Hone technical skills, develop personal style, and create a new body of work.

There are no available registration dates at this time.

This workshop is a part of the 2024 summer Academy program.

Book before December 31st, 2023 and save $300 on any 2-week Academy workshop or $1000 for the 6-week summer school programs. Early Bird discounts will be applied automatically & cannot be combined with any other offers.

Filmmaking

Note: Workshops can also be taken individually.

6-Week Summer Film School (Jun 24 - Aug 2, 2024)

  • 2-Week Film School (Jun 24 - Jul 5, 2024 - SOLD OUT)

  • 2-Week Advanced Film School (Jul 8, 2023 - Jul 19, 2024)

  • Finishing Strong: Editing & Post-Production (July 22 - August 2, 2024)

Photography

Note: Workshops can also be taken individually.

6-Week Summer Photo School (Jun 24 - Aug 2, 2024)

  • 2-Week Digital Photography (June 24 - July 5, 2024)

  • 2-Week Advanced Digital Photography (July 8, 2024 - July 19, 2024)

  • Scholastic Portfolio Development (July 22 - August 2, 2024)

Book Arts & Design

Midcoast Maine Summer Arts Expedition (July 22 - August 2, 2024)

This workshop embraces photographic vision while addressing the multitude of technical digital approaches. Students work on location and embark upon field trips to fishing villages, lakes, mountains, forests and the islands in the Bay. They also take advantage of these environments for hikes and swimming.

In the digital darkroom, students learn Advanced Lightroom and Photoshop techniques such as layering, color, and collage, along with techniques for controlling contrast, image manipulation, retouching, and the use of various papers for printing.

To prepare students for college or other photographic work, the focus of the second week is to create a body of images in a portfolio form.  There are evening shooting assignments, lectures, demonstrations, and assigned lab time where students process digital files and prepare images for this completed body of work.

Maine Media Academy with Bloxham - by Aidan Bliss

Maine Media Academy with Bloxham 2 - by Amanda Piela

Prerequisite:

This two-week program is designed for high school students between the ages of 14 and 18. Students must have the core foundation of photography concepts and techniques or have completed the Digital Photography workshop. Admission is by portfolio or the instructor’s permission.

What you will learn:

Students leave this workshop with a complete single portfolio of work for college preparation or future photography work. Become proficient with the tools, technique, and experimentation that enables students to explore other level 2+3 workshops.

Young Artists Academy student photographing the rocky Maine coast
Advanced Digital Photography student working on the rocky coast of Maine

Maine Media Academy with Gould 4 - by Amanda Piela

Maine Media Academy Advanced Digital Photography at Beech Hill

What you will need:

Students should bring a small body of prior work, a DSLR camera, lens, memory card, and a minimum of 120GB Hard Drive. We have cameras and accessories available for loan for the duration of the workshop if needed.

Past student work

Left to right: Abby Necrason, Dylan Duhamel, Jenna Ball, Zach Thomas Kucerak


About the Maine Media Academy

For over 30 years, each summer the Academy at Maine Media cultivates the next generation of photographers, filmmakers, and book artists through expert learning opportunities. Academy students join a longstanding community of artists and visual storytellers committed to building a legacy of mentorship and lifelong creative learning. Instructors in the program are accomplished working artists and professionals who are dedicated to the personal success and artistic journey of their students. Students will be surrounded by peers who share their passions and are guided by working artists who encourage creativity as they instruct them in the latest skills and techniques and help create portfolio-level work.

Brief Academy Overview:

  • Student days are comprised of both classroom and field/location work: lectures and critiques, demonstrations, shooting, editing, writing, computer workflow, and/or digital lab work, depending on the workshop. All instructors are talented industry professionals as well as experienced educators, and each works with a teaching assistant, providing additional support for their class. The students are busy all day and into the mid-evening hours.
  • All students reside in our campus residence, occupying the lower floor. Rooms are all private baths with a maximum of three students per room (most will be doubles). Resident Advisors (RAs) also reside on the same floor to monitor and supervise. The upper floor is occupied by non-Academy adult workshop attendees who will have little exposure or direct interaction with the Academy students.
  • During the week, all meals are taken together in the dining facilities directly across the street. Weekend meals are taken in the local economy and transported by the RA’s – or sometimes do cookouts. This cost is included in the tuition package. Parents may indicate any special dietary needs upon registration.
  • RAs supervise the students when not in class and help make group decisions about weekend activities which may include swimming, bowling, movies, and hiking. Coin laundry facilities are available on campus.
  • A lobster dinner is served (there are other choices) on the last Friday night of each workshop, and all Maine Media students gather for an evening presentation of highlights from the week’s work. Parents are welcome to attend, and meal tickets may be purchased in the Registration Office.
  • We recommend students have access to $150 over the two-week period for incidentals, snacks, movies, field trips, etc.
  • Check-in is on Sunday, between 3 and 6 and departure is on Saturday morning.
  • Tuition includes accommodation, access to campus amenities, transportation once the workshop has begun, meals (including a lobster dinner!), Resident Advisors, and Teacher’s Assistants.
  • Students may request a transcript be sent to their high school for possible credit.

Questions or Need More Information?

We have the answers to your questions and are here to help! You can give us a call at 877-577-7700, email us at [email protected], or get in touch online.

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Instructor: Kari Wehrs

Kari Wehrs is a photo based artist and educator. She received her MFA in photography from Arizona State University in the spring of 2018.

As a child, Kari spent hours flipping through her Grandmother’s family photo albums that dated from the late 1800s to the mid 1900s. The photographs were compiled neatly, often with handwritten notations, which suggested to her that they were precious objects. Wanting to see the details of each image, Kari often examined the photographs with her Grandmother’s magnifying glass. She found the idea that time could be recorded and “held” in photographs to be truly fascinating.

Kari is currently the Photography Program Chair at Maine Media College in Rockport, Maine. Prior to this, she had been associated with Maine Media since 2008, and has been a workshops instructor since 2012.