Day 1
Morning 10 am
Welcome and introductions.
Ed Kashi and Julie Winokur present more than thirty years of collaborative work across photography, documentary film, publishing and multimedia storytelling, sharing the projects and experiences that have shaped their practice.
Afternoon
Each participant presents their portfolio or an ongoing project, followed by individual feedback and collective discussion.
Together, participants begin defining the documentary story they will develop throughout the workshop.
Evening Assignment:
Photograph something on the island you want to learn more about. Prepare up to 5 images with a 200-word text describing what you photographed and why
Day 2
Morning 9 am
Review evening assignment: share and discuss images and texts from Day 1.
Photography and writing as complementary forms of storytelling.
Through examples drawn from books, long-term documentary projects and multimedia narratives, Ed and Julie explore how images and words strengthen one another, helping participants clarify their own point of view.
Writing exercise: choose one treatment that resonates with you and write a paragraph in that style related to your own project, or develop your own approach
Afternoon
The role of words in photography: choose one of your images and describe what's not in the picture—give context about what we can't see. What happened before and after? What sights, sounds, and smells defined the moment? Ed and Julie share examples
Multiplatform Storytelling: Do you want to add audio or video Explore creative examples of executing your ideas
Evening Assignment: Create a photo essay of 3-5 images that tells a
story about a place or moment on the island, focusing on how the sequence works together to convey meaning.
Day 3
Morning 9 am
Field assignment: Find an interesting person in Venice to photograph and interview. Create portraits and gather enough details to share their story through an AP-style caption and a 100-word description that brings their story to life
Afternoon
Download and prepare images, complete your writing
Group sharing and discussion of field work
Ethical Storytelling: Discuss ethical considerations in documentary work, including representation, consent, and the responsibility of the storyteller, with specific attention to issues you might be confronting in your work.
Evening Assignment: Photograph a subject using a technique or approach discussed during the workshop that is new to you. Prepare 3 images with brief notes on what you tried and what you learned. Alternatively, you can do a social media story, finding a person in Venice to photograph and interview, to create a social media post of up to a 7 image carousel with up to a 100 word caption
Day 4
Morning 9am
Technical Skills review: Group critique of photography and writing with guidance on composition, toning, image selection, and use of language to evoke emotion and convey information
Artist Statements and Motifs: How they help organize and define your work. Ed and Julie share examples of visual and written motifs
Afternoon ( to 4 pm)
Book blurbs: Ed & Julie will provide a bunch of examples of published blurbs and discuss effective approaches
Writing exercise: Write the blurb you would like to promote your book
Social Media: How are you using it and how might you employ it to support your project?
Each participant states their next steps and intended outcomes for their photography