What's Happening at Hallmark, Week by Week

Every week brings something new in Hallmark's intensive 10-month program. Follow along with our 2008 class on their journey to graduation day and their future careers.

To find out what the coming weeks and months have in store -- classes, guest lectures, field trips -- see our "Year at Hallmark" pages as well as our schedule of upcoming events.

Photography Around the World — In the spirit of embracing international culture and celebrating diversity, the lobby of our Educational Center displays flags of all of the countries of origin of Hallmark students, past and present. Our student body is comprised of people with a wide variety of backgrounds and experiences, who are united in their love of photography. We are proud to attract such a diverse, global community and will continue to provide an outstanding photographic education to those around the world who are serious about taking their first step toward a career in professional photography. Pictured: Thom Burden, Director of Operations, adds the flag of Ireland to our growing international family.
Visual Literacy — "In the same way you learned to read words, you can learn how to read photographs," says Instructor John Nordell. In his Visual Literacy class, Nordell leads students through a series of exercises designed to sharpen their ability to look critically at photographs. He then urges them to regularly fill their "creative well," that is, to take in photography, sculpture, painting, to read poetry or literature, to listen to new music. "The greater the ability a student has to understand the root elements of imagery," maintains Nordell, "the more effective the student will be in creating exceptional photographs." Nordell uses the summer hiatus to fill his own creative well, visiting New York City to take in photography galleries, a museum, an art gallery opening and a Brazilian music concert. Nordell traces the origins of his Cubist photography to the Hallmark community. "My environment is a stimulating mix of enthusiastic students, creative colleagues and diverse visiting artists. These current abstractions - a radical departure from past photojournalistic work - have emerged from this supportive and fertile place." Pictured: John Nordell's "Fire Escape"
Summer Preparations — Things are heating up as we anticipate the arrival of the Class of 2009. During the summer months at Hallmark we fine-tune our inventory of the most up-to-date equipment and prepare every inch of our 50,000 square foot Educational Center for the new school year. To continue offering our students the most current and relevant photographic education, the faculty prepare new classes and demonstrations that will keep pace with this ever-evolving industry. Digital photography continues to emerge as the forefront of technology in the field and Hallmark is leading the way. Our Digital and Imaging Arts instructors are busy updating the curriculum to help ensure that our graduates have the necessary real-world skills and knowledge to step into the workforce upon graduation. Pictured: Director of Education and Photographic Operations, Tony Downer, inspects and repairs the inventory of traditional large-format 4x5 cameras, which students will combine with both, Aptus 22 megapixel digital backs as well as film, to create still-life imagery in the commercial studio.
Workshop — This week, Hallmark will host two of the nation's leaders in digital photography as they join forces to offer their knowledge, along with support from Epson, on the art of digital printing. Hallmark was chosen to play host to the intimate group of 24 attendees as John Paul Caponigro and R. Mac Holbert share their techniques with this group of professional photographers. The coming together of these two world-renowned photographers who are leaders in the field of digital printing and the technologically advanced labs and facilities at Hallmark Institute of Photography allow workshop attendees the opportunity to create their images under enviable conditions. Hallmark is proud to have been selected as one of the premier facilities to host this outstanding event. Pictured: John Paul Caponigro discusses the differences in various paper surfaces with the class.

Click here for a slideshow of the event

Class of 2008 Graduation — During their ten months at Hallmark, students learn the technical aspects of photography, they hone their artistic and creative skills and they spend approximately 40% of their class time learning the business of photography, such as marketing, promotion and record-keeping. While all these skills are necessary and important, they also learn things such as determination and perseverance (illustrated by Mark Denman here), which aren't necessarily taught in a lecture, but rather learned through completing assignments including the year-end portfolio. These skills will serve Hallmark's 215 graduates well as they seek employment with already established professional photographers or open their own professional photography studios. Pictured: Keynote speaker, and renowned photographer, Andrew Eccles, shares his experience of becoming a professional photographer in the highly competitive New York City market by telling graduates the secret to his success is that when he was starting out, he refused to give up.
