Professor Spotlight: Al Karvey

If you’ve ever flipped through a clothing catalogue, computer magazine, or seen product advertisements, you’ve seen commercial photography. To Professor Al Karevy, commercial photography is the photography you get paid for.

Karevy is the only commercial photography professor at Franklin Pierce and teaches during the spring semester only. He teaches commercial photography 1 and 2; 2 is more of an individual independent study. Karevy grew up in Baltimore, MD, and eventually made it to Richmond, NH, in 1976 when his wife Patti Harville of 33 years wanted to move up to New England. “There’s just something about New England that I really love,” he said. While living in Maryland, he went to St Mary’s College for two years, took a year off, and when he came up to New England he finished his undergraduate degree at Keene State College studying print journalism. 

“When I finished school, I worked in a camera shop, which I loved,” he said. Karevy also worked for several photographers as an assistant where he was able to work at stores such as Brookstone and L.L. Bean. He then picked up some more photography work in Keene. From there, Karevy began his love for photography.

Dennis Warnesky was the former commercial photography professor at Franklin Pierce and a friend of Karevy’s. Warnesky asked Karevy if he was interested in applying for the job and when he applied, Franklin Pierce hired him. Karevy said, “I’ve been here for seven years.” Karevy keeps in touch with Warnesky as he is always learning something new about teaching.

In his free time, Karevy enjoys traveling and taking his camera with him. He takes a pinhole camera, which allows him to shoot a bug’s eye view. “I really love shooting different landscapes,” he said. Golfing, skiing, and sailing are some of his other activities that he enjoys taking part in. “I’ve always wanted to be a sailboat photographer,” he said.  Karevy is also on the Board of the Vermont Center for Photography in Brattleboro. He has been doing that for about seven years and says it’s a great opportunity to meet different people from New England and to see their art. With all of the new digital photography and the new technology age, Karevy says old photography keeps him sane.  “I really love working in darkrooms with the old cameras.” 

Since Franklin Pierce is such a small school, Karevy believes that students get a lot more chances to try new things. “I know it sounds backwards, but you can do a lot more things here because there are less people, so you get more opportunity,” he explained. Karevy said that within the graphic communications field students are learning all the time because it’s a lifelong pursuit which makes it fun. “It’s a really tough field because everyone thinks they can do it,” he said. “You have to be more creative than others and really want it; don’t see it as a backup plan.” Karevy gives “real world” assignments in his commercial photography classes. Students are assigned to shoot people as a studio portrait for one of their assignments. They also learn how to shoot products such as boxes, shiny phones, and anything else that can be used for a product commercially. “We also do some architecture inside and outside, as well as some fashion,” he said, “I want to teach my students to know what makes a good photo.”

One thing Karevy really wants to do that students may not know about is art. “I wish I was gutsy enough to do art,” he said, “It’s hard to do though when you can’t afford it.”  For now, Karevy enjoys photography and has his own studio located in Keene. For more information on Al Karevy, visit his website at www.karevy.com or send him an email at al@karevy.com.