The Istanbul Photo Workshop

with Frederic Lezmi & Wolfgang Zurborn

Istanbul Photo-Workshop, April 2014

After the success of our workshops in April and October 2013 and April 2014 Lichtblick School is happy to announce the next workshop in the amazing city of Istanbul.

Publication of the Workshops
in October 2013 and April 2014

Istanbul - megapolis on the shores of the Bosporus, lies on the fault line between Asia and Europe. It is a city with a lot of names and even more faces. Surrounded by water the "bridge city" blends so much influences that you see a new facet of Istanbul popping up at every corner. It is especially the immense contradictions that make the city so attracting and interesting: From the ruins of the old Byzantium and the bazaars on the historic peninsula of Sultanahmet to the skyscrapers of the new finance district Levent, from the traditional conservative neighborhood of Fatih to the buzzing arts and entertainment district of Beyoglu. The city on the two continents has a lot to offer and is literally bursting at the seams. The former Constantinople counts 16 million inhabitants nowadays and everyday new people are arriving. Istanbul is booming - and this not only on the economic level. The vibrant art scene can easily compete with London or New York. Everything is moving forward at a high speed - apart from the traffic. But the Istanbulites take it with humor. "They call it chaos, we call it home" has become the unofficial motto of the city.

Frederic Lezmi lives in Istanbul since January 2012. He will be able to share valuable tips with the participants of the workshop and help them discover of the city.

The protests around Gezi Park and Taksim Square and its brutal crackdown by the police have deepened the rifts that go trough turkish society. Although the confrontations have cooled down, there are still some incidents that spark up from time to time. But in general the situation in Istanbul is safe and the city is so big, that one can easily bypass possible demonstrations and tensions.

Michael Haus, Istanbul Photo-Workshop, April 2014

Like barely no other city Istanbul attracts photographers from all over the world. In the many photo-books and photo-series about Istanbul a deep fascination for the vital urban organism with its multilayered cultural and historic influences is visible.

The task for the participants of the workshop will be to find a fresh visual approach to the city. It is therefore very important to develop a topic or theme out of a personal and subjective experience rather than borrowing known image pattern and clichés. Frederic Lezmi and Wolfgang Zurborn do not prescribe a certain photographic approach as right or wrong, but rather want to trigger a dialogue in the group that makes it possible for every participant to understand his own images and develop a personal visual language.

All photographic styles are welcome. From a strict documentary approach to a lively street photography, from a series of strong portraits to a radical subjective world view participants are encourage to work the topics and do the images that fits them best.

Willy Borgfeld, Istanbul Photo-Workshop, April 2014

Workshop timetable

Friday
Arrival of participants
8 pm: First get-together (exact location to be announced)

Saturday
10am to 8 pm: Big city tour by Frederic Lezmi

Sunday
10 am to 12 pm: Meeting in the workshop space. (location to be announced)
Short presentations of participants, their expectations towards the workshop and first ideas of the chosen topics. Tips to navigate through the city and where to find what will be given.
12 pm to 7 pm: Photographing the individual projects.
7 pm: Get together with presentation and discussion of previous work of the participants

Monday to Wednesday
Photographing the individual projects.
Frederic Lezmi and Wolfgang Zurborn will be available for discussions and critique of the progress of the projects. The group will be divided in two and there will be group meetings in the morning and evening.

Thursday
Final editing of the projects, preparation of a small publication and screening of the results in the evening.

Torsten Schumann, Istanbul Photo-Workshop, April 2014

Information about the Workshop:

• 6-day Workshop: Springtime 2015, the exact date will be published soon
• Number of participants: max. 10
• bilingual: German/English

What you should bring along:

• Digital photo camera
• Laptop with image processing program
• Portfolio of your photographic wqrk

Workshop fee:

660.- Euro
Accomodation and travel costs are not included in the price.

Bogi Bell, Istanbul Photo-Workshop, April 2014

Accomodation in Istanbul

Wir recommend booking flight and accomodation soon.

Here some hotels in Istanbul:

Büyuk Londra www.londrahotel.net
Double: Econmy 50€ / Standard 80€
Single: Economy 40€ / Standard 60€

Rapunzel Hostel www.rapunzelistanbul.com
Single: 55 € / Double: 65 €

Eklektik Galata www.eklektikgalata.com
Double: starting with 95€

Villa Zurich www.hotelvillazurich.com
Double: 90€
Single 70€

Given prices subject to change

Apartments or little flats
This is a good solution, if some participants want to share a place.
Please contact us, if we should arrange this.

www.manzara-istanbul.com
www.istanbulsweethome.com
www.3-apples.com

or via the platform Airbnb

www.airbnb.com

Sigrid Ehemann, Istanbul Photo-Workshop, April 2014