Class of 2008 Graduation — During the ten months students spend at Hallmark, not only do they work very hard to create the most professional year-end portfolio with which to pursue job opportunities upon graduation, but they also create lasting relationships amongst themselves. The support of classmates during the school year is pivotal as students strive to understand techniques such as lighting and design, learn the essence of business skills and marketing knowledge in the industry and the importance of networking. Early on in the year, bonds are formed and the encouragement of classmates is a constant through all the highs and lows of becoming a professional photographer. During graduation, one student is called upon to capture this feeling in a speech to his/her classmates. Pictured: Soon-to-be-graduate, Jim, framed by an impressive display of awards waiting to be presented, poignantly addresses his fellow classmates just prior to the class receiving their Certificates of Completion.
Class of 2008 Graduation — Ten months of hard work, sheer determination and self-motivation culminated with a glorious ceremony for 215 graduating students on Friday, June 20th, 2008. Under partly sunny skies, the graduates listened to Keynote Speaker, Andrew Eccles, a highly acclaimed New York City photographer, as he challenged the class to never give up, telling them, "The best picture is always the one you haven't yet taken". In addition to Andrew, the class was also addressed by Rangefinder Publishing CEO and Wedding and Portrait Photographers International President, Steve Sheanin, as he welcomed the new photographers into the industry. Special awards were bestowed upon a number of graduates who excelled throughout the Hallmark program. The ceremony concluded with the unveiling of the Mamiya Award of Excellence, which acknowledges dedicated efforts and achievements in the field of photography. It is judged by an independent group of advertising professionals. This year's award has been given to Paul Nordmann, of St. Louis, MO and graduate of Hallmark Institute of Photography. Pictured: George J. Rosa III, President of Hallmark Institute of Photography and Tony Downer, Director of Education, hold up a copy of the advertisement featuring Paul's imagery that will appear in American Photo Magazine in the fall of 2008.
Week Forty-One — With the portfolio review process coming to a close at the conclusion of Week Forty, students have officially made the transition from student photographer to professional photographer. The commentary received from the panel of highly acclaimed professional photographers, not only allows a student to understand the things they have a solid grasp of, but the constructive feedback also allows the student to add or subtract pieces to their portfolio making the overall body of work stronger, prior to heading out to a job interview. Pictured: Current student, Ashley, absorbs commentary from panelist Barbara Bordnick, as two of her classmates and supporters, current students Sam and Amy, listen in.
Week Forty — This week concludes the Portfolio Review Process. After ten short, but intense months of professional photography and imaging training, students have built a strong bond with one another as they have all worked extremely hard towards the common goal of presenting the most technically accurate, creative, professional portfolio possible. The support and encouragement offered by classmates who have become friends is a constant theme throughout the year, but is never more evident than when a student's portfolio is up for review. Pictured: current student, Kim, surrounded by her supporters made up of personal friends and Hallmark students.
Week Forty — This week, our panel of Professional Photographers, Barbara Bordnick, Beth Reynolds and David Turner, enter their third and final week of reviewing students' year-end portfolios. Hallmark students spent the last 9 months attending lectures, learning in hands-on environments, shooting, re-shooting, editing and printing all in an effort to create the most professional year-end portfolio possible. An exceptional amount of hard work, determination, heart and soul go into each individual student's portfolio, therefore, to hear the words "Portfolio Accepted" once the Portfolio Panelists have reviewed their work, can bring on a flood of emotions. Pictured: current student, June, raises her hands in triumph as she hears the news; current student, Malissa, cries tears of joy during her review and current student, Gus, smiles with relief as his portfolio is also accepted.
Week Thirty-Nine — This week students are fine-tuning their business and marketing plans through a series of classes covering topics such as out-of-studio display, site selection, interviewing skills, and vendor relations. In addition, Portfolio Review is in full swing as the review panel continues to inspire and educate students by providing objective and meaningful commentary about each and every body of work submitted for review. Clearly, the portfolio review process marks a special time in each of our students' lives by promoting individual confidence and pride along with camaraderie amongst the entire student body. Pictured: Panelist Beth Reynolds comments on an exceptional portrait within the year-end portfolio of current student Holly.
Week Thirty-Eight — The excitement builds and the learning process is ever-present as Portfolio Review continues this week. The commentary received by students upon review of their year-end portfolios provides them with feedback from three highly acclaimed photographers. Our review panel shares a wealth of combined knowledge in an effort to afford praise of images that are technically and artistically above average -- and to provide constructive criticism of images that need more attention. The panelists also provide their thoughts on each student's overall body of work. Pictured (left to right): Panelists Beth Reynolds, Barbara Bordnick and David Turner discuss content and cropping of a particular image from a student's year-end portfolio.
