You Have What It Takes!

The Texas A&M-Commerce Department of Art's upper-level Photography courses are reserved for students who have participated in the portfolio entry process. The entry process is a tool for the Photography faculty to see a student's mastery of their foundations. The portfolio pieces requested are varied to give each student an opportunity to show their personal strength, whether it be visual, conceptual, writing, etc. The goal of the portfolio is for a student to convey potential and passion.

The application process for the portfolio entry review is open to any undergraduate student who meets the following criteria:

• Students need to complete 12 hours of their creative core courses. Students transferring from other institutions may refer to the course equivalencies chart on the art department website for these requirements.
• Students need to complete PHO 209: Intro to Video, and PHO 210: Intro to Studio Lighting.
• The student must have an overall GPA of at least 2.5.

Application

The Portfolio Entry Review will consist of the following items in the order listed below. All portfolio elements should be contained in a single, multi-page pdf. The ability to follow and execute instructions is an element of the review.

I. Cover Page-should contain your name, university email, CWID, and concentration area:

• Commercial
• Fine Art Photography

II. A current advising or unofficial copy of your university transcript should be scanned and entered after your application.

III. Creative Pieces

1. Visual Narrative – Write a narrative describing one of the three choices provided by the Photography faculty. The narrative should be at least 250 words and no more than 300 words. Students answer the narrative by providing a descriptive perspective with the purpose of incorporating visual vocabulary into their writing. The page should be titled with your name, student id, and the name of the photograph selected. Using spell-check is not only encouraged but recommended.
2. Creative Core Examples – provide documentation of 4 works produced in your creative core courses. Label the pieces with the medium, dimensions, date created, and name of the course.
   • Drawing 1
   • 2-D Design
   • 3-D Design
   • Visual Communication I
3. Photography Examples – provide 6 photographs and videos produced during the past two years that demonstrate personal vision and craftsmanship. Label each work with the date created and the medium (i.e. digital photography, HD video, etc.)
   1. One example should be from PHO 210: Intro to Studio Lighting
   2. One example should be from PHO 209: Intro to Video (please include a link to the video online: YouTube or Vimeo)
   3. The other 4 photographs and/or video examples are of your own choosing but should be a selection that demonstrates personal vision and craft.

Submission of Portfolio:

All items listed should be organized in the order shown above and included in a single, multi-page pdf. Please include a link to view all videos online. This document should be sent to both: leigh.merrill@tamuc.edu and chad.smith@tamuc.edu

These ten creative pieces will be used by the Photography faculty to evaluate the student learning outcomes of the Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography.

Portfolio Due Date:

1st or 2nd Friday of April. Dates are to be announced beginning of each spring semester.

Notification of outcome: All students will be notified of the review outcome via the e-mail address provided on the application. Notification will happen as soon as possible after the review.