This 5-day workshop is designed for South Asian photographers who are already in the process of making long- term photography works. Participants will not shoot new work during the workshop. Instead participants will focus on how to work with a reasonably sized body of work that they have already created.

It is important for any photographer working on a long- term project to realize that beyond a certain point, his or her work can take many directions and forms.

Workshop facilitator Sohrab Hura will begin working with each participant in June. In the 3 months leading up to the workshop, Sohrab will regularly review works through an online platform such as Facebook.

The 5-day workshop in September will take place in Kathmandu, Nepal. Sohrab will show his entire work process. The next few days will be spent doing group reviews. At the end of the workshop the participants will be given assignments to present their work in informal exhibitions, books or projections. Works will be open to the public. The final showcase will be really exciting but throughout, the workshop will encourage participants to focus more on the process of experimenting and pushing personal limits than this final outcome.

ABOUT SOHRAB HURA
Sohrab Hura was born on 17th October 1981 in India. He grew up changing his ambitions from one exciting thing to another. He started with dreams of growing up and becoming a dog, which later turned to becoming a superhero and then to a veterinarian to a herpetologist to becoming a wild life filmmaker. Today he is a documentary photographer working on long-term projects, after having completed his Masters in Economics.

Sohrab has won Indian Press Photo Awards in 2006 and 2008. He participated in the Joop Swart Masterclass in 2009 and was listed as PDN’s 30 emerging photographers in 2010. The same year, he received the China International Press Photography Award for his work Holi and the Magnum Foundation’s Emergency Fund. He has exhibited work around the world and recently completed The Pilbara Project residency in Western Australia with an organization called FORM. 

WORKSHOP DETAILS
•    Workshop will take place from 2nd – 6th September, 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal at photo.circle headquarters (See map). Final showcase will take place 9th on Sept. Participants should plan to arrive in Kathmandu by Sept 1st.
•    The workshop will be open to 10-12 participants.
•    Workshop fee is Nepali Rupees 8,000 (approx USD $100) + 13% VAT. (5% discount for my.photo.circle members. Please see http://my.photocircle.com.np for membership details.)
•    From 2nd – 6th September, workshop will meet everyday from 9 am to 6 pm- but participants should be prepared to put in longer hours.
•    Participants will begin working online with Sohrab one-on-one in June.
•    Workshop will be conducted in English.

ELIGIBILITY
•    Workshop is open to participants from Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. Participants will be required to bear their own travel, accommodation, food and visa costs (if applicable). photo.circle is happy to recommend cheap accommodation options. Please email us if you have questions regarding travel to Kathmandu, etc.
•    Workshop is open to any photographer with an ongoing body of work irrespective of age, gender or genre of photography.

REQUIREMENTS
•    Participants will work on one story each.
•    Participants will be required to bring 4 x 6 prints of their work. Work without prints will not be reviewed.
•    Participants will be required to bring their own camera equipment and laptops.
•    Participants will be required to make their own prints for the final showcase. Participants are free to choose their own paper, printing, etc.
•    photo.circle reserves the right to publish (web and print) and showcase final workshop outcomes. Photographers will of course retain all copyrights.
•    Participants will be required to take care of their own meals during  the workshop.

APPLICATION
Application deadline is 5 pm, Thursday May 31st 2012

To apply, participants should submit the following;
1.    An application form [download here]
2.    ONE photo story/project that you would like to work on during the course of the workshop. Minimum 40 images, maximum 60. Images should be 800 pixels on the longest side, 72 dpi. Stories should include text (introductions, captions, etc) in file info as well as on a separate doc file. Files should be named as follows: photographers name_story title_01.jpg. For example Shristi Shrestha_Ghosts of Gorkha_01.jpg
3.    A personal statement (minimum 300 words) describing WHY you want to take this workshop.
4.    All of the above should be emailed to learning@photocircle.com.np with ‘Sohrab Hura Workshop Application’ as the subject.

