Old Calcutta, India

This is a special six day photography workshop in one of India’s most fascinating and picturesque cities, Kolkata, concentrating on Old Calcutta, with world renowned photojournalist Greg Marinovich and master black and white photographer Santanu Chakraborty. This adventure is suitable for intermediate to experienced photographers who work in travel, documentary, photojournalism and art photography.

For photographers, Calcuttan streets are like nowhere else on earth. Walking through the wonderful mixture of eras, ways of life and built environments that switch from imperious colonial to quintessentially Indian in a matter of yards. Chaos and rhythm combine to offer endless potential for great photography. This city, with its colorful contrasts is a visual and creative inspiration.

The city is renowned for its colonial and post-colonial architecture, religious statue making, flower markets, funeral ghats along the holy Hooghly river (a part of the Ganges River) and slow-moving trolley cars that are more a meeting place for old friends than a means to get somewhere. Calcutta is a city of poets and artists and the way modern life permeates the ancient is a source of creative inspiration.

Pulitzer Prize winning photographer and author Greg Marinovich and Indian documentary photographer Santanu Chakraborty will lead the workshop, offering input and advice on storytelling, technique and editing tips throughout.

While the primary medium is expected to be digital photography, should you wish to shoot black & white film, we can make arrangements so that you can process every evening.

In the weeks leading up to the workshop, photographers will research themes and story ideas, which they may wish to explore in Calcutta. The instructors will respond to these ideas and discuss strategies for success prior to your arrival.

Once you are in Calcutta, there will be introductory presentations and discussions, as well as a tour of the city. Our mentoring will span both theory and practice, stretching from the conceptual to the technical.

The workshop takes place over six days. We advise you to arrive a day earlier to acclimatize. The weather will be temperate, as it is the middle of the cool, dry season. The workshop is an ideal opportunity to use as a springboard for a shoot or travel through this marvelous and fascinating country.

Your week at a glance

On the first day we will get to know each other. There will be a presentation and discussion of the activities for the week. We will take you on a tour of the old city so that you can have a chance to experience the exhilarating tempo and atmosphere. You will meet your fixers, should you have decided to hire one of our recommended local guides.

Today you start your photoshoot in earnest. This will be the day to discover if your research and story ideas are going to work out as you expected. We will meet and discuss your progress and hammer out solutions for any difficulties found. This might be where story ideas B and C come into play!

Return to your stories and areas. A good idea would be to meet up with some of your fellow photographers for lunch or tea and discuss progress. In the evening we will re-convene for a rough edit and projection so that instructors and peers can give input. We will also dive into editing philosophy, goals and techniques.

This is your penultimate shooting day and when you will also have to ensure that you have ranged deep and wide through the subjects and stories. It is a time to revisit opportunities you were not satisfied with and to further explore your subjects. We will look at some of your edits thus far, offering alternate takes and ideas.

The rubber hits the tarmac, and you will have to get what you need. Look for the perfect introductory image, end image. This is where editing and inputs come to a head. The last evening can be spent shooting while the participants who did not show their work on evening 4 do so now.

The final shoot and edit followed by the final presentation of your work, over a meal. Fond farewells.

Requirements

Participants to the workshop must arrive able to use their camera(s) to a intermediate or advanced level of photography. You should have your own laptop and card readers, editing software such as Adobe Lightroom, Photo Mechanic, etc. that you are familiar with. We recommend bringing two external hard drives, one working and the other as a back up.

WORKSHOP DATES

december 27, 2016 - January 1, 2017

WORKSHOP FEES

$2,300

You are expected to secure your own accommodation, though we will provide a list of suitable and proximate hotels. The workshop will provide also a list of guides, fixers and drivers.