photography industry but not just exclusive to being a photographer. “Curator, Art Director, Photo Editor, anything or everything that will use images is a viable career choice. There’s also advertising, news, social media, et cetera. It’s not just for photographers but those interested in continuously engaging with images.”

Aside from Bachelor in Photography, the College of Fine Arts and Design also offers Bachelor in Multimedia Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts and Visual Communication. To start your enrolment process, you may visit the official online enrollment procedure in the website’s homepage.

Enrolment ends September 15, 2021.John Encela is a writer and a filmmaker and is currently a 2^nd year Multimedia Arts student under the College of Fine Arts and Design. He is also a member and a former company manager of Tanghalang Lykeion.