Week Thirty-Seven — On Thursday, May 22nd, the exciting final stage of Hallmark's 10-month program began when the Class of 2008 entered the Portfolio Review process. Each student presents their Year-end Portfolio to a panel of working professional photographers for review. In addition to determining whether the portfolio meets the school's stringent requirements for successful completion, panelists also provide detailed, constructive feedback to the student as to the portfolio's strengths and weaknesses. Shown here is a scene from Day 1 of the review in our Main Auditorium: Panelist David Turner gives current student Sam detailed comments on his portfolio. Images from the portfolio appear on the overhead screens as they are discussed, allowing the students, faculty, and supporters in attendance to follow the critique.
Week Thirty-Seven — This week, Hallmark's Guest Lecturer Series concluded on a high note as renowned photographer Greg Heisler inspired and entertained the Class of 2008. Greg began his career shooting for Life Magazine and since that time has become one of the most sought after editorial photographers in New York City and throughout the world. His words of wisdom and his exciting delivery were the perfect way to wrap up the Guest Lecture Series. Students also spent class time this week focusing on packaging and allied products to help present their bodies of work in a creative and professional manner, and put final touches on their Year-end portfolios and personal web sites. Pictured: Greg Heisler speaks from the podium as one of his awe-inspiring images is shown on the big screen behind.
Week Thirty-Six — With less than two weeks remaining before their Year-end Portfolios are due, students are eager to get input from instructors about which images will contribute to the strongest overall body of work. Shooting, editing and printing of final images continues this week as Portfolio Preparation classes allow a forum for students to share these images with our knowledgeable instructors and get feedback on final touches such as cropping and color enhancements. Also this week, our Guest Lecturer Series continues with Brian Smith, a Miami based Editorial Photographer and Bill Diodato, New York City Fashion and Commercial Photographer and 1987 Hallmark Graduate. Pictured: Current student Jim listens as Instructor Tony Downer provides him with insightful feedback on some of his Year-end Portfolio images.
Week Thirty-Five — Douglas Kirkland, a legend in the field of photography and the latest speaker in Hallmark's extraordinary Guest Lecturer Series, shared his work and his insights with Hallmark's Class of 2008. Students were treated to a glimpse into his remarkable career, which has spanned 50 years and encompassed everything from photographing Marilyn Monroe in the '60s to working on contemporary film sets such as Titanic and Moulin Rouge. The inspiration proved timely, as this year's class progresses on their final body of work, their Phase IV portfolio, before embarking on their own photographic careers. Pictured: Douglas Kirkland standing on stage in the Main Auditorium in front of one of his many recognizable celebrity images.

Christina Alcorn, Class of 2008

Week Thirty-Four — This weekend showcased the annual Student Open House, an all-school event that is organized and run entirely by the resident class. The Open House featured live demonstrations in the studios and labs, a print sale and exhibition, amazing food, live music, and fun. This event was a smashing success and drew rave reviews from all that attended. The purpose of the Open House was twofold: not only were students able to show off their accomplishments to family, friends and industry leaders, they also learned how best to orchestrate, market and host a large-scale event. Pictured: Current student Alexis walks her mother through one of the many print exhibitions in the school, as alumna Sabrina checks out the work of this year's class with her new family.
Week Thirty-Three — Students are just about halfway through their final Phase and are kicking into high gear, booking clients and polishing up their Portrait, Commercial, and Design assignments. Shooting in the Portrait Studio with medium format Leaf Aptus 22 digital backs tethered to fast Mac Pro workstations, they are able to review images with their clients to make sure they have the shot they want before the session is complete. In the classroom this week, instructors go over sales promotion, introduce psychological selling, and discuss planning and analysis tools. The all-important Critique class begins, which helps students look critically at their work, evaluate their printing and retouching skills, and begin the arduous editing process that results in the best body of work they can possibly produce: the Final Portfolio. Pictured: Current student Ashley works with her clients to help choose the best family portrait from the day's shoot.
