The Art of Visual Storytelling

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live." This line opens The White Album, Joan Didion’s famous 1979 essay collection. While Didion does not write much about photography, her words often feel photographic—capturing the sharp, complicated truths of everyday life. “We live entirely, especially if we are writers, by the imposition of a narrative line upon disparate images to…freeze the shifting phantasmagoria which is our actual experience,” she writes. Many photographers recognize their own work and process in that idea. A photograph can tell a story, suggest a truth, or linger somewhere in between. But to connect with an audience, a series of images needs some kind of structure—whether it is a sequence, a portfolio, a book, or an exhibition. This workshop, led by an editor from Aperture Magazine, focuses on editing, sequencing, revising, and shaping a cohesive body of work. It is designed for students who have a project or body of work and want to develop it further through feedback and critique. Participants explore different approaches to editing and sequencing, and practice giving shape to their work through presentations, group and individual discussions, and critique. The workshop also draws on the work of other artists and considers strategies for thoughtful presentation, helping students bring their projects to full fruition.

This engaging workshop inspires teens to explore their passion for photography through hands-on experimentation, creativity, and play. Students learn how powerful photographs connect with viewers visually, emotionally, and intellectually, while developing both technical skills and conceptual thinking. Students will work with Cyanotypes and Cyanlumen prints to create unique, analogue images. Participants practice storytelling, environmental photography, and digital image creation using Adobe Photoshop. They explore techniques for capturing unique and compelling images, drawing inspiration from their own work as well as influential photographs from the past and present. In addition, students learn to edit and retouch photos in Photoshop, combining and blending images to create layered, imaginative compositions. By the end of the workshop, participants have strengthened their technical skills, expanded their creative vision, and produced a portfolio of original photographic work.

Photographers with developed bodies of work dive deeply into the art of creating zines and photobooks, exploring how these formats function as powerful tools for structuring, refining, and sharing long-form photographic projects. The workshop includes in-depth demonstrations of essential techniques—such as hand-binding methods, cover construction, trimming, sequencing workflows, and layout planning—so participants can see each step of the bookmaking process in action before applying it to their own projects. Throughout the week, photographers receive guided instruction in editorial decision-making, narrative development, and conceptual cohesion. Structured activities include collaborative editing sessions, peer critiques, guided sequencing exercises, and hands-on design modules using both analog and digital tools. Participants experiment with dummy-book structures and materials, learning how choices in paper, binding, and format influence the reading experience. By the end of the workshop, each photographer leaves with a deeper understanding of visual storytelling, sequencing, and layout, as well as one or more tangible prototypes or mock-ups of their own publication. These drafts serve as concrete foundations they can continue refining into fully realized zines or photobooks beyond the course.