Documentary photography workshops
Small-group photography workshops with Laurin Strele around the world. Develop your documentary and street photography through field assignments, individual mentoring and daily image reviews. All workshops are taught in English.
- Small groups
- Field assignments
- Daily image reviews
- Individual mentoring
- English
Field workshops.
International programmes combining guided access, independent fieldwork, editing and direct feedback in a small group. Dates and availability are listed below.
From the Mongolia workshop archive
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Mongolia
Sold outA documentary photography workshop across the Altai, the northern taiga and Ulaanbaatar, with guided fieldwork, individual assignments and daily image reviews.
Led by Laurin Strele, Ethan Swope and Roberto Flores, Maximum 10 participants
Programme details
Included: Hotels, selected meals, guides and local transport.
Altai
Fieldwork with Kazakh communities in western Mongolia focuses on people, domestic life and the relationship between livelihoods and landscape. Work with local guidance and permission, allowing time for encounters rather than treating people as photographic attractions.
Northern taiga and Khövsgöl
The planned northern stage includes the Dukha/Tsaatan reindeer-herding communities and their environment. Weather, travel times, community consent and local access determine what can be visited and photographed.
Ulaanbaatar
The urban part of the programme offers a contrast to the rural fieldwork: street life, changing surroundings and the everyday use of public space. Individual assignments help connect the different stages into a considered body of work.
Photographic work
Laurin Strele, Ethan Swope and Roberto Flores combine guided fieldwork with daily reviews and individual mentoring. Bring a familiar camera, spare batteries and cards, a laptop with editing software and backup storage. Confirm the final route, meeting point, arrival and departure arrangements with the team before booking travel.
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Photograph by Shivam Pandey
Photograph by Shivam Pandey
India
Last seats availableA photography workshop in Kolkata and Varanasi, India, focused on street life, people and culture. Develop a personal project with Laurin Strele and Shivam Pandey through fieldwork and daily image reviews.
Led by Laurin Strele and Shivam Pandey, Maximum 10 participants
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Iraq
Places availableA seven-day documentary photography workshop in Iraq with Laurin Strele and Ethan Swope. The planned route includes Baghdad, Babylon, Najaf, Karbala and Mosul, with guided fieldwork and daily image reviews.
Led by Laurin Strele and Ethan Swope, Maximum 10 participants
Official travel warnings apply. The route is provisional and subject to an updated security assessment. Read the full safety, entry and insurance information on the programme page before making travel arrangements.
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Photograph by Laurin Strele
Syria
Places availableSeven days of documentary photography with Laurin Strele, from Damascus to Aleppo via Saidnaya, Maaloula, Homs and Hama. Fieldwork, individual mentoring and daily image reviews focus on everyday life, cultural heritage and the lasting effects of conflict.
Led by Laurin Strele, Maximum 10 participants
Official travel warnings apply. The route is provisional and subject to an updated security assessment. Read the full safety, entry and insurance information on the programme page before making travel arrangements.
Documentary practice, with feedback.
The workshops combine photographing on location with one-to-one mentoring and group reviews. We discuss how to approach people, understand context and work responsibly in unfamiliar surroundings.
You select and edit your own photographs, receive specific feedback, and use it in the next field session. The aim is to develop a coherent photographic story, not simply visit a list of locations.
Talks on documentary photography.
Alongside field workshops, Laurin presents artist talks, lectures and portfolio sessions on documentary practice, sharing his experience of access, ethics, editing and visual responsibility.
Previous photography workshops.
Previous workshops and mentorships have taken place in Iraq, Syria, India, Bangladesh, China, Cuba and Japan, with a focus on cultural context, visual ethics and documentary storytelling.
- Japan: Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo, April 2026
- Iraq, Syria, India, Bangladesh
- China, Cuba, international mentorships
Founded by Laurin Strele, Ethan Swope and Roberto Flores, Eyewitness Collective brings together documentary photography, workshops, exhibitions, podcasts, scholarships and collaborative projects.
Workshop news from Eyewitness.
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