Student Feature – Amanda Berlinski

Bio: Amanda Berlinski, originally from Linden, New Jersey, is a 3rd year Advertising Photography student with an immersion in Women and Gender Studies. She strives to use the photographic image as a thought-provoking medium, and she hopes to translate the thought process used in fine art photography into a language used in genuine advertising.

What was your most challenging assignment as a photography student?

This is a tough question. I think all of the assignments I’ve completed have been challenging, albeit in different ways. Each project we work on here at RIT is designed to teach us how to problem solve and fine tune our skills as image makers. The challenge is in what you put into your thought process and the effort behind the final product. However, I definitely think when you are working collaboratively with another artist, the challenge gets a bit more tricky. For example, last semester I worked with a graphic designer on an assignment for my Light Control and Manipulation class. For this project, I was “hired” by the designer to materialize her idea for an ad campaign. This shoot was very involved in production as her ideas were grandiose. Producing and photographing is very different when you do not have all of the control behind the creativity or the final product. This was a valuable lesson, and certainly challenging!

What do you love about the school?

I would have to say that the access RIT gives its photography students is absolutely invaluable. I use “access” generally because it can be applied in so many relevant ways. For one, the equipment we have here is incredible; we have 30 studios for photo student use, a hearty variety of film and digital cameras, and amazing lighting equipment and modifiers. The talent and wisdom we have access to here is also a huge privilege. All of the professors and staff at RIT are incredibly talented and experienced in the field. It is truly an honor to work with and learn from them on a daily basis!

To view more of Amanda’s work, go to amandaberlinskiphoto.com.