The mission of Shutterbug Photography School is to foster, share, and spread a love and understanding of photography.
Bryan Steiff - Founder / Instructor
Shutterbug Photography School is owned and operated by Bryan Steiff. Bryan has been in conversation with the medium of photography for more than 35 years.
He holds a B.F.A. from The Ohio State University and an M.F.A. from Columbia College Chicago, both in photography. As adjunct faculty in the Department of Photography at Columbia College Chicago for more than a decade, Bryan taught a wide range of photography subjects and was awarded multiple faculty development grants. He also taught at Loyola University, worked as a teaching artist in residence at The Laboratory School of the University of Chicago, and served as a curatorial assistant at the Museum of Contemporary Photography. His work has been exhibited nationwide.
Throughout his career, whether teaching, freelancing in photography and web design, or working as a professional art handler, Bryan has remained deeply immersed in the arts. He is a passionate maker and collector of art who loves nearly every aspect of the creative world.
See his fine art photography at
Matt Siber - Instructor
Matt Siber is a visual artist based in Guelph, Ontario working in photography, digital imaging, installation and sculpture. He received his MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and has had solo exhibitions in Spain, Germany and the U.S.. His monograph, Idol Structures, was published by the DePaul Art Museum, Chicago in 2015 in conjunction with his solo exhibition. His artwork is part of many private and public permanent collections including The Art Institute of Chicago, The Museum of Contemporary Photography, and The Bidwell Foundation. His work has been published internationally in such publications as ArtForum, Sculpture Magazine, Ain’t Bad, Aperture and EXIT Magazine. He has received grants from the David C. and Sarajean Ruttenberg Arts Foundation, the Aaron Siskind Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council. Siber is an independent educator who served fifteen years as Associate Professor, Adjunct in the Photography Department of The School of The Art Institute of Chicago.
See his fine art photography at
A Photographic Manifesto, of Sorts
Photography is more than just pictures.
Photography is an art and a science.
Photography can be a picture in a museum, a newspaper, a magazine, or a scrapbook. It is simultaneously fine art and family snapshot, found and constructed, evidence and fabrication, motion picture and still image.
Photographs can be quiet or loud, organized or chaotic, descriptive or abstract.
Photography is a mirror and a window.
Photography is analogue AND digital.
A photograph can be made with a phone, a camera, or none of the above.
Photography is a language that transcends language.
A relationship with photography can not only enhance the way we look at the world, it can actively change the way we see the world.