Social Documentary – Street Photography Workshop

The Photojournalist’s Nose

Whilst researching prior to developing a documentary project is often promoted there are other methods and busy photojournalists, especially in pre-internet days learnt to rely on their ‘nose’ to ‘sniff out’ stories of interest. This workshop focuses on arriving in an unknown place and in the course of one day create a series of photo-essays that tell stories of the place.

Type of Workshop

This workshop is not classroom based. You will be given a venue to meet at and then after a coffee and briefing and working with others you will set off to photograph a series of assignments within a short walk of the meeting place. The tutor will be on hand to assist and guide you for the entire workshop. The aim is that by the end of the day you will understand the means and the why photography and storytelling go together so well and why it is a very rewarding approach to photography. You should also have some great images. Have your batteries charged and memory cards with plenty of space.

The Tutor

Your tutor is Stewart Wall who learnt the trade of the photojournalist as an employed press photographer on a local newspaper in Essex in the 1980s. The newspaper also sent him off to Sheffield to study at Richmond college and gain the National Council for the Training of Journalists qualification, one the highest respected qualifications a journalist could gain. Stewart worked for Fleet Street newspapers before moving into commercial photography. He and his wife, Shona who also worked for local and national newspaper titles, are still involved in media by running a hyper-local online news publication for the town they live in. He also has a BA (hons), an MA in Visual Communication (Photography) and a level 7 PGCE teaching qualification.

What you will learn

This workshop will teach you professional journalistic methods and approaches that will enable you to arrive at a new place and see stories that most people walk past.

Areas covered during this workshop:

1. How to work safely
2. Best use of equipment
3. How to ‘see’ stories others often miss
4. The concept of the photo-essay
5. How to approach people even when feeling nervous
6. Image-making

Post Workshop

After the workshop you will be invited to submit images for feedback and then possibly invited to have your images included in a journalistic style book that will be published telling the story of the place the workshop was held at.

Feedback from Previous Workshops

"Just to say thank you for the great day I had on our club Walkabout day with yourself in Grimsby.  I found your introduction in the morning most interesting and encouraging to get out there and have a go"....Janina

"I would just like say what a really enjoyable day you put on for us all" Mike

"I found your pre-talk very informative and feedback given to the other participants was very constructive.

I think the amount of time given for shooting was about right and given the weather, we were very lucky.

Group sizes were spot on as we were all able to take a variety of shots, with each member of each group having similar shots but often with a different interpretation" Jo