Week Thirty-Two — To keep up with the demands placed on photographers and photojournalists in today's market, our students learn about multimedia production and how to incorporate multimedia into their professional offerings and self-promotional efforts. Working in teams, they were challenged to use digital audio recorders and still cameras to produce a short audio/visual slideshow during the space of their two-hour class. In other current classes, financing and banking needs are covered in depth, as representatives from Bank of America give a presentation on small business banking and discuss what banks look for in professional business plans. In our continuing Guest Lecturer Series, award-winning commercial photographer Rick Souders spends the day covering the fascinating world of professional food and beverage photography. Pictured: Instructor John Nordell and current students Amanda, Racca, Jess, and Samantha enjoy one of their multimedia works-in-progress.
Week Thirty-One — The one-on-one learning environment which Hallmark prides itself on is evident here as instructor Dick D'Alessandro works with student Leslie on her commercial set-up and lighting. Our sixteen commercial studio bays and nine portrait studio spaces are all buzzing with activity as students work with instructors to bring their myriad ideas and concepts to life. On the business side of the curriculum, this week we welcomed guest lecturers Bill Sumner, a commercial photographer with 25 years of experience known for his stellar problem-solving skills, and Bobbi Lane, a commercial portrait photographer and Chair of the Education Committee for Advertising Photographers of America. Bobbi spent two extra days with us to teach an intensive estimating class that helped students understand how to estimate, bid and secure jobs in many different types of markets.
Week Thirty — With less than three months until graduation, students are making decisions that will help ease the transition from an educational environment into the photographic workplace. Classes are geared towards not only refining their work, but also introducing specific resources; for example, the wide variety of presentation techniques and portfolio cases used by today's working professional photographers. In addition to shooting in the studios and on-location, students are working closely with instructors in the Design and Imaging Labs, learning to edit, crop, and retouch their images to create the strongest possible body of portfolio-quality work. Pictured: Instructor Tom Prutisto works with current student Karinna in the Imaging Lab.
Week Twenty-Nine — Standing at the podium on stage in the Main Auditorium on Monday, March 24th is world renowned documentary photographer, Mary Ellen Mark. Voted "Most Influential Woman Photographer of All Time" by the readers of American Photo magazine, Mary Ellen is seen here describing to the current students the trust and respect that she establishes with her subjects that has enabled her to capture the truth in her photography for so many years. Her inspiring lecture provided the resident class the perfect segue from Spring Recess back into the reality of building their photography careers. The Class of 2008 returns to their photographic home as they enter the most challenging and rewarding stretch of their Hallmark journey. With just over eight weeks until their Year-End Portfolios are due, the collective energy is at an all-time high in our unique learning environment as they encourage, motivate, and inspire each other to produce visual results beyond their wildest dreams.
Week Twenty-Eight — After meeting the challenges of the Career Business Plan and producing their first round of portfolio work, students welcome the chance to recharge their batteries during our Spring Break. But many students will also be using this time to keep working toward their goals. That may mean assisting professional photographers, interviewing for jobs, or apartment-hunting in the city they'll be living in after graduation. Pictured: Current student Marcello loads up his car with camera gear -- some of it his own, some borrowed from the extensive equipment collection we maintain for student use.
Week Twenty-Seven — As part of our continuing Guest Lecture series, students were treated to a morning presentation by Lois Greenfield, an extraordinary photographer whose groundbreaking approach to photographing the human form in motion has radically redefined the genre. Susan McManus, a 2007 Hallmark graduate working in Lois Greenfield's studio, joined her on stage for an open question-and-answer session on how the Hallmark experience relates to the realities of working in the photo industry today. In the afternoon, Jim DiVitale, nationally renowned commercial photographer and photo illustrator, shared his knowledge and vast experience of the digital world with the current class. Throughout the week students will be found putting finishing touches on their Additional Personal Submissions, a major component of the Year-End Portfolio Assignment. These submissions give the student the opportunity to personalize their body of work with images representing their specific areas of interest, while still supporting the broader objectives of the Year-End Portfolio.