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE
May 31st        Application deadline
June 5th        Acceptances announced
June 10th      Online reviews and one-on-one consultations begin
Sept 1st          Sohrab and other participants arrive in Kathmandu
Sept 2nd        Workshop begins
Sept 6th         Workshop closes
Sept 9th         Final showcase opens

For questions/ concerns please feel free to contact us at learning@photocircle.com.np or call +977 9801065064 or +977 1 5013501

A six-week introductory course on visual storytelling

1st June – 13th July 2012

COURSE DETAILS
•    This six-week course is designed for entry-level photographers who wish to begin producing photo stories.
•    The course is based on DSLR functions- participants will be required to have a DSLR camera.
•    The course will be open to 15 participants.
•    The course fee is NRs. 12,000 + 13% VAT
5% discount for my.photo.circle members. Please see http://my.photocircle.com.np for membership details.

COURSE SCHEDULE
This course will begin on 1st June 2012 and end on 13th July 2012. It will meet four days a week- every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 am – 12 noon and Sundays from 4 pm – 6 pm.

VENUE
All classes will take place at photo.circle HQ in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur (See map)

COURSE COVERS
•    Introduction and history of photography
•    Basic techniques including manual camera functions, exposure, metering, etc
•    Composition and content
•    Photography ethics
•    Visual styles and master photographers
•    Street photography
•    Portrait photography
•    Basic storytelling and editing
•    Digital workflow and post production
•    Basic raw conversion and Photoshop techniques
•    Note taking, research and caption writing

APPLICATION
To apply, please submit the following
-    Application form [download here]
-    A portfolio including 15-20 images, sized 800 pixels on the longest side at 72 dpi
-    Please email your applications to learning@photocircle.com.np with the subject line ‘Storytelling 101 Application’

Application deadline 5 pm, Sunday, May 27th 2012.

For questions/ concerns please feel free to contact us at learning@photocircle.com.np or call +977 9801065064 or +977 1 5013501

We are offering a 4 hour workshop this Saturday, 5th May from 1-5 pm on HOW TO MAKE A PORTFOLIO.

The workshop will include;
• A presentation on how to make a portfolio
• Group edits of your work

This is a FREE workshop for my.photo.circle members only. If you would like to take this workshop, and you are not a my.photo.circle member, now is a good time to become one!

There are 10 spots open and registrations will be taken on first come first service basis.

You will need to do the following to prepare for the workshop;
• Ask yourself why you are making this portfolio? Are you entering a contest? Are you bidding for an assignment? What kind of an assignment? Editorial? Commercial? Are you trying to make your website?
• Bring a wide edit of 30-50 images of your best work- they can be single images, or stories.
• Bring ALL your work on a hard drive- we might not have time to look through everything but we can dig if we need to!

Thank you for your interest everyone! Registration are now closed for this workshop.

Participants are Sanjaya Hada, Bishal Gautam, Marina Lama, Prem Tshering Sherpa, Wallace Woon, Rajneesh Bhandari, Sandhya Shrestha, Phurpu Tsering Gurung, Shruti Shrestha and Bishwo Raj KC

Its early collections include the following;

Retelling Histories is a collection of photographs from a cross section of Nepali family albums. The photographs are accompanied by texts that were written in most cases by the immediate family members of the people pictured in the photographs or the people who took them – sons and grand-daughters and great-grandnephews, telling stories from their own personal histories and reclaiming a long overshadowed collective past.

NEW ROAD, KATHMANDU, CIRCA 1970 AD | Photo and text contributed by Sweta Baniya - A picture preserves life and the moments that have passed. When I stumbled upon this photograph in my family album, I did not recognize the young man in it. "Who's this?" I asked Fupu, Dad's older sister. "Tero bau pani chindinas?” she replied. Don’t you recognize your own father? In the 1970s, Bollywood – and my Dad – influenced the fashion sense of his hometown of Thankot. He is twenty years old in this picture, taken at the Royal Photo Studio in New Road. When I asked him about the photo, he said, “Rishi Kapoor dressed just like this in the movie Bobby.” He was fond of bunking college to watch movies. My father was very particular about what he wore. He was always neat and clean, with ironed clothes, polished shoes, and long hair that covered his ears. In this photo, his shirt does not have a pocket: this is his own design. The bell-bottom pants covered rabbit skin shoes with two-inch heels. The Seiko wristwatch imported from Hong Kong cost around 850 rupees at the time, enough to buy a tola of gold. Now, my Dad is a giant with a big belly who does not care about how he dresses. I imagine his youth must have been his sweetest dream.

