INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY PHOTOGRAPHY PROGRAM

BERLIN

“I tend to think of the act of photographing, generally speaking, as an adventure. My favorite thing is to go where I’ve never been.”
― Diane Arbus

Werkstatt Fotografie 12 month seminar program in Berlin.

The Scottish filmmaker, John Grierson coined the term ‘documentary’ in the 1920’s and defined it as ‘the creative treatment of actuality.’ The Werkstatt Fotografie offers an educational program based on Grierson’s deceptively simple definition, designed for students to engage with documentary photography, with reference to the complex theoretical and discursive history of this particular and rapidly evolving genre. From the onset students will be set small yet stimulating assignments to begin the process of questioning the very essence of the photograph and the practical issues of effectively engaging with the subject. Conceptual, experimental, speculative and straight approaches are all encompassed. Passion is the fuel and an essential motivation for any photographer too actively and intellectually engage in the real world. Key issues are researching, shooting, editing and sequencing projects during the process of making the work. It is only in the doing of the work that the meaning of the work begins to make sense. A great emphasis is placed on finding a natural visual voice, via technique and the appropriate visual attitude to the subject.