Photography Exhibition Serves as Industry Practice Laboratory for Communication Science Students

Dian Nusantara University (Undira) continues to strengthen practice-based learning by presenting a real-world work simulation for students. Through the Even Semester Photography Exhibition for the 2025/2026 Academic Year, titled ‘Lens of Humanity: Human Interest’, students not only produced visual works but also managed the entire exhibition organisation like a professional project. The exhibition, held at the Undira Tanjung Duren Campus in West Jakarta on Friday (26/6), showcased 56 curated photographic works from 54 students of the Visual Photography and Content Course. Unlike previous events, this year’s activity involved cross-course collaboration, namely Visual Photography and Content, Media Relations, and Producing and Programming. Through this collaboration, students were responsible for everything from work production and publication management to press conferences and audiovisual content creation as part of the exhibition. Undira Rector Suharyadi stated that the campus continually encourages students to produce work that not only demonstrates academic ability but also provides benefits to society. ‘I strongly support activities like this and am proud of the students’ creativity. This is in line with the Minister of Education’s directive that the work of students and lecturers should have an impact on society,’ said Suharyadi. The Exhibition Chairperson and Coordinator of the Visual Photography and Content Course, Suswinda Ningsih, explained that the exhibition was designed as a practice laboratory integrating creativity, technical skills, and student collaborative work. According to her, students not only learn to produce good photographs but also understand how an exhibition is packaged, publicised, and promoted to the public. ‘The Lens of Humanity exhibition is not only a space for appreciating student photography but also a practice laboratory that brings together various communication competencies. Students learn to work professionally, from producing works and managing media relations to producing audiovisual programmes,’ she said. She explained that each student was required to produce at least three works on the theme of human interest. All photographs then went through a rigorous curation process until the 56 best works were selected for display. According to Suswinda, students whose photographs did not meet the standards were asked to return to the field to reshoot as part of the experiential learning process. As a form of appreciation for student work, the ten best works this year will be registered for Intellectual Property Rights (HKI). In the future, Undira also aims to hold the exhibition in public spaces such as Taman Ismail Marzuki so that student works can reach a wider audience. She also emphasised that all exhibited works are the result of students’ original photography. Amid the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, the campus implements supervision to prevent image manipulation using AI, although students are allowed to use DSLR cameras or smartphones. Visual Photography and Content Course Lecturer Joni Arman Hamid said the human interest theme was chosen to train students’ social sensitivity as future visual communication practitioners. ‘Photography is not just about producing beautiful images, but also the ability to see reality, understand people, and convey meaningful messages to the public,’ he said. Meanwhile, Media Relations Course Lecturer Tri Satria Muhammad assessed that students’ involvement in managing press conferences and media relations provides experience very close to practice in the communication industry. Student Committee Chair Ahmad Fachruddin added that organising the exhibition was a learning experience that not only honed photography skills but also event management skills, teamwork, and the ability to convey humanitarian messages through visual works. Through this project-based learning model, Undira hopes students will be better prepared to meet the needs of the creative and communication industries, which demand mastery of technical skills as well as the ability to work collaboratively.