Istanbul Photography Workshop 2027 · World Press Photo · €1250 June 17-20 2027
Istanbul Photography Workshop · World Press Photo · €1250
Documentary, Street & Travel Photography Workshops with World Press Photo Winner
Istanbul Photography Workshop 2027 · World Press Photo · €1250 June 17-20 2027
Street and Documentary Photography Workshop in Istanbul
Istanbul Photography Workshop 2027 · World Press Photo · €1250 June 17-20 2027
Istanbul Photography Workshop 2027 · World Press Photo · €1250 June 17-20 2027
Documentary, Street & Travel Photography Workshops with World Press Photo Winner
This four-day Istanbul photography workshop is for photographers who want to develop their documentary and street photography through practical work in the city.
Istanbul spans two continents and brings together historic neighbourhoods, contemporary city life, religious practice and daily routines. These different settings make it a demanding place for documentary work.
This workshop is designed for photographers who already have experience and want to develop a more refined documentary vision, using observation and a considerate approach to people to build coherent stories from real situations. The workshop requires previous photography experience and centres on practical documentary work.
Led by documentary photographer Daniel Rodrigues, this four-day intensive programme combines fieldwork, editing, close individual guidance, and critical discussion. The goal is to understand the city through its people, different neighbourhoods and daily movement.
The next Istanbul workshop takes place from June 17 to 20, 2027.
The programme runs over four full days and is limited to a small group so that each participant has close guidance and time to develop their work.
Maximum: 5 participants
Duration: 4 intensive days
Dates: June 17-20, 2027
Fee: €1250 per participant
One edition available:
Workshop taught entirely in English
Your workshop page
Before the workshop, I set up a private page for you with the schedule, materials and practical information about the city. During the four days, you upload your photographs, organized by day. I review them and leave comments on each image so we can follow the work you are developing.
Your page stays available after the workshop. You can upload more photographs and ask for my opinion on new work. The feedback continues there, with access to previous notes and reviews.
Planning your workshop trip
This is a four-day workshop taught in English, with a minimum of three and a maximum of five participants. If you are travelling from abroad, confirm your place and that the edition will run before booking flights and accommodation. Allow time for the full programme and check the published payment and cancellation conditions.
Your private workshop page brings together the programme, meeting information and practical preparation. Flights, accommodation, meals, travel insurance and local transport are not included in the workshop fee. If the group dates do not fit your trip, one-to-one tuition in Porto is another option.
Explore one-to-one photography in Porto
Compare all photography workshops
Why Istanbul?
Istanbul offers a wide range of situations for street and documentary photography.
Culture, migration, religion and daily routines are visible across the two sides of the Bosphorus.
Each district offers different places and activities to photograph:
• Eminönü and Sirkeci
Busy streets, trade and crowds
• Karaköy
Markets, changing neighbourhoods and the waterfront
• Balat and Fener
Narrow streets, colour, texture and local life
• Beyoğlu
Contemporary culture, busy streets and different communities
• Üsküdar and Kadıköy
Quieter routines, neighbourhood identity and softer light
We work on observing gestures and the differences between religious activity, daily routines, quieter neighbourhoods and busy streets.
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
Working in Istanbul develops observation, patience and the ability to make considered choices.
What you will learn in this workshop
This workshop covers reading light, observing a place, approaching people respectfully and bringing individual photographs together into a coherent body of work.
Whether the setting is Lisbon, Porto, Istanbul, Mumbai or another city, the focus is the same: documentary photography, street photography and travel photography practised through observation and considered decisions.
Light, atmosphere and timing
You will learn how to work with changing light instead of waiting for perfect conditions. We look at direction, contrast, reflections, shadows, silhouettes and atmosphere, and how these elements can shape the emotional tone of a photograph.
The goal is to make faster, clearer decisions in the street: when to wait, when to move, when to simplify the frame, and how the light contributes to the story.
Composition in real streets
Cities are layered, unpredictable and often visually dense. During the workshop, you will learn how to organise complex scenes, use foreground and background with purpose, anticipate gesture, and build stronger compositions in both crowded and quiet situations.
You will learn to recognise structure and movement in everyday scenes and decide what to include in the frame.
Photographing people with respect
Working with people is a large part of documentary and street photography. You will work on how to approach people with clarity, confidence and sensitivity, while understanding the cultural and social context of each place.
We will also discuss when not to photograph, how to avoid forced or superficial images, and how to build trust in fast-changing environments.