Godavari, Lalitpur, 1976 AD | Photo and text contributed by Snigdha Bhatta - My aunt Laxmi stares into the pond and my mother, Sandhya, stands guard behind her. They were very close, as can be guessed from this picture, taken in 1976 at Godavari Kunda. Godavari was a sanctuary for them – a place where the two sisters could be on their own and nobody would complain or nag them. They lived in Gabahal and it would take them an hour to get there but the distance never stopped them. My aunt always spent her weekends at Godavari. My mother tagged along and tried to soothe her. Their alcoholic father caused so much chaos in the family that they were having serious financial problems. My mother remembers how sad they were the day this picture was taken. "I don't want to talk about it," my aunt would always say. She would spend hours in silence, contemplating her reflection in the pond. She enjoyed watching the fish swim about freely, and envied them. The fish would dive and dart around and my aunt could do nothing but stare at them, sometimes crying uncontrollably. She felt chained. She must have felt like she was drowning in waves of self-pity. Her sombre expression hints at just how melancholic she was, just how desperately she sought freedom and independence.

Shillong, India, 11 November, 1939 AD | Photo contributed by Bhimi Gurung | Text contributed by Muna Gurung - Aama found this photograph of her parents and her siblings in the attic of my grandparents’ old home in Jaare Khola, Parbat, tucked away with old clothes and dried corn. Soon the photo appeared everywhere. It was enlarged and framed and hung under the big clock in the living room. Another copy of it also sat on the altar in the prayer room, right in between the statues of Avalokiteshvara and Padmasambhava. There was one in the flap of the coffee table photo album and two more copies, each stuffed in an envelope, ready to be sent out to Aama’s siblings. When relatives visited, Aama would point out how tall her mother had been for a village woman or laugh at the matching mini-adult striped suits her brothers wore, or comment on how royal her father looked. She would reveal something new about the photo each time. Last year, she told me how baajey’s land, house, and medals were all divided between his two sons and how my mamas had sold baajey’s belongings to curators that sifted through villages, all for 10,000 rupees. This summer, Krishna mama gave Aama a new version of the picture. He had Aama’s headshot clumsily photoshopped onto it, a spurious proof of connection. “Well, you’re in the photo now,” I’d said to her as a joke. Although we laughed at its tackiness, I know she will always make space on our walls, albums, shelves for new copies. Maybe it makes this photo feel less like it is the only one of her parents, or maybe each reproduction is an opportunity for a new story.

Guheswori Temple, Kathmandu, 1927 AD | Photo contributed by Narendra Lal Mankey | Text contributed by Kanchan Joshi - This photo was taken circa 1927 AD on the banks of the Bagmati river near Guheswori temple. It was taken during a puja of the Maskey clan from Ason tole. I have always seen this photo hanging in my grandfather Narendra Lal Maskey’s room. He was one and a half then (2nd row from bottom, 1st from right). The lady next to him was his mother. My grandfather’s sister and elder brother are also in the picture.

Gorkha, Nepal, 19 March 1986 AD | Photo & text contribute by Ashok Adhikari - Every time Father saw my long hair he’d say with disgust—“You look like an ape! Get a haircut!” Mother would tease me about my narrow trousers. She’d say, “Do you want me to wash your leggings too?” There is a photo of my parents in the old album. Father has long hair in it. One day, when he bugged me to cut my hair short, I showed him the photo in which he is wearing a pair of tight trousers just like mine. He laughed, and said, “You thug!” That felt good. This photo was taken in Bhimsen Shrestha’s studio in Bhachhek of Gorkha. Bhimsen was an immigrant from the far west of Nepal. His studio, an hour’s walk from my ancestral home in Lapsibot, Gorkha, was the only photo studio in four Village Development Committees around. Father had been studying in Kathmandu before the wedding. The photo was taken shortly after the wedding. Father has grown a mustache, and hair long enough to hide his ears. He looks fashionable—like his Bollywood idols from the 70s and 80s. Mother comes off as the exact opposite—she seems a homely village girl. Her attire is simple, and her face full of apprehension. “I was still a school girl. But I had to leave home to enter a new family. A very different world. I was scared of your father,” Mother says. “You look like an ape! Go, get a haircut!” Father has never said this since I showed him the photo. Perhaps he will never say it again.

