“Documentary photography is possibly one of the most powerful art forms in the world today,” says Holger Pooten, Founder and Director of the London Institute of Photography. “In a shifting global landscape where words matter less and images matter more, we cannot discount the impact of documentary photography on shaping hearts and minds.”

Capturing emotions and documenting life, whether events, the environment or the small details of daily life, are the most powerful forms of photography. In this course, Holger Pooten helps students explore how these genres have evolved over time as professionals use new tools and technologies to expand their creativity and comment on social and environmental realities today.

“This course begins by analysing in detail the works of the top names in historical and contemporary street and documentary photography,” says Pooten. “We look at the difference between a photo story and a photo essay and then move on to specifics such as framing, viewpoint and composition and how to capture street portraiture and street life.”

Interacting with subjects, ethics and legal rights fuse with identifying what is known as the 'Decisive Moment' and capturing it in such a way that it exposes reality in new and unexpected ways. In addition, students will look at choosing lenses and other equipment, optimising camera set-ups, editing stock and developing methods of file management.

“The aim in this course is for students to learnt to tell stories through images by mastering how to create and structure photo stories and photo essays,” explains Pooten. “We encourage developing the skills to consider the framework of a photo story or photo essay from an historical, contextual and conceptual perspective.”

At the same time, students will learn to capture the spontaneity of street life in their own artistic style and edit their photographs to create coherence. “Also vitally important in the course is developing an understanding of the cultural and legal scope of documentary and street photography, respecting the power of the profession and the impact of intersubjectivity in a complex field.

“This advanced course requires a good knowledge of the Beginners and Intermediate Photography Courses and takes place in an intensive four day teaching period, taken during the week over 4 consecutive days or over two consecutive weekends on Saturdays and Sundays,” says Pooten. “There are only eight places available on each course, so it is essential to book early.”

Weekday courses will run from July 2018 to November 2018, but weekend courses will only be offered in June, October and November 2018. With limited spaces available to access this unique course for aspiring professional documentary and street photographers, it will surely be highly sought after with its unique and in-depth approach to this essential form of social comment.

The London Institute of Photography was founded by award-winning advertising photographer Holger Pooten in London’s dynamic Shoreditch district. LIoP looks to nurture the creative talent of every student by building sound technical skills. Their courses look to take students to a professional level in the shortest possible time. LIoP offers a Professional Photography Course as well as 12 individual courses covering every aspect of modern photography. Taster Workshops cover the four key areas of photography. LIoP class sizes are limited to eight students to maximise individual attention and development and all training is carried out by award winning professional photographers. The Professional Photography Course is offered full time for ten weeks or flexi-time over a nine month period. Courses are offered weekdays, weekends and evenings. For more information or to book a course, please visit: https://www.liop.co.uk/.