DISCOVER OUR thematicS
The mentor will present their path through photography from the start and offer insights into their inspiration, work and the ways they have made a career as a documentary photographer.
This session is particularly aimed at mentees who are interested in the particular style and career of one of our members. This session will rely heavily on the questions the mentee might have, however the main goal here is for the mentor to explain their path to you, not to judge one of your bodies of work.
The mentor will discuss some of their long-term documentary projects and offer insights into essential topics such as: researching stories, statement writing and pitching, funding a project, setting a timeline, promoting a project at its different stages to target an audience and finally the different outlets for publishing.
The mentee can present one of their own projects in order to receive advice towards its further development.
In this session the mentor will explain the details of their preparation before going into the field and lead a conversation around topics such as narrative research, contact research, working with a local fixer and assistant, getting the right gear for the trip, setting an itinerary, building a team etc...
The mentor will start by presenting a portfolio of images and explain how these images are achieved with the particular set of gear they use. The conversation will then move on to general considerations about styles in photography and different types of cameras, formats, lens and lighting techniques.
Using their respective portrait portfolio as a starting point, the mentor will lead a conversation on the different topics of modern portraiture, focusing particularly on the documentary and editorial spheres. How can I use portraiture in the documentary narrative mix? How can I find the right subject and connect with that person? What type of framing and lighting should I use?
This session will focus on the essential role of editing and sequencing in the documentary practice. Based on their own projects, the mentor will give insights into how editing drives a narrative and helps shape one’s own take on a story and how sequencing sets the rhythm. The mentee will be able to present one of their own projects and receive tutoring towards its editing.
The mentor will discuss the final and crucial outcome of each project: getting people to see the work and the different ways of publishing the project. What are the different options of digital and print media? The help of social media as well as its pitfalls. The mentee can also present one of the projects they wish to have published and receive tutoring towards its publication.
The mentor will present the different ways available to promote your work as a documentary photographer and their role in your income mix: prizes, festivals and grants. Here will also be discussed the right promotion timeline, how to write a grant application and the editing of a project for grants. The mentee will be able to present one of their projects they wish to promote and the adequate strategy will be discussed.
The mentor will explain how they balance their activities between editorial and commercial work in a sustainable way, giving insights on how to get commissioned work and in what field. The mentor will also discuss good practices to establish within the photography industry: How to talk about money and negotiate finances with actors in the photography market - editors, gallerists, NGOs. How not to work for free and when it is worth it.
The mentee will be able to present their career and expectations and engage in a conversation with the mentor on how best to spread their activity and develop income channels that will sustain their documentary practice and the production of personal projects.
Here will be discussed the two particular and final topics of book publishing and exhibiting your work. How does one find a publisher and negotiate a publishing contract? How does one find a gallery to exhibit one’s work? Why scenography and understanding how images could be presented in a space matters and where to find finances for the exhibition?
When a project is ended, these two steps usually come hand in hand and should be overseen together.
This module will be dedicated to one of the mentee’s projects they wish to see published into a book and/or exhibited.
