For a documentary photographer – for any photographer who is interested in making deep, emotional connections through their work – few things are more fulfilling than working on a long-term project. In building a body of work over an arc of time, and in creating and developing relationships with their subjects, photographers learn to develop narrative structure, to become immersed in creating a body of work, to explore nuance and metaphor, and to develop a critical eye as an editor.
This workshop focuses on how to produce a long-term documentary project, giving participants the skills needed to create images that are stylistically and thematically unified. The class will explore documentary versus more personal or artistic projects, as well as how to convey a point of view, how to edit work, and how to establish a market. The class begins with a discussion on topic selection and the importance of writing a project proposal. During the monthly group sessions, student work will be critiqued, giving participants the opportunity to learn and study other photographers’ projects. The goal is to complete a substantial body of work over a six-month time frame.