Week Twenty-Six — This week finds our students working on an ever-widening variety of assignments and styles, from pet photography to model headshots. Each student is also hard at work on the Additional Personal Submissions, which round out the final portfolio and reinforce the career direction each student is developing through the Career Business Plan process. This week also brings two more great visitors in our Guest Lecture series: legendary dance photographer Lois Greenfield, and digital pioneer and Photoshop wizard Jim DiVitale. Pictured: As part of a lecture and demonstration on pet photography, Instructor Tony Downer takes a portrait of two dogs as their owner, current student Taryn, looks on.
Week Twenty-Five — With Student Conference/Review Week in full-swing, members of the Faculty and Staff focus their attention on the strengths and weaknesses of each individual student's Career Business Plan. Hosted in a professional and intimate environment, the Conference/Review provides each student with the opportunity to individually receive constructive feedback as to the validity of their Career Business Plan, as well as a critique of the first visual component of their Year-end Portfolio Assignment. Students leave the Conference/Review with a positive direction for pursuit of employment in the field of photography and imaging, and a confidence in their work that will lead to successful completion of their Year-end Portfolio Assignment.
Week Twenty-Four — On Wednesday, February 20th, two special guests from Hearst Publications in New York City treated students to an inspiring and enlightening talk. David Turner, Staff Photographer, and Simon Alexander, Studio Manager, not only shared their vast experience in the world of photography, but also gave students valuable insight into the inner workings of one of the world's leading publishing empires. The day was filled with outstanding imagery and excellent advice from these two top professionals. This week also saw the Class of 2008 submitting their Career Business Plans for review after several weeks of hard work and research. A team of instructors spends the week carefully evaluating and commenting on each plan in relation to the student's stated goals and the realities of the industry. Meanwhile, the studios and computer labs are being put to good use as students work on finalizing images for their Phase III body of work. Pictured: David Turner answers questions from the auditorium stage in our Educational Center.
Week Twenty-Three — Our Guest Lecturer Series is in full swing this week, with a wide variety of offerings. Andrew Kessler from Coffee Pond Photography brought a panel of artists and photographers to answer questions about working in a fast-paced consumer-driven market. Hallmark was honored to host Ryszard Horowitz, who shared his award-winning photographic career through images and captivating stories. Also featured were Andy Marcus, a celebrity wedding photographer from New York City, and Susan and Stewart Powers, nationally renowned wedding photographers from Gainesville, Florida. The Powers extended their lecture to a Saturday hands-on workshop at a local church, where they walked students through the ins and outs of successfully navigating a wedding shoot. The following Tuesday, students found even more inspiration and motivation from Kerry Brett, a portrait and celebrity photographer based in Boston, and Vincent La Foret, a Pulitzer Prize winning national contract photographer for the New York Times. Portfolios and Career Business Plans are coming together as students continue to work furiously on their independent assignments. Pictured: Current student Becca and her real husband Tim pose as bride and groom as the Powers demonstrate their successful formula for photographing weddings.
Week Twenty-Two — Nowhere is Hallmark's one-on-one student-faculty interaction more evident than in this week's beginning series of critique classes, where students work hand-in-hand with instructors in the classroom on editing, cropping, and enhancement of images that will make up their Phase III Portfolio. Both the portrait and commercial studios are buzzing with activity as students forge ahead and build their bodies of work. Career business planning comes together as students prepare the financial component of their plans for review. In our continuing Guest Lecturer Series, students were treated to an inspirational day with Beth Reynolds, a documentary photographer who dedicates her exceptional talent to recording stories that change people's lives. Pictured: Current student Ashley works with Instructor Lindsay Nelson on editing and cropping of portrait images.
Week Twenty-One — Students are hard at work in the Portrait and Commercial Studios on the varied individual components of their Phase III Portfolio Assignment, as well as finding new avenues in the photo and small business market to build a solid career business plan. Outside of shooting assignments, they attend classes on web site design, advanced digital imaging, and art history. Our Guest Lecture Series continues this week with Jack Reznicki, current president of the Professional Photographers of America, and Catherine Hall, a successful San Francisco-based photographer, who both shared their work and business savvy with the current class. Pictured: Current student Courtney orchestrates a fashion photo shoot in one of our portrait studios.