The Mukunda Bahadur Shrestha Collection is a new collection currently being digitized and archived at the Nepal Picture Library. It is a collection of photographs taken by 86 year old photographer Mukunda Bahadur Shrestha. Shrestha worked for the Tourism Department as a photographer for over 30 years. His collection includes an extensive range of imagery from all over Nepal from the early 70s to the late 90s.

The Sugata Collection is a collection of photographs by Angarika Sugata. Sugata was born in 1911 in Germany. His long life was an odyssey through his own and the last century’s dark ages. He railed against his time and place, a protest that culminated in his war-time betrayal of Nazi Germany, when he risked his life and effectively ensured his rootlessness. His search for root as well as freedom took him to the East, first to India and then Nepal where he became a Buddhist monk.

For details write to archives@photocircle.com.np

FRIDAY, APRIL 13TH 2012
6 PM @ NEPAL TOURISM BOARD

“Homage to Homai” A lecture by Satish Sharma, in association with the Indian Cultural Center, on the life and works of the first Indian woman photojournalist Homai Vyarawalla.

Satish Sharma is an independent photographer, researcher and writer on photography as well as an occasional photography curator.

The lecture will be followed by a screening of “Three Women and a Camera” by Sabeena Gadihoke. (56 mins)

The film debates the major shifts in the concerns of photographer Homai Vyarawalla, whose work celebrates the euphoria and optimism of the birth of the India nation, while Chhachhi and Singh attempt to grapple with the various complexities and undelivered promises of the post independence era. This film debates the major shifts in their concerns regarding representation, subject-camera relationships and the limits and possibilities of still photography in India today.

“Homage to Homai” Satish Sharma in conversation with Dr. Geeti Sen, on the life and works of the first Indian woman photojournalist Homai Vyarawalla. The talk was followed by a screening of "Three Women and a Camera", a film by Sabeena Gadihoke.

SATURDAY, APRIL 14TH 2012
4 PM @ NEPAL TOURISM BOARD

“Photography-A language to address the World” A presentation and talk by Frédéric Lecloux.

Frédéric Lecloux is a traveler, a writer and a photographer. He was born in 1972 in Brussels and lives in France. His work is distributed by Vu’ Agency in Paris. He is represented by Gallery Emotion-Lydie Trigano, in Paris.

A traveler, a writer and a photographer Frédéric Lecloux presenting 'PHOTOGRAPHY: A LANGUAGE TO ADDRESS THE WORLD' at photokipa. Photo: Prasiit Sthapit

SUNDAY, APRIL 15TH 2012
4 PM @ NEPAL TOURISM BOARD

“Contemporary Nepali photography”

A presentation of new works produced by young Nepali photographers Amol Shrestha, Bishwo Raj KC, Gyanendra Bhattarai, Marina Lama, Phurpu Tsering Gurung, Prakash KC, Prasiit Sthapit, Rabin Tamang, Rajan Shrestha, Rajneesh Bhandari, Ramesh Man Maharjan, Sajana Shrestha, Sandeep Subba, Sandhya Shrestha, Sanjaya Hada, Sapana Shah, Shikhar Bhattarai, Shitu Rajbhandari and Uma Bista.

PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP/S WITH FRÉDÉRIC LECLOUX, AGENCE VU

3 – 6 APRIL 2012
WORKSHOP 1: Exclusively for young Nepali photographers

7/8 and 15/16 APRIL 2012
WORKSHOP 2: Open to ALL

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
French-Belgian photographer Frédéric Lecloux will workshop with two groups of 8-10 participants to question the narrative and documentary interest of their everyday lives. By inviting them to change their way of looking at very simple things and events that happen every day around them, he will work with them to build a meaningful photographic story with those elements, that might change the way they look at their country.

These workshops are designed for beginner/intermediate level photographers/ enthusiasts and will require them to think very honestly about their photographic practice and their motivations and to learn to take photos with this question in mind: why am I taking this picture?

