During her first semester at Brown nearly four years ago, Mason Rudnick ’25 noticed a gap in Brown’s creative landscape: There was no publication focused exclusively on photography. Intent on building a space for student photographers to share their talent and connect with peers, Rudnick and Natasha Joukowsky ’22 launched the Optic, Brown’s first photography magazine.
Now in its fourth year, the online-based publication has grown into a creative hub, connecting students at Brown and the Rhode Island School of Design through visual storytelling. This year, the magazine is planning to release its first-ever print volume, marking a new milestone for the publication.
The co-founders wanted to provide students with the opportunity to give their work “another purpose,” said Rudnick, who now serves as the magazine’s co-president. The Optic aims to be a space where “a variety of people can feel represented in the photography that we put out to the community,” added co-president Samuel Merkle ’26.
Since its founding, the Optic has operated with a flexible, open-ended approach to submissions, publishing both single photographs and themed issues curated around ideas like “connection” and “nostalgia.”
According to Merkle, the Optic’s submission process is intentionally open. The team calls for submissions via Instagram, newsletters and club fairs, and photographers can submit their work through a form on the website. Submissions are reviewed and curated by the publication’s editorial team, which has grown to include 18 members.
Past issues have been primarily digital and shared on the publication’s website and social media platforms. But this semester’s themeless print volume represents a shift in the magazine’s approach.
While they usually choose a theme aimed to “inspire people,” the Optic’s editorial team decided not to theme the print volume “so as not to restrict people from contributing,” Rudnick said.
The printed edition — designed in collaboration with RISD students — features handcrafted visual elements, photo essays, individual works and photography-centered writing. RISD student Olivia Bluming hand-painted the magazine’s cover, and Joe Katzenellenbogen ’27 composed an original score to accompany the print issue’s video announcement.
Managing Editor Luke Abramowitz ’25 said the move to print was a longtime goal for the team. “We’ve been preparing all year, figuring out where the best place to print would be (and) formatting everything,” he added.
Cameron Le ’25, a photographer who submitted to a past issue themed around nostalgia, said he submitted to the issue because he was drawn to the “feeling of being able to revisit a memory, but not being able to entirely access everything from the original moment.”
For Beto Beveridge ’25, who has contributed film and digital work to the Optic since its early days, the publication has helped him connect with other student artists. “It’s been nice to talk to and see the work of people that are similarly interested in photography,” he said. “There are a lot of really talented photographers on campus, and a lot of people doing really cool work in the Optic.”
As the Optic prepares for a leadership transition — with Merkle and Lola Byrd ’27 planning to take over as co-presidents next year — the group remains focused on building community and expanding collaboration across campuses.
Leading the Optic has been “scary, but also really exciting,” Rudnick said. “We’ve created something that didn’t exist before: a community.”