Week Twenty — This week students are hard at work planning and shooting their first full portfolio of work. They are responsible for producing all aspects of their shoots: finding models, propping, styling, set design, and more. In addition to putting their time management skills to the test, students continue to attend classes on advanced topics like posing and lighting groups, and balancing different color temperatures of light. In the Design Lab, they are challenged to shoot and lay out a number of different design projects, from advertisements and product sheets to brochures. Meanwhile, they have also begun research for their Career Business Plans, the first step in preparing a solid plan of action for a successful career in photography. Pictured: Instructor Rich Barnes leads a hands-on demo during a Group Posing Workshop.
Week Nineteen — Jay Maisel, world renowned photographer, answered student questions in Hallmark's main auditorium on Monday, January 14th, after delivering an inspiring talk entitled "Light, Color and Gesture." Mr. Maisel is the inaugural speaker for our 2008 Guest Lecturer Series, which features dozens of world class photographers who visit Hallmark to share their images and highlights of their careers with the resident class. This series is a key part of the second half of the Hallmark program. Later in the day, students were guided through the new and ambitious collection of assignments they will be mastering in the coming weeks as they move toward the creation of their final portfolios.
Week Eighteen — After a restful Holiday Recess, students are right back into the swing of things as they learn the ins and outs of shooting tethered in the Portrait Studio with their Mamiya 645 AFDII camera system and Leaf Aptus 22 digital backs. In the Commercial Studio, the focus is on theoretical thinking as students are challenged to create a conceptual still-life. As Phase II wraps up, students gather their work for their website galleries and prepare for an exciting new Phase. Pictured: Instructor Tom Prutisto reviews color correction and histograms while photographing current student Josh in the Portrait Studio.
Week Fifteen — There is a lot of hustle and bustle in the final days prior to our two-week Holiday Recess. Students continue to refine their skills in the portrait and commercial studios, learn how to prepare digital files for stock agency submissions, and make plans to execute an exciting new photojournalism assignment. As part of our public speaking curriculum, student speeches about different jobs in the photo industry continue, with groups of students formally presenting what they have learned through research and personal interviews. On the business side, classes revolve around copyright issues, taxes for small businesses, and marketing to alternative industries. Pictured: Current students Audrey and Nicole stand in front of their class to give their presentation on the working life of an Art Buyer.
Week Fourteen — It's a busy week at Hallmark as students juggle a number of new assignments. They are working hard on their portrait lighting skills, creating environmental still-lifes in the commercial studio, and getting lessons in art history and fine art landscape photography. Meanwhile, the business curriculum this week focuses on creating marketing materials, including personalized stationery, resume and business cards to kick-start their new careers. Some students will begin using these materials during the upcoming Holiday Recess as they pursue short-term assisting work and start networking for post-graduation jobs. Pictured: Instructor John Nordell demonstrates how to set up and shoot environmental portraits.
Week Thirteen — Students hit the ground running this week, as they dive into more advanced challenges in the portrait and commercial studios. Having learned to solve tricky lighting problems when shooting glassware and reflective metal, students apply this knowledge to different types of product photography in the commercial studio. In the portrait studio, they learn the subtleties of lighting backgrounds and adding depth to their photographs through the use of accent lights. Meanwhile, in the business curriculum, students are interviewing a range of working photographic professionals -- fashion photographers, commercial photographers, studio managers, photographic assistants -- and will be giving ten-minute speeches reporting on what they learned. Pictured: Current student Jess takes meter readings while Instructor Tony Downer checks the composition of Floyd's glassware shot.
Week Twelve — On returning from Thanksgiving Recess, students put their technical and artistic talents to work on an exciting new assignment: their first-ever aerial photograph. From a fixed-wing aircraft 1000 feet above the ground, students need to call on their skills with speed and confidence to get their shot. Meanwhile, in the earth-bound portions of this week's curriculum, students are busy refining their design skills and marketing prowess as they work on printed self-promotional materials and begin their first web galleries. Pictured: Current student Althea hoists her camera victoriously after a successful flight.