PARTICIPATION
• Participants should be eager to learn and share
• Participants should have a basic technical base in photography and should be comfortable shooting on manual function with a DSLR camera
• Participants should be able to commit to all four days, and spend a minimum of 6 hours per day for workshop activities and possibly more for assignments
• Female photographers are highly encouraged to apply

WORKSHOP 1
Tue 3rd APRIL – Fri 6th APRIL 2012
• Exclusively for young Nepali photographers
• Participation fee is Rs. 3,500 per person [10% discount to my.photo.circle members]
• Workshop timing 8 am – 12 noon every day
• Workshop will take place at photo.circle headquarters, Arun Thapa Chowk, Jhamsikhel (5013501)
• Meals not included

WORKSHOP 2
Sat 7th- Sun 8th APRIL and Sat 15th – Sun 16th APRIL 2012
• Open to all nationalities
• Participation fee is Rs. 16,000 per person [10% discount to my.photo.circle members]
• Workshop timing 10 am – 2 pm on Saturdays and 12 noon – 4 pm on Sundays
• Workshop will take place at photo.circle headquarters, Arun Thapa Chowk, Jhamsikhel (5013501)
• Meals included

ABOUT FRÉDÉRIC LECLOUX
Frédéric Lecloux is a traveler, a writer and a photographer. He was born in 1972 in Brussels and lives in France. His work is distributed by Vu’ Agency in Paris. He is represented by Gallery Emotion-Lydie Trigano, in Paris. The slowness and obsessive poetry of his photographic writing, combining inside portraits, everyday life objects and melancholic landscapes, resembles a therapeutic work of relief, be it on the routes of Nicolas Bouvier, in a profoundly mutating Nepal or trying to cope with his own ghosts in Belgium. He is the author of “Au coeur de l’Himalaya” (1998) and “Katmandou 2058″ (2003) published by La Renaissance du Livre, “Lentement vers l’Asie” by Glénat (2006) and “L’Usure du Monde” published by Le Bec en l’Air (2008). He has also worked for NGO’s like Médecins Sans Frontières in former Yougoslavia and Action against Hunger in Nepal.

We are in the middle of a very stimulating workshop with 14 Bangladeshi, Nepali and Norwegian students and award winning photographer Philip Blenkinsop. The workshop is the beginning of an extended exchange program where participating students will produce an in-depth photo reportage project.

Philip Blenkinsop has been described as “one of the most essential photographers of his generation” (Christian Caujolle). He is adamant that the photographer should never censor scenes through the camera. “Photographers are both witnesses and messengers. Our responsibility must always lie with the people we focus on, and with the accurate depiction of their plight, regardless of how unpalatable this might be for magazine readers.” His work, published in international arenas, has been the catalyst for much discussion and amongst other accolades was awarded Amnesty International’s Photojournalism prize for excellence in human rights journalism.

The 14 students participating in this workshop are; Arfun Ahmed Shawon, Benjamin Ward, Gyanendra Bhattarai, Ina Inglingstad, Labib Mohammad Sharfuddin, Md. Samsul Alam, Prakash KC, Prasiit Sthapit, Rajan Shrestha, Rajneesh Bhandari, Salma Abedin Prithi, Sapana Shah, Sindre Thoresen Lønnes and Tapash Paul.

It gives us great pleasure to invite you to join us for this special screening of the students’ and Philip’s works:

 SATURDAY, 11th February @ Summit Hotel, Kupondol Heights

4:30 PM: My Asian Heart
My Asian Heart follows award winning photojournalist Philip Blenkinsop on assignment to China, setting up his next exhibition. Capturing Nepal during the pro democracy uprisings. And reflecting on the plight of the Hmong “survivors” who continue to haunt him. In Philip’s world there’s constant tension between his artistic commitments and the drive to report on world conflicts. The film is directed by David Bradbury.
[The Summit Hotel TV Room]

6:00 PM: Student Showcase
[The Summit Hotel Inner Courtyard]

7:00 PM: Philip Blenkinsop Showcase
[The Summit Hotel Inner Courtyard]

We look forward to seeing you on Saturday!

Great turnout for the screening of "My Asian Heart"- a film that follows Philip Blenkinsops' work across Asia.

Philip knows how to enjoy a good fire!

