Photo by instructor Patricia Howard
Learn how to become more comfortable photographing in public places and to gain confidence communicating the ideas behind your photographs. Brandon Stanton’s "Humans of New York" project is the inspiration for students who undertake their own “Humans of DC”-type exploration. Divided into groups, students take part in an outdoor photo session that involves photographing and interviewing 2 or 3 other people in their group. In the next class, they learn how to upload and edit the portraits they’ve created with text into an online account. They also participate in a group critique.
In the next session, students learn how best to approach strangers they’d like to photograph and also get some pointers on quickly composing a shot. Then they go outside to find, interview, and photograph their own 5 “humans of DC.” Back in the classroom, they create photographic self-portraits, with instruction on using a tripod or self-timer. They also write something about themselves to accompany the images.
The class ends with a final editing session of the “Humans of DC” subjects and the student self-portraits. Afterward, everyone offers critiques and helpful suggestions for future work.
Students should have a digital camera, preferably a DSLR with a memory card.
Instructor: Patricia Howard
4 sessions, 3 hours each
