3rd year exchange Ania Masiukiewicz

Where did you go for the exchange?

I am doing my exchange in Copenhagen, Denmark at Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX). The major I decided to take is called Photographic Communication. Unfortunately, however, this is the last year the school offers this course since they decided to close the department down - so I am quite lucky.

I have never been to Scandinavian countries and I have heard a lot of good opinions about Denmark so that is also one of the reasons why I chose specifically this school. However, the program of the major of course had the biggest influence on my decision and as far as I can say now I am very happy that I came here. It is more commercial than KABK, because we focus on campaigns and editorial projects rather than personal in-depth work but still with a personal visual style in mind. I think it is a good form of escape from KABK bubble if someone is interested to get a a more broad view on photography in the commercial world.

What does your day look like / What kind of subjects do you have?

It is a little bit different from KABK since the semester is divided into five courses that last for few weeks and within this time we focus on a specific field of study. For example the first month here we had Fashion Photography & Visual Identity and with each week we would get a new assignment in the field of fashion photography. Also our teacher for each assignment invited a guest who would guide us in our work. First week we were shooting at Fashion Week Copenhagen and had a casting agent coming from London. The second week we were working with British fashion photographer Iain McKell. We were able to get personal feedback from him on our work. And the third week we worked with Benjamin Tarp, a photo editor from Vogue Scandinavia where our assignment was to produce a fashion campaign for the summer issue of Vogue.

I think I can say each day/week here looks different since we have a variety of work to do. But there is always a moment for a production/ shooting time and feedback after. It is a lot about self organization but with guidance by the teachers. With 11 people in our department we are a small group of students, but this makes our workflow very easy.

What is the environment? / How much does the school differ from KABK?

My first impression of the school is really good. The students in my class are very friendly and nice to one another. I noticed that everyone helps each other out, there is no competition or judgment - especially while presenting the work or feedback time. It is nicely refreshing to be honest. However, since we are such a small group it is easier to have more personal one on one time with tutors. We all also have our own computer and desk to work on. I also feel like teachers and school generally is conscious about the needs of the students and actively work alongside them. We get lots of materials and equipment to choose from also free of charge. We have our own flex tight scanner in the classroom, enough workspace and access to school 24/7. At the same time, I noticed that whenever we feel mistreated by teachers they respect us and treat us as adults. It is a really healthy environment to study in. Besides our department, the rest of the school is quite a typical university so sometimes it is quite funny to see the difference between creative and communication part. Especially in a way people dress and behave. But generally every aspect of the school is positive.