Teaching and workshops
I teach in the same way as I photograph; using examples of my own work and that of my colleagues to explain visual concepts. I pass on tips and insight from a long career inside of photojournalism. Conversations with photo editors, watching my colleagues make work, a library of photo books .. these are all folded into my teaching.
During workshops we go through the basics of visual awareness and literacy, to expose the ‘grammar’ of constructing photographs. This foundational knowledge applies to all the visual arts (like painting or drawing) . By observing light and practicing composition we finally learn ‘how to see’.
Example slide from a workshop where we looked at natural lighting direction in the field.
From 30 years of experience working at newspapers and magazines, I can explain how visual storytelling works in practice. I refer to published examples of my own photo stories as well as references to cinema and classic photographic essays. Anyone who has ever read a book or watched a movie is in a good place to make a narrative photo-story.
Marked up image from a presentation in a photo workshop showing how storytelling can work effectively inside a single frame.
My primary teaching experience is for National Geographic as part of a resident photography programme on expedition ships in the polar regions. I have also given workshops during photo festivals, taught visual literacy and storytelling to scientists on national science programmes. The screenshot below and the accompanying video advertise the onboard programme by Lindblad Expeditions in partnership with National Geographic.
Brochure for Lindblad National Geographic
Short film showing Nick Cobbing giving photo instruction on an expedition ship in Svalbard, with Lindblad Expeditions and National Geographic.