Workshops

4th International Summer School of Photography (ISSP) 
Truly international in all its parts, this Latvian-based, English speaking “Summer School of Photography” employs established photo professionals from around the world and can give anyone 18 and over from anywhere in the world who has a “serious relationship with photography” some new insights into their art. The ISSP offers 5 thematic workshops that aim to guide students into the next conceptual level in their work. A large part of the experience has got to be the coming-together of such eclectic international group of photographers on Latvian soil.

Al-liquindoi 
Al-liquindoi workshops are led by some of the worlds leading photographers from agencies such as Magnum, VII and Contact Press Images. The workshops are designed for professional photographers & serious amateurs. Workshops focus on the craft of photojournalism; frequently, themes dovetail with wider documentary projects. The photographs created during workshops can be seen at partner galleries across the middle eastern region and, of course, online.

Angkor Photography Festival Workshops 
Cambodia’s legendary temples of Angkor serve as a backdrop for a new and decidedly different sort of photography festival, and the Angkor Photo Festival explores two major themes: Asian photography and photographers, and social responsibility. The idea has been compelling enough to attract an impressive list of major international photographers into not only participating in photo-based outreach programs for some of Cambodia’s most vulnerable people, but also leading free workshops for emerging Asian photographers. Offered by some of the most recognized names in the field, these intensive workshops aim to “guide emerging photographers in developing the skills to better document their own societies.” APF’s sharp website does a very good job of transmitting the Festival’s positive energy, sending the message that for all the right reasons, this is the place to be in late November.

Atlanta Photojournalism Seminar
Founded in 1973 by a group of newspaper, magazine and wire-service photojournalists, the Atlanta Seminar is a venerable institution and has long been the meeting place for working photojournalists. The seminar consists of a lecture series with a lineup of notable guest speakers working in the field, hands-on workshops dealing with techniques, technology and issues in photojournalism, as well as a merchant’s display of the latest photo gear. The annual portfolio review is one of the event’s most popular functions, with editors from all over the country critiquing portfolios of students and professionals. The non-profit also hosts an annual digital photo contest, awarding over $5,000.00 in prizes for a surprisingly wide range of editorial photographs. Categories range from “Sports News” to “Feature Picture.” 

Australian Centre for Photography, Paddington 
Cool and eclectic, focused on clever and edgy photo-media art and documentary exhibitions, the Australian Centre for Photography also puts a lot of emphasis on learning. It offers workshops, short courses and masters classes on a surprisingly broad variety of topics and perspectives. The Centre’s site also includes galleries of former and present exhibitions, links to Photofile magazine, archives, volunteer opportunities and contact information. Located New South Wales.

Camera Club of New York 
Founded in 1884, the Camera Club of New York has a very long history of supporting the art photography. This fine old institution offers its members photo and darkroom classes, 24-hour access to darkrooms, an ongoing lecture series, both physical and online gallery space, and the support of a like-minded community. The Club also offers an attractive darkroom residency for emerging artists, and also hosts an annual photo contest that is typically juried by a single, well-established photographer whose comments about the entries are published on the site. 

Center for Digital Storytelling 
Center for Digital Storytelling is a non-profit project development, training and research organization dedicated to assisting people in using digital media to tell meaningful stories from their lives. Its focus is on developing large-scale projects for community, educational and business institutions. Acting as a clearinghouse of information about resources on storytelling and new media, the Center also offers workshops for organizations and individuals.

Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art 
Despite its slightly esoteric name, the Center for Exploratory and Perceptual Art (CEPA) is really a well established non-profit that acts as a community resource for photographic creation, education, and presentation in Buffalo, NY. Through a wide variety of programs and initiatives, CEPA manages to explore photography from many angles. Beyond their full schedule of exhibitions, lecture series, film series and artist programs, the Center offers photography, darkroom and digital imaging workshops (many of which are valid for college credit) as well as private tutoring in their own darkroom and digital lab.

Center for Fine Art Photography
Devoted to promoting fine art photography, this center has expanded out from its Port Collins, Colorado, borders to attract member-photographers from all over the world. The Center’s website gives a good sense of the dynamic nature of the institution, which supports artists locally with in-house exhibitions, lectures and discounted workshops and portfolio reviews. Their worldwide membership benefits from a high quality online gallery, space in the online photo sales gallery “Artist’s Showcase Online,” and the chance to be featured in Camera Arts Magazine. 

Center for Photography at Woodstock, NY 
The Center for Photography at Woodstock wants “to build audiences, enhance dialogue, and encourage inquiry about contemporary photography and related media.” Education is clearly a big part of this objective, as the Center offers a generous monthly calendar of workshops and lectures that address technical, creative and business issues in photography. The workshop and lecture schedule can be found on its busy web site, along with information on gallery exhibitions, Photography Quarterly Magazine, news of artists residencies and other services.

