Welcome to SDN Education, an initiative of the Social Documentary Network offering classes taught by outstanding instructors for photographers and people interested in advancing their knowledge and skills in the field of documentary photography and photojournalism. In addition to studio classes on the theory and practice of creating documentary projects, we also offer lecture classes in photo history, discussion groups, and more.
Fall 2024 Courses
Two-day Street Photography Workshop
Instructor: Mark Ostow
Saturday: September 28 and October 5, 2024
10:00 am - 4:00 pm
In-person starting at Mark’s studio in Cambridge, MA
One hour virtual orientation: Wednesday, September 25, 7:30 pm
Orientation will be recorded if you are not available to attend.
Course fee: $485
Scholarship available: Click here for more information
Or click here for more information »
Option to pay 25% deposit now with balance due one week before course starts.
Join Mark to wander the streets of Boston/Cambridge in search of a “how did you get this?” shot that hasn’t been seen before. Together, you’ll approach strangers and photograph them in front of a black backdrop, which removes the noise of the city—the cars, the trucks, the signs—and allows you to zero in on the idiosyncrasies of each person. You’ll observe Mark’s unique style of connecting to subjects and hone your own style of connection.
Photographers' Tool Kit
Real world tools for documentary and editorial photographers
Instructor: Amber Bracken
6:30–9:00 pm Eastern via Zoom
Eight Thursdays beginning October 3, 2024
Level: Open to all levels
Course fee: $625
Scholarship available: Click here for more information
Or click here for more information »
Option to pay 25% deposit now with balance due one week before course starts.
In this eight-week hands-on course, we will revisit the fundamental building blocks of documentary and editorial storytelling. Our sessions will include lecture, readings, and critique. Each week, students will be given specific real world assignments designed to equip photographers with sharper skills and important visual tools. Assignments can be executed either as part of an ongoing project or as stand-alone exercises, but students must budget at least a few hours each week outside class time for this work. In either case, students can expect to be challenged creatively, technically and theoretically. Strengthen your skills for photographic relationships, storytelling and execution for your next big adventure.
Photographs, Politics, and Perception
Instructor: Michelle Bogre
7:30 – 9:00 pm Eastern via Zoom
Six Wednesdays beginning October 30 (no class Nov. 27)
Course fee: $400
Scholarship available: Click here for more information
Or click here for more information »
Option to pay 25% deposit now with balance due one week before course starts.
Given our increasing reliance on visual communication, photographs play an outsized role in forming our perceptions of politics and culture. Images shape national and international events and our understandings of them and we form our perceptions about candidates and issues often through the images we see of them.
Given that this is a political season, this six-week discussion class will first explore how photographs impact politics and political issues. It will begin with an historical overview of political imagery, and then during the first three weeks we will analyze political photographs published this election season. For the last three weeks, we will analyze how climate change and other current conflicts are presented, comparing national and international coverage. The class will be structured through lectures, discussions, and photographic analysis.
