Street Art Photography is the RUFA Summer Academy course dedicated to urban photography in Rome, street art and visual storytelling of the city. Students will learn to observe, interpret what is happening around them and anticipate the moment even before taking the photograph.
Street Art photography: Rome, portrait of a city
DURATION > 1 WEEK
LANGUAGE > ENGLISH
WHEN > 13 – 17 JULY 2026
CAMPUS > ROME
A new perspective
Today, taking photographs may seem simple: all you need is a smartphone. Yet some events that have shaped recent history were captured by amateur photographers who, finding themselves in the right place at the right time, saw their images distributed by media outlets around the world. Indeed, the concept of citizen journalism is becoming increasingly common.
The city through the lens
Throughout the course, students will experiment with the camera in manual mode, learning to use different aperture and shutter-speed combinations to anticipate the final result in terms of focus and motion control. Practical activities will help them understand composition, photographic technology, equipment selection and photographic language, enabling them to express their creativity to the fullest.
The course provides students with the key skills needed to develop photographic techniques and portray urban reality and people on the streets of Rome. Outdoor experiences will allow participants to test the power of photography as a medium and understand the importance of visual literacy, including its ethical dimension.
Learning to produce and interpret images also means learning how to protect oneself from them and develop a freer perspective. Practical lessons include photo shoots in the areas most representative of Rome’s street art, showing how the world capital of archaeology is also an important centre for contemporary art, alongside London, Paris, New York and São Paulo.
The course is enriched by historical insights into photography, with digital presentations and visits to exhibitions around the city.
At the end of the course, participants who have attended at least 4 of the 5 scheduled lessons will receive a certificate of attendance, which may be used for the possible recognition of 2 CFA academic credits
Course type: group – in person
Participants: Min. 8, Max. 15 | The programme is open to university and fine arts academy students, and to anyone who wants to explore the world of photography.
Attendance: Monday to Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm
Duration: 13-17 July 2026
Cost: €850
Requirements/materials: No entry requirements. Students must bring their own digital reflex camera and laptop. Admission fees to museums and other venues are covered by the Academy.
Language: English. A B1/B2 level of English is required to take part in the course.
Lecturer: Andrea Sabbadini
Campus: RUFA – Via degli Ausoni, 7 Rome; RUFA – Via Giuseppe Libetta, 7- Rome + various locations around Rome
Certificate: At the end of the course, participants who have attended at least 4 of the 5 scheduled lessons will receive a certificate of attendance, for the recognition of 2 CFU
THE NATURAL PHENOMENON OF LIGHT: The optical phenomenon of vision. The “camera obscura” and pinhole.
THE CAMERA: Fundamental control elements on a reflex camera.
LENSES: Lens focal length: wide-angle, standard and telephoto. Shooting angle or angle of view. Shooting angle and perspective. Image brightness. Aperture and shutter speed. Depth of field. Motion control.
EXPOSURE MEASUREMENT: Light meter. Incident and reflected light. Contrasting and diffused light. Variation of exposure according to the distance of the light source.
OUTDOOR SHOOTS: San Lorenzo; Esquilino, Ostiense, Tor Marancia and other historic and working-class neighbourhoods of Rome.
DIGITAL RECORDING: basic operating principles and main characteristics (pixels, dpi, tiff, jpg, RAW).
Finalisation and presentation of projects.
Andrea Sabbadini was born in Rome in 1963, where he lives and works in photography.
He graduated in Psychology in 1988 from “La Sapienza” University.
From 1989 to 1992, he attended the Photography School of Visual and Performing Arts in London, winning the Merit Award in the BIPP/FUJI Student Photographic Competition on the theme “The New Optimism”.
In 1993, he won first prize with the “Scale Dorsali” group in the Maastricht Biennale international competition for young artists, dedicated to sound installations and video art.
Since 1996, he has collaborated with leading national and international newspapers and magazines and joined the Order of Journalists. From 2005 to 2010, he taught photography at Richmond University in Rome. In 2010, he collaborated with the International and European Forum for Research on Immigration as part of the “Labour Migration Governance in Contemporary Europe” research group.
From 2010 to 2014, he was the press office photographer for the Italian National Bar Council.
In 2012, he worked on a photojournalistic investigation into the socio-economic situation in Italy and Europe during the years of the crisis, working closely with journalist Angelo Mastrandrea.
From 2013 to 2019, he taught photojournalism at Rome University of Fine Arts.
In 2019, together with photographer Alessandro Parente and artist Libre Vagabund, he produced “Water Box”, a project involving indigenous communities on Mexico’s Pacific coast on behalf of the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art, WA.
He is currently a stringer for Polaris Images and a staff member of Buenavista Photo, a network of Italian freelance photographers.
His personal documentary work develops through photography of places and people, starting from everyday life to investigate social and cultural issues.
RUFA Winter-Summer Course Students and Alumni: 10% RUFA Students and Alumni: 50% Very early bird: by 31 December 2025 – 15% Early bird: by 31 March 2026 – 10% Course/group/family package: contact [corsibrevi@unirufa.it](mailto:corsibrevi@unirufa.it) Participants who, after completing the course, enrol in a First- or Second-Level Academic Diploma Programme will receive a 10% reduction on the annual tuition fee for the first year of attendance.
RUFA has established several agreements with facilities providing housing services. For further information, please contact [corsibrevi@unirufa.it](mailto:corsibrevi@unirufa.it)
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