Istanbul Experience Photography Workshop
Documentary, Street & Travel Photography with Daniel Rodrigues World Press Photo Award Winner
Documentary, Street & Travel Photography with Daniel Rodrigues World Press Photo Award Winner
This four-day Istanbul photography workshop is designed for photographers who want to develop a documentary and street photography approach in one of the most visually intense cities in the world
Istanbul is a city suspended between continents, histories, and identities. It is a place where the ancient and the contemporary coexist side by side, where ritual and routine overlap, and where every street reveals a distinct rhythm of human interaction, creating a demanding environment for documentary work.
This workshop is designed for photographers who already have experience and want to develop a more refined documentary vision, working with observation, empathy, and intention to construct coherent narratives rooted in real situations. It is not a beginner class, and it is not a tour. It is a focused learning process grounded in lived experience.
Led by documentary photographer Daniel Rodrigues, this four-day intensive programme combines fieldwork, editing, close individual guidance, and critical discussion. The goal is not to chase the obvious beauty of Istanbul, but to understand the city through its people, its atmosphere, its contrasts, and its uninterrupted movement.
The Istanbul workshop takes place in September 2026, starting on September 12.
The programme runs over four full days and is limited to a small group to ensure close guidance and meaningful development.
Maximum: 8 participants
Minimum: 5 participants
Duration: 4 intensive days
Fee: 675€ per participant
One edition available:
Workshop taught entirely in English
Why Istanbul?
Few cities in the world offer such a rich environment for street and documentary photography.
Istanbul carries layers of culture, migration, faith, daily routine and complex human interactions — all unfolding across two continents divided by the Bosphorus.
Each district has its own visual and emotional atmosphere:
• Eminönü and Sirkeci
Movement, trade, rhythm and density
• Karaköy
Transitions, markets and waterfront energy
• Balat and Fener
Narrow streets, colour, texture and local life
• Beyoğlu
Contemporary culture, urban flow and diverse communities
• Üsküdar and Kadıköy
Quieter routines, neighbourhood identity and softer light
It is about reading gestures, atmospheres and contrasts between devotion and daily life, tradition and modernity, silence and intensity.
This workshop is ideal for photographers who want to develop:
• strong scene-reading skills
• the ability to work in visually rich environments
• sensitivity to cultural context and human presence
• confidence in dynamic, unpredictable spaces
• a structured documentary approach to complex urban life
Istanbul teaches observation, patience and the importance of working with intention.
What you will learn in this workshop
• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place
• Remaining 75% due up to 30 days before the workshop
• Minimum of 5 confirmed participants
• Maximum group size: 8
Istanbul workshops fill quickly due to the strong visual environment and limited number of places.
Registration
Fee per participant: 675€
Includes:
• Four full days of guided work
• Theory, field practice and editing sessions
• Individual and group feedback
• Pre-workshop support (equipment, safety, cultural awareness)
Does not include:
• flights
• accommodation
• meals
• insurance
• local transport
Price & Conditions
1) Light and atmosphere across two continents
Istanbul’s light is shaped by the Bosphorus, the hills and the mix of open and narrow spaces.
You will learn to:
• expose accurately in shifting light
• use silhouettes, reflections and diffused light
• understand atmospheric transitions across neighbourhoods
• work with both gentle and high-contrast situations
2) Composition in dense and layered environments
Istanbul offers intensity and subtlety simultaneously.
You will develop:
• the ability to organise complex scenes quickly
• strong spatial awareness in crowded environments
• rhythm and timing in markets, ferries and busy streets
• compositional discipline in quieter neighbourhoods
3) Human approach with respect and cultural awareness
Istanbul is diverse, spiritual and socially complex.
A sensitive approach is essential.
You will learn how to:
• approach people respectfully and with clarity
• read cultural and religious contexts
• understand appropriate moments to photograph
• develop empathy in fast-changing environments
4) Building documentary narratives in a city of contrasts
The objective is not to collect isolated images.
It is to examine the city carefully and construct a cohesive narrative.
You will explore:
• daily rituals
• work rhythms
• moments of devotion and routine
• micro-stories in markets, ferries and neighbourhoods
• transitions between Europe and Asia
3) Human approach with respect and cultural awareness
Istanbul is diverse, spiritual and socially complex.
A sensitive approach is essential.
You will learn how to:
• approach people respectfully and with clarity
• read cultural and religious contexts
• understand appropriate moments to photograph
• develop empathy in fast-changing environments
4) Building documentary narratives in a city of contrasts
The objective is not to collect isolated images.
It is to examine the city carefully and construct a cohesive narrative.
You will explore:
• daily rituals
• work rhythms
• moments of devotion and routine
• micro-stories in markets, ferries and neighbourhoods
• transitions between Europe and Asia
Four-day Programme
Mornings
• Short theoretical sessions
• Study of classic and contemporary documentary work
• Preparation for fieldwork
• Ethical and narrative orientation
Afternoons
• Fieldwork in Eminönü, Sirkeci, Karaköy, Balat, Fener, Kadıköy, Üsküdar and surrounding areas
• Guidance during shooting
• Observation and timing exercises
• Individual and small-group challenges
Late afternoons / Evenings
• Editing sessions
• Rigorous selection and sequencing
• Group critique
• Construction of each participant’s final narrative
Late afternoons / Evenings
• Editing sessions
• Rigorous selection and sequencing
• Group critique
• Construction of each participant’s final narrative
Late afternoons / Evenings
• Editing sessions
• Rigorous selection and sequencing
• Group critique
• Construction of each participant’s final narrative
Late afternoons / Evenings
• Editing sessions
• Rigorous selection and sequencing
• Group critique
• Construction of each participant’s final narrative
Price & Conditions
Price & Conditions
Fee per participant: 675€
Includes:
• Four full days of guided work
• Theory, field practice and editing sessions
• Individual and group feedback
• Pre-workshop support (equipment, safety, cultural awareness)
Does not include:
• flights
• accommodation
• meals
• insurance
• local transport
• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place
• Remaining 75% due up to 30 days before the workshop
• Minimum of 5 confirmed participants
• Maximum group size: 8
Istanbul workshops fill quickly due to the strong visual environment and limited number of places.
• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place
• Remaining 75% due up to 30 days before the workshop
• Minimum of 5 confirmed participants
• Maximum group size: 8
Istanbul workshops fill quickly due to the strong visual environment and limited number of places.
About Daniel Rodrigues
About Daniel Rodrigues
Daniel Rodrigues is a photojournalist and documentary photographer. He won the World Press Photo in 2013, has been a regular contributor to The New York Times for over a decade and has worked in more than thirty countries, from conflict zones to isolated communities, major cities and everyday stories.
In these workshops, Daniel shares not only technical knowledge but also the way he thinks, observes, prepares and engages with people, constructing narratives that make sense to him and to the editors he works with.
Istanbul · September 12–15, 2026 · Limited to 8 participants