ALEXANDER ARTWAY was born in 1903 in Gomel, Belarus and immigrated to New York City where he lived for the next 18 years. He joined the Merchant Marines and later became a captain of ships and sailed around the world taking pictures. He saw much more of the world than the average person of these times and led a rather unconventional life. Artway was fascinated by the skyscrapers going up and photographed New York's iconic structures from every angle and rooftop. He attended NYU and earned a degree in architecture in 193 which inspired him to document New York City life recording city streets, friends, his love life, animals, churches, and of course, architecture. His eye was unique, and his negatives are marked by a modernist aesthetic with a touch of pictorialist romanticism. The images from the Alexander Artway Archive are made up of 4,000 negatives and 3,000 prints, a legacy to his daughter Jeanette.

MICHAEL FROIO is a photographer and educator in the Philadelphia metropolitan area. Much of his work focuses on understanding the built environment and how history creates a compelling narrative in photography. Michael’s commissioned work includes architectural, railroad, and heavy industry documentation and research projects in various mediums, including large format film, digital stills, videos, and time-lapse photography. His work resides in noted collections, including the Library of Congress, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Woodmere Museum, and the Camden County Arts Bank collection.

AMURRI LAUREN is a celebrity and fine art photographer from North Philadelphia, has photographed creative icons from Dapper Dan, Beyoncé, and Nas, to Takashi Murakmi and Hebru Brantley. Vacillating between two worlds “on a regular day,” Amurri can be found traveling between Manhattan and Philly, working as the lens behind Insta-famous jeweler Greg Yuna’s infamous and always-viral street shoots with famed clients; on-call to photograph some of today’s top-of-the-charts entertainers. Amurri’s third exhibition this past summer, "North,” opened at Huddle Gallery in Philadelphia featuring local subjects, grounded by Black history and commentary on socio-politics and racial dynamics. In "North," Amurri endeavors to show the pandemic as both a static and evolutionary time for all. She released her first book, "Genuine," in 2019 following her debut NYC solo exhibition, "SeeSaw," both of which sold out.

KRISTA SVALBONAS holds a BFA in Photography and an MFA in Interdisciplinary studies. Her work has been exhibited in a number of exhibitions including at the Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, Spartanburg Art Museum in South Carolina, Howard Yezerski Gallery in Boston, Klompching Gallery and ISE Cultural Foundation in New York. Her work has been collected in a number of private collections, as well as the Cesis Art Museum in Latvia. Recent awards include a Baumanis Creative Projects Grant (2020), Rhonda Wilson Award (2017), Puffin Foundation Grant (2016) and a Bemis Fellowship (2015) among others. In 2022, Svalbonas will exhibit solo exhibitions of her Displacement series at Riga’s Photography Museum in Latvia, The National Museum in Vilnius Lithuania and the Museum of Photography in Tallinn Estonia. She is an assistant professor of photography at St. Joseph's University. She lives and works in Philadelphia.

Philadelphia photographer PHILIP TAYLOR was born just off Two Street. He saw things many have only read about in history books: the Great Depression, World War II, the Red Scare, the Cuban Revolution, the urban crisis, and the deindustrialization that robbed the city of the kinds of jobs that sustained him, and his photography, after the war. The son of first-generation Ukrainian immigrants, his family was part of the thriving Jewish communities south of Washington Avenue and east of Broad Street. And where Taylor went, his camera came with him. (Text from Philadelphia Voice by Jake Blumgart) Before his passing, Philip donated his work to the archive at the Samuel L. Paley Library at Temple University.

Watch highlights from our 2019 New Jersey Camera Show

Unique University® is the highly acclaimed education component of Unique Photo®, NJ’s only camera and video superstore. There is over 2000 sq. ft. of learning space, including our state-of-the art, 1000 sq. ft. main presentation hall. Unique University’s mission is to help our visitors “Create Better Pictures” by providing photography education for beginners to pros. With events daily, it is the place where photography groups such as local camera clubs, ASMP, PPA and others meet. We have a full curriculum of classes and seminars from world famous speakers such as Art Wolfe, Rick Sammon, Michael Yamashita, Tyler Stableford, Lindsay Adler, and Will Crockett. We offer photography experiences to such places as the Lakota Wolf Preserve, Wolf Conservation Center, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rutgers Football, Longwood Gardens, Festival of Ballooning, and much more. Our technical classes include such topics as basic digital photography, lighting techniques, Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, macro photography, composition, editing and printing, wedding photography, HDR photography, working with speedlights, how to use social media, digital organization, one-on-one instruction, and much, much more. 

FAQ UNIVERSITY

Where are classes held? 
Unless stated otherwise, most classes are held in the Unique University classroom within the Unique Photo Superstore (123 US Highway 46 West, Fairfield, NJ 07004). We also hold classes at our Philadelphia, PA location (28 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106). 

What should I bring to class? 
You're encouraged to bring your camera and a notebook and pen to most classes. Some classes will require additional equipment, so please check the class descriptions. 

Will lunch or refreshments be included? 
Lunch and refreshments are not provided for any classes under 6 hours unless noted. 

How do I register for a class? 
You can register online, in-store at the concierge, or by phone at either 973-377-6454 or 973-377-2007. Please note that you will need to provide payment information. 

Can I register at the door? 
For most classes, you're free to register at the concierge desk prior to the start of the class. Please note that there are some classes that offer "Early Bird Special" rates and others that have limited seating, so it would be in your best interest to register early for such classes. 

I wanted to register for ______ class, but it is now sold out. Is there a waiting list? 
Please contact us at 973-377-6454 or [email protected] with the following information: your name, phone number, email address, and the class name and date. 

My question has not been addressed here. Is there someone I can contact? 
Please contact us at 973-377-6454 or [email protected] with any additional inquiries.

Unique University Class Cancellation Policy
- Classes costing less than $99 may be canceled up to 48 hours in advance for a full refund. For classes costing $100 or more, advanced notice of seven days before the class is necessary for a full refund.
- Requests for cancellation made after these deadlines will be awarded store credit in the amount paid for registration towards a future Unique University seminar or workshop.
- Cancellations made within 24 hours of the beginning of a class will not be honored and no refund or credit will be given.
- Cancellations of any class utilizing models will be subject to a cancellation fee of 50% of the purchased price (up to $100).
** Attention American Express cardholders: If you cancel a registration for a class costing $100 or more, there will be a 3% cancellation fee deducted from your refund or store credit.