Visual Reportage: Guatemala

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION:
This is ten-day workshop for photographers looking to hone their skills and discover a People and culture that descended from the once great Mayan civilization.



BASE OF OPERATION: Though most projects will involve some daily travel our base will be located in Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua provides a central location with good accomodations, excellent restaurants, and all the conveniences one might need...including Wi-Fi and a very workable transportation system.
COURSE DATES: March 26th through April 5th, 2009
ENROLLMENT: up to 15
LEVEL: New photographers looking to make the next leap, Serious amateurs, Pros looking to expand their personal visions
PRICE: $2500 (double occupancy) & $2,295 (to stay with a local family) includes hands-on instruction and critiques for 8 days, lodging, a mobile phone, opening reception dinner, a Photoshop tutorial, workflow tutorial, and a completion night awards dinner. Each participant will receive a 20-page monograph containing an edit of student and instructor images from our trip approximately 2 months after the trip.
AIRFARE IS NOT INCLUDED.

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Final Installment (balance due = $1,795):

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REQUIREMENTS: To support nightly critiques this is a digital only workshop. Photographers are expected to bring the following:

* Laptop computer.
* Editing software – A working and installed version of any of the following: Aperture, Lightroom, Photoshop, or PhotoMechanic.
* An external hard drive is strongly recommended for daily image backup.
* See the packing section for recommended camera/lens information.

ASSIGNMENT: Reportage: Guatemala is a 10-day intensive workshop for emerging photographers who want to create a visual media project much like a foreign assignment they would receive from an agency or editor. This workshop is designed to allow the student to experience a documentary assignment in the field with expert instruction from working photojournalists.

For this trip we will be working with God's Child Project, an NGO with an important presence in Guatemala. Photographers will work alongside aid workers as they work with Guatemalan children. The opportunity for the photographer is to make an in-depth reportage of the problems and issues they face as well as the solution they try to apply.

We will review each photographer's work every evening with an eye toward supporting the building of the story. The value of these critiques is applied in the next day's shooting.

Part of the emphasis of the workshop is to find the social relevance and pertinent issues associated with each choice of story. The use of photography and in some cases audio also will support the effective and powerful storytelling of these very human situations.

PRIOR TO DEPARTURE VIDEO CONFERENCE: Two or three weeks before leaving we will meet by internet video conference (Skype or AIM) to discuss pre-trip details. This will be an opportunity to fine tune your preparations and to ask questions that may involve your story ideas or other concerns.

For more information visit our web site at www.visualreportage.com