Weeks Ten and Eleven — After diving into exciting new Phase II assignments in Week 10, students left for Thanksgiving Recess in Week 11 with food for thought: On Tuesday, November 20th, we held our annual Alumni Roundtable event, where eight Hallmark alumni from recent years were invited back to Turners Falls for a panel discussion. Students had the opportunity to ask lots of questions and get a new take on what working life will be like after Hallmark. The business portions of the curriculum start to become more vivid now as students mull over their own plans and goals. Pictured: The Class of 2008 eagerly engages with the panel. Our panelists (left to right): Matt Griswold (2003), Wendy Maybury (2000), Kris Payne (2006), Melissa Mullen (2001), Jeremy Saffer (2004), Faith Dugan (2005), Chat Sirichanvimol (2004), and Sherri Ciancutti (1998). Directors of Education Rich Barnes and Tony Downer served as moderators.
Week Nine — The first of four Phases in Hallmark's 10-month program officially wrapped up with a formal review of students' progress to date. Faculty and staff gathered on Friday, November 9th in the auditorium of the Educational Center to view work for the Phase One Final Assignment. This multi-part assignment challenged students to not only demonstrate their technical skills, but to manage their time efficiently and meet scheduled deadlines. The resulting work is a culmination of 8 weeks of intensive class lectures, field demonstrations, and technical exercises. Instructors viewed a sample of work from each component of the final assignment, and discussed what worked well and what could be improved. Pictured: We look over the shoulder of Instructor Tom Prutisto as he works with current student Alex in putting the finishing touches on one of the required submissions for his Phase One body of work. Alex is using Adobe Lightroom to view, edit, organize, and print his work for this assignment.
Week Eight — As the first quarter of Hallmark's intensive 10-month program draws to a close, students are busy producing their first photographic portfolio. Portfolios are presented to the resident faculty during a formal review on Friday, November 9th. Required submissions cover a very wide range of styles -- a self-portrait, a group portrait with portable electronic flash, a product on location, a panning shot of an object in motion, and more. The Phase One Final Assignment represents the technical and artistic skills that each student has acquired in just the first nine weeks. Pictured: Current students C.J. (model) and Tisha are working in one of our Portrait Studios with Instructor Rich Barnes, who is displaying portrait lighting patterns captured with the Leaf Aptus 22 digital back attached to a Mamiya 645 AFDII camera system.
Week Seven — Week Seven - The intensity of the first quarter of Hallmark's 10-month program is about to heat up as students are introduced to the Phase I Final Assignment. During the next two weeks, students will concentrate their efforts on producing their very first portfolio, to be presented to the instructional staff during a formal portfolio review in Week Nine. This body of work will represent the technical and artistic skills that each student has acquired in just the first seven weeks. Pictured: Seated on the steps our Auditorium, Instructor Michael Zide discusses the history of photography and photographic processes.
Week Six — Two diverse and challenging assignments stand out in Week Six of our 10-month program. Building on their introduction to large format photography, students work on their first assignment with a 4x5 camera in the commercial studio. They also gain additional experience with their medium-format camera systems by combining their introductory knowledge of the Leaf Aptus 22-megapixel digital back with the use of a portable strobe. Pictured: Current students work together on the portable strobe assignment emphasizing the subtle nuances of combining the portable strobe with a reflector to soften harsh shadows. From left to right, Courtney is the photographer with Cathy and Vince playing the role of assistants and Amy as the model.
Week Five — With an opportunity to work on-location once again, students will invade the nearby Five College area — home to the University of Massachusetts, Amherst College, Smith College, Mount Holyoke College, and Hampshire College. These surroundings provide the perfect setting for this week's photographic assignments where students, using their now sound technical abilities, will hone their visual awareness skills. Meanwhile, this week's business curriculum concentrates on stock photography as a viable product line for student, and professional, photographers. Pictured: Current students work together on an outdoor portrait assignment emphasizing proper use of a reflector; from right to left, Audrey is the photographer on this shoot, with Nicole playing the role of assistant and Fabiola as model.
Week Four — With three weeks of sound basic technical skills under their belts, students embrace an amazing variety of new challenges throughout Week Four. Students continue to build their knowledge of the business of photography by completing assignments in Business Communications. At the same time, they are introduced to portable flash techniques, posing, important concepts in Visual Arts, and large format photography. Pictured: Current student Michelle looks through her handmade box camera. As an exercise in learning the theory behind large format photography, each student made their own box camera — with a real 150mm lens — and used it to capture a creative portrait on 4x5 transparency film.
