The cornerstone of RMSP's offerings, Summer Intensive is like no other photography program in the world. Nowhere else can you walk in with limited photographic knowledge and dive headlong into an 11-week, comprehensive education in the fundamentals of photography. Beginning with the basic functions of your camera, SI builds your skills from the ground up in an intense yet encouraging environment with a singular goal: helping you become the best photographer you can be.

We do this by immersing you in a vibrant, supportive community of fellow students and professional photographers united by their commitment to developing each individual's unique vision. Our historical belief, inspired by the teachings of Ansel Adams, is that mastering photography’s technical side is the first step. After learning the basics of shutter speeds and f-stops, you’ll learn the foundational skills required for portrait, commercial, studio, and landscape photography. You’ll learn how to process, calibrate, and print your images in our high-tech labs. You will eat, sleep, and in all likelihood dream photography for the entire summer.

Often our students' exposure to this diversity of shooting styles leads to unexpected discoveries. Perhaps you'll come here to learn wedding photography but realize you love shooting landscapes. Or you'll arrive eager to experience the thrill of adventure photography and leave in love with the control and precision of the studio. Only one thing is certain—mastering this medley of disciplines will give you the tools you need to become a complete, well-rounded photographer.

Our instructors work together as a dynamic team in their mission to develop your skill, technique, and vision. Each week of SI builds on the last, as 21 separate instructors and assistants teach you to refine your eye and understand the dance of light that can make your photographs special. We nurture you, challenge you, push you to think creatively, and help you make discoveries you didn’t know were possible before RMSP.

Online instruction, or schools that simply offer an aggregation of workshops, can leave aspiring photographers with gaps and holes in their knowledge. We’ve spent 25 years building a comprehensive, rock-solid curriculum that works. By the time your 11 weeks with RMSP are complete, you will have the fundamental knowledge of a true photographer. There are no holes for RMSP graduates.

Summer Intensive students frequently tell us the course blew away their expectations. Besides capturing the best images of their lives, the rigorous communal journey of SI forms close bonds between students. The SI experience becomes a part of who you are. These are skills and friendships you’ll carry with you for the rest of your days. Every year graduates tell us that it was the best summer of their lives.

Whether it’s time for your first career, a new career, or you simply want a foundation of photographic skill and a trained creative eye for whatever you choose to do in life, Summer Intensive can take you there.

RMSP—for life!