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A Photography Internship

By Kyle Dorio

By SUNY Oneonta

May 12^th, 2025

My Experience

During the Spring 2025 semester, I had the privilege of serving as a student photography intern for SUNY Oneonta, capturing the campus environment and the diverse experiences the university offers its student body. Each event I photographed provided valuable insights, not only into my photography skills, but also into parts of campus life I might not have otherwise seen. This role allowed me to document and share the richness of our community through a visual lens. As this experience ends, I am very grateful for the skills I’ve developed, the perspectives I’ve gained, and the portfolio I’ve built as a result.

Casino Night

This was the first event I photographed this semester. Although intimidating at first, it turned out to be a great time! I met Director of Campus Activities & Leadership Bill Harcleroad, who I would work with many more times throughout this internship. Overall I'm very happy with how my first event turned out.

Club Expo

This event was one of many this semester that taught me lessons beyond the camera. Being exposed to all the different clubs and programs our school offers was great to see. Each club had members that connected in different ways than others, and I was happy to capture those moments.

Men's Basketball

As a longtime basketball fan, being able to combine the sport with my passion for photography was a very fulfilling experience. I was also able to use a larger telephoto lens than I usually do, which offered a lot of room for creativity in how I frame my shots. Shooting sporting events this semester has sparked my interest heavily, and I want to pursue it in the future.

VITA

Through the IRS' Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program, students at SUNY Oneonta provide free tax preparation services for community members. Seeing the campus give back to the community was a real pleasure, and I learned a lot from this event.

Night of the Impossible

Larry and Raven are two mentalist performers capable of pulling off mind-bending tricks, which I had the privilege of photographing. Learning how to take photos of the performers without distracting the audience was a bit difficult, but I managed to work through it.

Welcome to the Motherland

This event was a celebration of fashion, music and culinary arts from different cultures, where everyone was welcome to enjoy. I met so many people at this event, and being able to take pictures of all the amazing outfits was very fun.

Healthcare Career Expo

The Healthcare Career Expo consisted of local and regional employers of the healthcare industry meeting with SUNY Oneonta students and providing information and employment opportunities in the field. I got to speak with many different employers, many of which are local to Oneonta!

National AIDS Quilt Memorial

SUNY Oneonta had the opportunity to host the National AIDS Quilt Memorial, an organization that tells stories of loved ones lost to the disease, through decorative hand-made quilts. This event had so many heartfelt speakers, and seeing so many individual stories in one place was truly touching. I even got to meet some of the speakers and loved ones who made the quilts.

EZALLTHAT Studio Session

Ellis Devesin, aka EZALLTHAT, is a student at SUNY Oneonta who collaborated with faculty and students in the music department to produce an album. The album is a story about Ellis' life growing up and his time in Oneonta as a student. Make sure to give it a listen!

OH-Factor

OH-Factor is a competition between student bands, and the winner is able to open for the annual OH-Fest concert our school offers. Seeing all the different performers get the crowd involved was a blast, and I was able to get some really cool shots of people having fun. This was definitely one of my favorite events to shoot this semester.

Language Diversity Makes US Stronger

Shortly after the executive order to make English the official language of the United States, faculty organized a roundtable discussion on the effects of the order, as well as the history of anti-language efforts in the United States. Hearing what each speaker had to say was very eye-opening, and I was happy to listen and learn.

Men's Baseball

Another one of my favorite opportunities, photographing the baseball game was very satisfying. Action shots like sliding, hitting the ball and pitching are the ones I'm most proud of. After how much I enjoyed sports photography this semester, I would love to pursue it as a career.

Juried Student Show

As an art student myself, I always try to see what my classmates are capable of each year at the Juried Student Show. Being able to contribute to the event as a photographer and document all those celebrating their hard work was a very fulfilling feeling to me. Congratulations to everyone who submitted work and to those who received scholarships!

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

This play, set in Ancient Greece, was presented by our Theatre Department. Shooting the play was a bit difficult at first, with the rapidly changing lighting, but once I got comfortable I managed to capture some great shots.

OH-Fest

By far my favorite event: OH-Fest was a blast. I was lucky enough to get stage access for the student show and Neon Trees, who I even met in person! I think these are the best photos I took all semester, and I'm extremely proud of how they came out.