Building a documentary story
You will learn to develop a photographic story through observation, practice, editing and sequencing.
We will look at daily rituals, work, movement, silence, tension, humour, faith, routine and small moments that help explain a place.
By the end of the workshop, you should leave with a sharper eye, a more disciplined way of working, and a clearer understanding of how to develop your own approach while accurately representing the situations you photograph.
This workshop covers reading light, observing a place, approaching people respectfully and bringing individual photographs together into a coherent body of work.
Whether the setting is Lisbon, Porto, Istanbul, Mumbai or another city, the focus is the same: documentary photography, street photography and travel photography practised through observation and considered decisions.
Light, atmosphere and timing
You will learn how to work with changing light instead of waiting for perfect conditions. We look at direction, contrast, reflections, shadows, silhouettes and atmosphere, and how these elements can shape the emotional tone of a photograph.
The goal is to make faster, clearer decisions in the street: when to wait, when to move, when to simplify the frame, and how the light contributes to the story.
Composition in real streets
Cities are layered, unpredictable and often visually dense. During the workshop, you will learn how to organise complex scenes, use foreground and background with purpose, anticipate gesture, and build stronger compositions in both crowded and quiet situations.
You will learn to recognise structure and movement in everyday scenes and decide what to include in the frame.
Photographing people with respect
Working with people is a large part of documentary and street photography. You will work on how to approach people with clarity, confidence and sensitivity, while understanding the cultural and social context of each place.
We will also discuss when not to photograph, how to avoid forced or superficial images, and how to build trust in fast-changing environments.
Building a documentary story
You will learn to develop a photographic story through observation, practice, editing and sequencing.
We will look at daily rituals, work, movement, silence, tension, humour, faith, routine and small moments that help explain a place.
By the end of the workshop, you should leave with a sharper eye, a more disciplined way of working, and a clearer understanding of how to develop your own approach while accurately representing the situations you photograph.
• A 25% deposit is required to secure a place
• Remaining 75% due up to 60 days before the workshop
• Minimum of 3 confirmed participants
• Maximum group size: 5
Registration
Fee per participant: €1250
The fee includes four full days of guided fieldwork, short theory sessions, editing sessions, group critique and individual feedback throughout the workshop.
Also included:
• Pre-workshop support with preparation, equipment and practical recommendations
• Daily guidance in the streets
• Editing and sequencing support towards a final documentary narrative
Not included:
• Accommodation
• Meals
• Flights or transport
• Local transport during the workshop
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenses
A 25% deposit is required to secure a place.
The remaining 75% is due up to 60 days before the workshop.
The group is small so that each participant has close guidance and time to discuss their work in a city between Europe and Asia, with distinctive light and street life.
Price & Conditions
Testimonials from workshop participants
Luís
Peniche, Portugal
"After four days I'd call it a really good experience. You have a gift for teaching, and it felt like a privilege to spend these days with you, watching how you work with people, how you shoot, and hearing everything you've picked up along the way. In the end it wasn't only about photography, there was something personal in it too.
Photographing people, actually going up to them and talking, had always been a wall for me. I feel more confident now. Plenty still to practise, but I know I can do it.
The organisation deserves a mention. Everything from the platform to the programme was spot on. And the fact that you're an easy, flexible person made the whole thing relaxed, in the best way.
The other thing I'd single out is the review sessions, going back over the photos we'd taken. Those made a real difference. They helped me do better the next day and know exactly what I needed to fix. All in all, a five-star experience, and you're a very good teacher. And photographer, obviously."
Jamie
Montreal, Canada
"After four days with Daniel in Lisbon, I look at photography differently. The workshop was what I'd hoped for: some theory, a lot of shooting out in the streets, and help with editing at the end of each day.
During the sessions Daniel kept pushing us to get closer, to approach people and put our subjects at the centre of the frame instead of hanging back. He never hovered. But he was never far either, and that was enough to make us braver, walking into parts of the city we probably wouldn't have gone into alone and actually testing things rather than playing safe.
I'll never think about light and shadow the same way. Not just exposure, but part of the composition itself. We also talked a lot about how to photograph people in the street honestly, without turning them into tourist snapshots, and that changed how I worked. The photos started to feel like a conversation with the place, not something grabbed on the way past.
And it was fun. I finished every day tired and wanting to go out again the next morning, having learned as much from the other participants as from Daniel. Money well spent."