Week Three — During Week Two, students were able to work on location while applying the basic technical skills they had acquired in Week One. This week, students can again be found working one-on-one with instructors in the field as they venture to the quaint nearby village of Shelburne Falls. This Week Three field trip allows students the opportunity to hone their newfound photography skills as they explore another beautiful rural New England community. Another highlight of this week is the change from film capture to digital capture; each student is issued a Leaf Aptus 22 medium-format digital back. Pictured: A current student familiarizes herself with the menu options of the Leaf Aptus 22 attached to her Mamiya 645 AFDII camera system.
Week Two — Working from the solid foundation of basic technical skills acquired in Week One of our program, students embark on the challenge of applying those skills while working on location this week. Field trips to nearby Clark Art Institute and the Williams College Museum of Art afford students the opportunity to work in the field with each other, as well as one-on-one with instructors, as they apply their new skills and strive for perfect results. Pictured: Current student Brad looks on as fellow classmate Troy fine-tunes the composition and focus of his final image for his assignment using his Mamiya 645 AFDII camera system.
Week One - Off and Shooting! — Armed with their medium-format cameras and new technical concepts, students were excited to put everything into use during their first field trip, to nearby Historic Old Deerfield. With their first two assignments focusing on exposure control and direction of light, students were anxious to work with each other and begin building a solid base of technical skills. Pictured: Current students Amanda and Braden, arriving on-location with equipment in hand, enjoy collaborating on their first shooting assignment as students at Hallmark.
Does It Get Any Better Than This on Day 1 of Photography School? — On Monday, September 10th, Hallmark's Class of 2008 officially began their 10-month educational journey into professional photography. One of the first orders of business is for students to receive instruction on their brand new medium-format camera systems. This versatile film and digital system is a staple for professional photographers and for today's photography student who wants to pursue their education at the highest level possible. After spending Day 1 in the classroom getting to know their gear and learning some of the basic concepts, students test out their knowledge this week on a field trip to nearby Historic Old Deerfield. Pictured: current student Larry checks out the viewfinder of his Mamiya 645AFD II camera with an 80mm lens.
Class of 2008 Arrives — Wednesday, September 5th marked the arrival of Hallmark's 33rd graduating class, the Class of 2008. Many of these future photographic professionals have traveled far to get here — we have students from Italy, Brazil, Canada, the Dominican Republic, the Philippines, Singapore, England, and India, as well as from across the US — but today is just the beginning of the most exciting and challenging part of their adventure. Their 10 months with us begins with a three-day Orientation including guest appearances by photographers and industry professionals. Wednesday's activities concluded with an inspiring presentation by award-winning photographer Barbara Bordnick.
Finalizing Plans — On Wednesday, September 5th, Hallmark's Class of 2008 will arrive and begin their ten-month journey into professional photography. The professional experience that is brought to each and every hour of our 1400 clock hour program by our talented, dedicated and caring faculty is one of the largest reasons prospective students choose Hallmark for their education. Our Alumni constantly tell us that it's the relationships they formed with our faculty that made Hallmark the most positive and memorable experience of their lives. That's because our faculty care more about the success of our students' careers in Professional Photography than anything else. Pictured: Hallmark's 2007/2008 Faculty, seated at individual digital workstations in our industry-envied Imaging Lab, gather together to finalize the curriculum for an upcoming Digital Foundations class.
Final Preparations — On Wednesday, September 5th, Hallmark's Class of 2008 will arrive and begin their ten-month journey into professional photography. One of the many reasons prospective students choose Hallmark is our industry-envied Educational Center. Every year Hallmark reinvests in equipment purchases and upgrades. This ensures that our students have the best working environment possible, and gives them expertise with the tools they will be using in the professional world. Pictured: Paul Bissex, Instructor and Director of Software Development, assists with unpacking a load of brand new 23-inch Apple Cinema Displays.
"Must-See TV" — Hallmark prides itself in being the leader of career training for tomorrow's professional photographers. Each and every year, the school commits hundreds of thousands, even millions of dollars ensuring that it remains that way. The summer of 2007 is no exception! Check out the latest addition to our 50,000 square foot Educational Center.

Click here for movie to see how fast progress really does take place here at Hallmark. Watch as we transform open space into our new, intimate and comfortable, technologically savvy, Auditorium.

Check back soon to learn about more exciting changes that are taking place as we prepare to welcome the Class of 2008.