Digital Journalist 
Presented by Digital Journalist, the monthly multi-media magazine for visual journalism, the Platypus Workshops are aimed at taking professional image-makers and story producers to the next level. The annual workshops are led by seasoned photojournalists, and participants are divided along professional lines: “Shooters” are paired with “Producers” and “Student Producers” to explore the latest technology and the new ways of storytelling. The site showcases testimonials and video footage from past years.  

Eddie Adams Workshop 
Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Eddie Adams founded this 4-day intensive program in order to bring together students and photojournalism veterans in an intensive long weekend of exchange. The workshop stands out for other reasons: a limited number of students are selected based on the strength of their work, each student is paired with an experienced photojournalist, and the whole thing is free (!). Not surprisingly, competition for spots in this annual workshop is stiff, and the prestige is high. 

Forward Focus 
Forward Focus Workshops offer a sort of “road map” to both adventure and philanthropy for experienced and emerging photographers and writers who want to cover developmental, environmental, and relief efforts worldwide. Forward Focus supports nonprofits and NGOs by hosting targeted “volunteer-vacation” photography workshops, where photographers can contribute to positive change in the world by documenting the work and disseminating images that make international development and aid projects visible.

Fotoweek. D.C. 
A week-long celebration of photography in America’s capital city, Fotoweek D.C. includes a variety of events that consider the many facets of the practice of photography. Exhibitions, lectures, talks, workshops and projections are packed into the week-long schedule, many taking place in some of Washington’s inventory of storied venues, including the Smithsonian and the National Geographic Headquarters.

Foundry Photojournalism Workshops
Exceptional for the number and quality of its instructors, and remarkable for its accessibility, the Foundry photojournalism workshops travel to a new continent every year, offering the local photo community and its international participants an uncommon education. In venues as diverse as Sarajevo and Istanbul, Foundry instructors take students into field, making connections with local photographers and setting the scene for genuine reportage experience. In fact, the instructors, respected and established photographers all, make a commitment to keeping the cost of the workshops affordable for all, but particularly for participants from the host country. This inclusive approach has consistently fostered a supportive atmosphere for creative exploration and truly useful feedback.

International Center for Photography, New York 
Housed in elegant digs on New York’s Avenue of the Americas, the International Center for Photography’s school of photography is a rare institution that offers a range of photo educational options. In association with Bard University, ICP has built solid undergraduate and MFA programs, as well as its own, shorter, certificate programs. In addition, the community at large can access its continuing education classes and “teen academy” internships. The museum and its important collection round out the Center’s comprehensive mission to promote and support photography.

Kalish Workshop 
“The Kalish” as it is known, is workshop designed to address the gap between those with web skills and those with visual storytelling skills in online news organizations. Clearly, the rapid transformation of news gathering and presentation from print to digital media can create some difficult transitions in the news room. Conducted at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, the workshop aims to help both groups become proficient visual editors in the modern newsroom.

Light Work, Syracuse NY 
One of the most recognized media workshops on the scene. For over 30 years, the Maine Photographic Workshops has offered a surprisingly large variety of one-week intensive workshops aimed at advancing the participant’s skill levels in many areas. With over 250 workshops, photographers can explore just about any facet of their craft. The site provides clear information about the workshops, the teachers and the workshop experience.

Maine Media Workshops 
For over 30 years, the Maine Media Workshops (formerly the Maine Photographic Workshops) has offered a surprisingly large variety of one-week intensive workshops aimed at advancing the participant’s skill levels in many areas. With over 250 workshops, photographers can explore just about any facet of their craft. The site provides clear information about the workshops, the teachers and the workshop experience.

Missouri Photo Workshop
For over 60 years, the Missouri Photo Workshop has challenged photographers from around the world to hone their skills by documenting the fascinating stories of small town life in Missouri. Slideshows, starting with images from the first Workshop in 1949, reveal a continuum of well-researched and skilfully captured local stories drawn from the work of international participants who are guided by MVP’s faculty of respected photojournalists. The MPW moves to a new town each year, and has over the years, created a constellation of stories that, taken as a whole, form an intimate and original portrait of Middle America’s changes.

Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego 
The museum’s collection and exhibition schedule highlights modern and contemporary work which address social and historical issues. Its other, complimentary, strength is a commitment to public outreach and public education programs, through lectures, workshops and after-school programs.

National Press Photographers Association (NPPA)
National Press Photographers Association site provides a central meeting place where photojournalists can discuss topics that relate to the profession and stay current through the Association’s schedule of workshops and seminars. Established professional donate their skills for workshops that address the art and science of storytelling. The site also contains news and events pages, professional development information, competition notices, and services for members. Members have access to active message boards covering a broad range of topics including business, news, current events, digital editing, ethical issues and photo gear.