Great turnout for the student showcase that concluded a 5- day workshop with Philip Blenkinsop. The workshop was part of a longer term exchange between Oslo University College in Norway, PATHSHALA South Asian Media Academy in Bangladesh and photo.circle in Nepal.

Philip presenting the student showcase that concluded his 5- day workshop. The workshop was part of a longer term exchange between Oslo University College in Norway, PATHSHALA South Asian Media Academy in Bangladesh and photo.circle in Nepal.

photo.circle, in collaboration with Oslo University College and Pathshala South Asian Media Academy, is pleased to announce this exciting International Reporting workshop for advanced photojournalism students and/or working photojournalists.

INTRODUCTION
This workshop on international reporting will focus on how to work internationally as a photojournalist. The workshop will consist of four sections; a theoretical pre-course, an intensive workshop, fieldwork and an editing course. Participants will be expected to commit full-time and should expect to produce an in-depth photo reportage at the completion of the workshop. Participants will be working alongside others from Norway and Bangladesh.

SCHEDULE (Detailed Schedule TBA)
Jan 18 – Jan 22 Pre Course 4 hour sessions every day
Feb 6 – Feb 10 Workshop Full-time
Feb 13 – Mar 9 Fieldwork Full-time
Mar 11 – Mar 15 Editing Full-time

WORKSHOP LOCATIONS
- Kathmandu, Nepal – Phillip Blenkinsop
- Sylhet, Bangladesh – Frank Fournier

NOTE
- Participants selected for the Bangladesh workshop will be provided with two-way Ktm- Dhaka-Ktm airfare
- Participants selected for both Bangladesh and Nepal workshops will be provided a basic daily allowance to cover meals and local transport for the fieldwork period
- Participants will be required to have their own DSLR cameras, laptops and all other necessary equipment
- Participants will be required to bear their own subsidiary expenses eg; translators, accommodation during fieldwork period, etc

LEARNING GOALS
- Develop general storytelling and reportage skills for newspaper, magazine, internet and other media.
- Learn how to work as a photojournalist in a foreign country.
- Learn about a new culture, religion, history, globalization, development theory and methods of fieldwork.
- Learn how to reflect, analyze and edit one’s own and others’ journalistic work.

WORKSHOP STRUCTURE AND WORKING METHODS
Workshop will include lectures, individual assignments, group work, group reviews, independent study, fieldwork and editing.
SECTION 1 – The theoretical pre course, will include lectures and discussions about developing story ideas and working methodologies, an introduction to working in a foreign country and a cultural orientation of the foreign country, culture, etc. Participants will begin researching their story ideas and establishing contacts. At the completion of the pre course, participants will be required to submit their story ideas and work plan in English. This section will take place in Kathmandu for all participants.
SECTION 2 – The workshop, will be an intensive five-day exercise where participants will get a thorough introduction to storytelling, discuss different styles and shoot a variety of assignments. This section will take place in Bangladesh for the Bangladesh workshop and Nepal for the Nepal workshop.
SECTION 3 – The fieldwork, is when the participants will shoot and produce their stories independently. This section will take place in Bangladesh for the Bangladesh workshop and Nepal for the Nepal workshop.
SECTION 4 – The editing course, will consist of group and individual sessions where participants will edit their final story. This section will take place in Bangladesh for the Bangladesh workshop and Nepal for the Nepal workshop.
At the completion of the four sections, there will be a final deadline when participants will have to submit their completed stories, along with a written report and evaluation.

ASSESSMENT
All the work requirements for all four sections must be completed and approved before students can take the final exam. The candidate will deliver a complete presentation of his/her fieldwork assignment. Internal and external examiners review all submitted work. A graded scale from A to E for pass and F for fail is used. Students enrolled as fulltime university students may transfer credits (to be ascertained as per home university’s equivalency).

PARTICIPANTS
KATHMANDU WORKSHOP
1. Gyanendra Bhattarai
2. Prasiit Sthapit
3. Prakash KC
4. Sapana Shah
5. Rajneesh Bhandari
6. Rajan Shrestha

BANGLADESH WORKSHOP
1. Sajana Shrestha
2. Phurpu Tsering Gurung
3. Shikhar Bhattarai
4. Uma Bista
5. Sanjaya Hada
6. Sandhya Shrestha