Photography is our eyes observing, remembering and telling. An image is not just a copy of what is in front of the camera: it comes from a position, a frame, a moment, a light and an intention. Our workshops make photography a school for seeing as much as a technical practice.
We work in digital and on film, with simple cameras, SLRs, 35 mm, medium format or camera-less processes, depending on the project. Digital lets us experiment quickly and look at the results together. Film brings a different sense of time: the limited number of shots invites you to slow down, observe and decide before pressing the shutter.
The first sessions cover framing, composition, light, focus, distance and different kinds of shots. Participants try out portraits, urban landscapes, details, series and putting several images in relation to one another. Each exercise is tied to a storytelling question, so that technique remains a means and not an end.
The workshop also develops a critical reading of images. We look at how a neighborhood is portrayed in the media, which scenes keep coming back, which points of view are missing, and which stereotypes a frame or a caption can reinforce. Taking your own photographs becomes a way to respond, to add nuance and to turn the camera around.
Looking back at the images together is essential. The group studies the contact sheets or series, puts into words what it sees, distinguishes intention from effect and learns to select. Captioning, sequencing and print formats then make it possible to build a coherent photographic narrative.
Depending on the project, participants also discover pinhole photography, photograms, cyanotypes or darkroom developing. These processes make the physical nature of the image visible and open up a more experimental relationship with light, time and the imprint.
the workshop in pictures
photos: the workshop participants and the mOst team