Pacific Street Workshops
Led by photographers Ken Schles and Jeffrey Ladd, New York’s Pacific Street Studios Photographic Workshops offers a limited schedule of specialized workshops for experienced students and professionals.

Photographic Center Northwest – Workshops
Although Seattle’s Photographic Center focuses on the promotion of fine art photography through a variety of activities, education is clearly a top priority. The Center’s on-going series of workshops cover everything from “Photoshop for Beginners” to journeys to Mexico with renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark. The Center’s school offers an accredited fine art photography certificate program, intensive 10-week courses, member and youth programs, and lectures. Other features include the non-profit gallery shows emerging and mid-career artists, juried public exhibitions, an artist-in-residence program and offers darkroom rentals. The site also offers a list of reviewed links, useful for Northwestern photographers.

Photographic Resource Center, Boston University - Workshops 
Boston’s vigorous and independent photo non-profit, fulfills part of its wide-ranging mandate by offering workshops and seminars, often on specific topics and techniques and dovetail with the Center’s other educational initiatives. The PRC offers its members and the wider public up to eight annual gallery exhibitions, an ongoing series of web exhibitions, an education program which includes lectures, research resources based in the PRC’s Aaron Siskind Library and other unique events. If that were not enough, the PRC also hosts a web-based photo discussion forum, publishes In the Loupe, its stylish newsletter, and offers the annual Leopold Godowsky Jr. Color Photography Awards. Vigorous indeed!

Picture Berlin
Designed by artists for other artists and conducted in the heart of Europe’s arts Mecca, Picture Berlin is annual invitation to emerging contemporary artists and photographers to immerse themselves in an intensive 6 week program. The intention here is to blend the intensive focus of an individual studio practice with the dynamic exchange of a larger artistic community. Picture Berlin residents are provided with the space and support to advance their work, which is nourished by a schedule of lectures by Berlin-based artists, local exhibitions, studio visits and art walks, individual encounters with international artists and curators, and the supportive community of fellow residents. Perhaps the greatest attraction is Berlin’s rich art scene, always on the cutting-edge, that envelops this program.

Photo Xpeditions
What legendary photographer Mary-Ellen Mark, director and cinematographer Martin Bell and an ensemble of photo professionals offer is adventure travel for photographers, a kind of master class in capturing the moment while immersed in a new environment. Travel and experience are as important as the craft of photography in these journeys, and the shared moments are perhaps meant to be captured rather than documented.

Project Basho
Project Basho, a small artist-run photography resource center, is clearly an instigating force on Philadelphia’s photography scene, offering an ambitious program of photo related activities including exhibitions, a juried photo competition, darkroom rental, an imposing schedule of classes, lecture and film series, and – intriguingly - informal critiques.

Rayko Photo Center 
In a town where people have access to some excellent photo resources, this San Francisco community photo facility manages to be nearly all things to all photographers. Each semester there are classes & workshops offered in the categories of Digital, Darkroom, and Technique. Students can put this new knowledge into practice in the Center’s rental darkrooms, digital lab and studios. The Center’s website also details their other programs and services, including a youth photo education program that features photo “summer camp,” and a gallery space with a regular roster of curated shows.

Santa Fe Workshops 
The Santa Fe Workshops offer a long seasonal list of workshops. The Workshops limit class sizes and invite recognized professionals to teach - thus providing a more personal, intensive and creative experience. Another attraction is the range of Workshops’ scholarships offered by major photo companies such as Nikon, National Geographic and Kodak - of course, the beautiful Workshops’ campus in beautiful Santa Fe doesn’t hurt either. A large gallery of student work displays a sample of the Workshops’ experience.

Short Courses 
Dennis Curtin, longtime publisher and author of many computer and photography books, made the switch to on-line publishing in 1997, and has since built a solid repertoire of “short courses” on various aspects of digital photography. Curtin’s explanations of the basics of digital photography, such as selecting a camera and how best to use it, displaying and sharing pictures, digital work flow, even pixels and image size, are clear and concise. Curtin refers to Short Courses as an “experiment,” but one gets the sense that many view this site as a valuable resource for getting started in digital photography.

Studio Marangoni Center of Contemporary Photography 
The Fondazione Studio Marangoni in Florence, Italy is an international non-profit center for the study and exhibition of contemporary photography. FSM offers short courses, workshops and full certificate programs in traditional and digital photography for Italian and foreign students. The Fondazione is also an exhibition space that has hosted many current photography shows, has been a site for Italian photo biennial festivals, as well as collaborating in international photo festivals in Europe and the U.S.

Summit Series Photography Workshops 
The Summit Series of Photography Workshops is a high-end continuing education in photography, including particular workshops on travel, adventure and sports photography, reputed for the quality of its teaching, equipment and networking possibilities.