Four-day Programme
Each day combines practical fieldwork, focused teaching, editing and group discussion. The structure is designed to help participants photograph with more intention, return with stronger images, and understand how to build a coherent visual story.
Mornings
• Short theoretical sessions
• Study of classic and contemporary documentary photography
• Preparation for the day’s fieldwork
• Discussion around ethics, approach and visual storytelling
Afternoons
• Guided fieldwork in Eminönü, Sirkeci, Karaköy, Balat, Fener, Kadıköy, Üsküdar and surrounding areas
• Practical exercises in observation, timing and composition
• Individual guidance while shooting
• Small-group challenges adapted to the rhythm of the city
Late afternoons and evenings
• Editing and image review sessions
• Selection of each participant’s strongest photographs
• Group critique and discussion
• Sequencing work towards a final documentary narrative
Each day combines practical fieldwork, focused teaching, editing and group discussion. The structure is designed to help participants photograph with more intention, return with stronger images, and understand how to build a coherent visual story.
Mornings
• Short theoretical sessions
• Study of classic and contemporary documentary photography
• Preparation for the day’s fieldwork
• Discussion around ethics, approach and visual storytelling
Afternoons
• Guided fieldwork in Eminönü, Sirkeci, Karaköy, Balat, Fener, Kadıköy, Üsküdar and surrounding areas
• Practical exercises in observation, timing and composition
• Individual guidance while shooting
• Small-group challenges adapted to the rhythm of the city
Late afternoons and evenings
• Editing and image review sessions
• Selection of each participant’s strongest photographs
• Group critique and discussion
• Sequencing work towards a final documentary narrative
Each day combines practical fieldwork, focused teaching, editing and group discussion. The structure is designed to help participants photograph with more intention, return with stronger images, and understand how to build a coherent visual story.
Mornings
• Short theoretical sessions
• Study of classic and contemporary documentary photography
• Preparation for the day’s fieldwork
• Discussion around ethics, approach and visual storytelling
Afternoons
• Guided fieldwork in Eminönü, Sirkeci, Karaköy, Balat, Fener, Kadıköy, Üsküdar and surrounding areas
• Practical exercises in observation, timing and composition
• Individual guidance while shooting
• Small-group challenges adapted to the rhythm of the city
Late afternoons and evenings
• Editing and image review sessions
• Selection of each participant’s strongest photographs
• Group critique and discussion
• Sequencing work towards a final documentary narrative
Each day combines practical fieldwork, focused teaching, editing and group discussion. The structure is designed to help participants photograph with more intention, return with stronger images, and understand how to build a coherent visual story.
Mornings
• Short theoretical sessions
• Study of classic and contemporary documentary photography
• Preparation for the day’s fieldwork
• Discussion around ethics, approach and visual storytelling
Afternoons
• Guided fieldwork in Eminönü, Sirkeci, Karaköy, Balat, Fener, Kadıköy, Üsküdar and surrounding areas
• Practical exercises in observation, timing and composition
• Individual guidance while shooting
• Small-group challenges adapted to the rhythm of the city
Late afternoons and evenings
• Editing and image review sessions
• Selection of each participant’s strongest photographs
• Group critique and discussion
• Sequencing work towards a final documentary narrative
Price & Conditions
Price & Conditions
Fee per participant: €1250
The fee includes four full days of guided fieldwork, short theory sessions, editing sessions, group critique and individual feedback throughout the workshop.
Also included:
• Pre-workshop support with preparation, equipment and practical recommendations
• Daily guidance in the streets
• Editing and sequencing support towards a final documentary narrative
Not included:
• Accommodation
• Meals
• Flights or transport
• Local transport during the workshop
• Travel insurance
• Personal expenses
A 25% deposit is required to secure a place.
The remaining 75% is due up to 60 days before the workshop.
The group is small so that each participant has close guidance and time to discuss their work in a city between Europe and Asia, with distinctive light and street life.
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, covering conflict zones, isolated communities, major cities and everyday life.
In these workshops, Daniel shares his technical knowledge and explains how he observes, prepares a story and approaches people. He also shows how he builds photographic stories and works with editors.
These are some of the photographs I’ve taken over the past few years, during dozens of workshops and on other visits to the cities where I teach. Even in places I’ve returned to many times, I look for streets I haven’t photographed, explore other neighbourhoods and meet new people. I use those visits to make new photographs and plan different routes and locations for future groups. That’s why no two workshops are the same, even in the same city.
Istanbul | June 17 to 20, 2027 | Minimum 3, maximum 5 participants