Visual storytelling and beyond – Nordic Photography Workshop with photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind and editor Rebecca Simons in partnership with Art Factory Malakta
We invite advanced students to mid-career photographers to apply for the workshop ‘Visual storytelling and beyond’ set up to strengthen the storytelling and editing skills of photographers. The workshop will take place at Art Factory Malakta in Ostrobothnia, Finland 23-27 May 2017. The emphasis is on participants work, and moving it forward. During the week participants will discuss, develop and present their work and create a short-term action plan. The workshop includes a public presentation.
For who?
The workshop is open for starting to mid-career photographers, including photography students with experience in visual storytelling. The participants are required to have good level of conversational skills in English or Swedish.
Content of the workshop:
‘Visual storytelling and beyond’ is setup to strengthen the storytelling and editing skills of photographers, looking beyond conventional documentary narratives. The four-day course covers:
Documentary narrative storytelling- inspiration and tips beyond the conventional;
Reaching your audience – how to promote, publish and engage your audience;
Editing photo stories – editing exercises for different publication, grants and awards;
Funding and networking – how to start a sustained and successful career.
During the workshop we will focus on the work of the participants. The photographers should bring a body of work (digitally and in print) that they are currently working on or have just finalized. The workshop is highly interactive, participants will be expected to have a clear idea of what they want to achieve.
Program
Day One (23 May):
Arrival and personal presentations (get-to-know each other), group dinner.
Day Two (24 May):
-Presentation of photo stories by participants
-Narrative storytelling inspiration and ideas
-Editing exercise
Day Three (25 May):
– Finding the core of your story
– Sequencing and key images
Day Four (26 May):
-Funding and networking tips tricks and exercises
-Editing for grants and awards
Day Five (27 May):
– How to promote, publish and engage your audience
– Public event at Ritz in Vaasa including presentation of photographers work and panel discussions.
Day six (28 May):
Departure day
Next to the day program we will use the evenings for socializing, sharing ideas and inspiration through screenings, group dinners and BBQ evenings, and Sauna evenings.
Trainers
Anastasia Taylor-Lind is an English/Swedish artist and journalist currently undertaking a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard University. She has a background in photojournalism and has worked for leading publications all over the world on issues relating to women, population and war. Her first book MAIDAN – Portraits from the Black Square, which documents the 2014 Ukrainian uprising in Kiev, was published by GOST in the same year. Anastasia holds degrees in Documentary Photography from the University of Wales Newport and the London College of Communication. She is engaged with education, regularly lecturing at universities and teaching workshops internationally.
Anastasia is a TED fellow and National Geographic Magazine contributor.
Rebecca Simons is an independent photography editor, educator and curator born in Finland and situated in Holland. Between 2009-2016 Rebecca was employed by World Press Photo as Senior Producer and Project Manager. As an editor and curator Rebecca works mostly on exhibitions and photography books, a recent project is de Asielzoekmachine, a Dutch cross-media project addressing the global refugee crisis and asylum policy in the Netherlands. Since 2005 she has been teaching photography mainly in Finland and Holland and through international workshops, focusing on storytelling and editing.
In 2004 Rebecca got her MFA in photography at Post-St. Joost, Avans University, Breda and in 2012 her MA at Film and Photographic Studies, Leiden University.
How to apply:
To apply, submit the following info to storytelling.malakta@gmail.com :
· Name and contact details;
· A short motivation letter stating why you want to take part in the workshop;
· A photo story of max 15 images including captions and a short story description (+/- 300 words).
The number of participants is set at twelve and they are selected based on the applications, with emphasis on photographic storytelling and motivation.
Apply by 15 April, the application will be confirmed by 20 April. Participants will receive an invoice for the fee which needs to be paid no later than 1 May. Cancellations or no-show will not be refunded.
Cost
The course fee is 325 eur, and includes workshop fee and shared living accommodation. Please note that the fee does not cover travel or food. The are shared kitchen facilities available for cooking.
How to get there:
Art Factory MALAKTA is a vibrant cultural centre set in an old dairy near Vaasa in Western Finland. You will reach Malakta through Vaasa train station or airport. We will arrange a pickup from Vasa to take you to the workshop location situated about 20 km outside the city.
www.malakta.fi
What to bring:
The participants of the workshop are required to bring their portfolio and a rough edit of a photo story that they are currently working on or have just finalized (minimum 50 images). The edit should be available as both digital files and in print. The prints will be used for the editing and should be postcard size (+/- 10×15 cm). It’s recommended to bring a laptop.
Questions:
For help or further questions, please contact project manager Erik Åhman at storytelling.malakta@gmail.com
This workshop is made possible by Swedish Cultural Foundation in Finland and Malakta Art Factory.
