By Jamil Oakford/reporter
Looking at pictures of Roman ruins or the canals of Venice is breathtaking, but TCC students can soon take their own pictures of those landmarks on an upcoming study abroad trip.
NE’s photography program will give students the chance to go to Italy and look at a country rich in culture and history behind the lens of a camera.
“It’s a life-changing event,” said Patricia Richards, photography associate professor.
Departing from the Metroplex May 8, students will travel around Italy for two weeks, returning May 24.
With this trip, students can explore not just a historically important city such as Rome but expand their horizons and learn a little more about the art of capturing a picture.
“The trip inspired me to travel and to take pictures,” said Jamie Cook, a photography student who participated in the trip previously.
The photography program has hosted this trip since 2002 and has been highly successful for the students who take part.
“You’re not at home anymore,” Richards said. “You’re moved into an entirely new environment.”
One of the fun activities for students is a walk through Rome, Richards said. They start in the urban square of Piazza del Popolo in Rome and hit all the major landmarks across the city, including a free viewing of Caravaggio paintings.
By the time they roll around to the Colosseum, it’s nighttime.
“You’re getting to see the whole city lit up at night,” Richards said.
Among the other fun trips, students take a cooking lesson in Pisa and Lucca, stay in Venice for a couple of nights and take a small trip to Piran, Slovenia.
In Florence, they visit a museum that showcases the history of photography.
“It’s an absolute gem of a museum,” Richards said.
To round out the trip, students will fly to Paris and spend three nights there before heading home.
Richards urges students to register immediately.
A $500 non-refundable payment is due to business services at the time of registration for Photography II or Expressive Photography.
The total cost of the trip is $2,250, not including airfare, which Richards will help students navigate once registered.
The real benefits of the trip are seen through the students, like Cook, who are inspired to travel.
“I’ve traveled a lot more since this trip,” Cook said.
And the biggest lesson she learned through this trip?
“We’re all the same,” she said. “We just speak different languages.”
