A Student’s Point of View: Introducing Mia Guariano

Hi y’all! My name is Mia Guariano and I am a third year Photographic Sciences major in the Imaging and Photographic Technology option. I am also (hopefully) working on a minor in advertising and public relations. I am currently from Syracuse, New York, however I have moved around quite a bit.

Recently, I have become more involved in a number of extracurricular activities on campus and I hope to bring my new interests to my blog posts. I am a member of Alpha Sigma Alpha and I am the Editor and Historian for our chapter.  I am also the President of the Photographic Sciences Club. Additionally, I am a TA for the Photo Optics class this semester.

Art has always been a passion of mine. I began drawing at a young age and carried this passion with me throughout middle school and high school. I loved it, but I wanted to explore different mediums and tried photography. At age 12, I moved 3000 miles from California and photography became a creative outlet for me. I soon fell in love with it. I photographed anything and everything I could. I used a cheap Canon DSLR my Dad got for me and the rest is history!

What compelled me to come to RIT was, of course, the photo program. Initially, I was an Advertising Photography student, because my background in photography consisted of portraiture and fashion. However, upon taking the Photo Tech class my first year, I discovered that there is more to photography than just clicking the shutter and changing a few settings. Learning the ins and outs of image making and it absolutely fascinated me, so I took the leap and added Photo Science as a major.

Upon entering my second year, I was nervous that I would not do well in the major or fit in as someone with a background in art. This was not the case. The professors and my classmates were so accepting and I believe I flourished in these classes. I enjoyed the content and it definitely pushed me to work harder and follow my passions.

This past spring, I noticed that I was feeling unhappy and overwhelmed by all the work, and that Advertising Photography was just not my calling anymore. That was okay. It was a difficult decision, but I decided to drop my BFA degree path and completely immerse myself in the Photographic Sciences program. I still cherish the time I spent in Ad photo, and in fact, much of the imagery I make is based around fashion and beauty, but I found the photo sciences to be the right path for me. Learning to accept the change in myself and my passion is an important lesson I learned last semester, and I continue to carry this mentality with me.

Currently a third year, I entered this semester with optimism, ambition, and an open mind. This allows me to recognize how diverse the RIT Photo community is and has pushed me to get involved more. Which is how I ended up here as a student blogger. I have always loved writing, especially about topics that I can relate to and to potentially help out others. I am so, so excited to become a more active member of our community here in Gannett Hall and I am eager to share my perspective, as a student interested in both the ‘artistic’ and ‘scientific’ sides of photography. With these blogs, my goal is to share my observations to the RIT photo community and beyond what an amazing School I go to and our amazing facilities. I am looking forward to highlighting what our student and faculty are doing both in and outside of classes.

As I mentioned, I am beyond ecstatic about having the opportunity to share my insights with you all. Thanks for reading and I hope you stick around to read my posts for the rest of the semester! You can also follow me on Instagram @mguarianophoto to check out my latest work. Toodles!

About Mia Guarino
Mia Guariano is a third year Imaging and Photographic Technology student from Syracuse, New York with a passion for all things art, cooking, and baking.