The Department of Photography at Bezalel is the largest and the leading department in the field of photography in Israel. Its graduates have shaped the local field of photography and include the best contemporary artists working in the fields of photography, video, new media and the moving image - in Israel and around the world.

During their studies, students create a series of photographs, video works, films, books and photography-based installations. They learn how to use the technologically and conceptually dynamic medium of photography to confront and experiment with critical, contemporary and artistic discourse.

The diverse curriculum combines technological studies of the various lens-based visual practices and theoretical studies focusing on historical and thought-based research in the field of photography and the moving image. Over the course of their studies, students specialize in the wide field of photography in its various shades and develop original, critical thinking and analytical observation skills.

The curriculum provides technical and professional grounding in the fields of photography, video, sound, the moving image, advanced computer simulations – CGI and VR – alongside conceptual and theoretical foundations, which form the basis for professional applications in the various multimedia fields upon graduation. Students in the department have at their disposal an array of equipment and infrastructure necessary for creativity, production and experimentation, including cameras in various formats, HD-quality video cameras, lighting and flashes, a dedicated computer lab, printers, well-equipped studio classrooms and a professional darkroom laboratory.

The department's graduates integrate into the local and international photography industry, including the fields of architecture, fashion and food photography, as well as phototherapy, teaching, technology and research.

Today, when the creation and consumption of the photograph image is constant and ubiquitous, it seems that the unbearable ease of photography has become its organizing principle. In the space where the photograph image occurs, beyond words, are the gaze and intent – the essential motivations for operating the camera and for capturing the image in the eye of the photographer and of the viewer. From this place emerge the issues that touch on identity, culture, status, belonging and affiliation, power and economy, body and home, memory and emotion.