Dispatches

The Aim of the Masterclasses /

The workshop focus is the pursuit of excellence in story telling with photographs: to push yourself to the limits of your ability and imagination, to have an outstanding and unusual cultural experience and to enjoy and learn from the company of others. Working comfortably in foreign or new locations, particularly in a developing country, can take years of understanding and experience. We hope to jump start you in your environment to enable you to make the most of your location and for you to be able to concentrate on your photography.

We believe that the value of a good workshop is in the close contact and personal relationship you forge with the tutors. We aim for a very low student/tutor ratio, normally 8 students in a group and never more than 10 students per tutor. Everybody gets valuable one on one time on a regular basis.

We support emerging photographers from developing countries and will sponsor a local photographer on courses whenever possible.

Who should come?

Don’t expect a picnic! It’s a lot of hard work and long hours. The courses are aimed either at professional photographers looking for new inspiration and direction or at committed amateurs who are looking to really focus and improve their photography. Everybody is expected to have a good technical understanding of their equipment. On digital workshops you’ll need a laptop for editing and a full understanding of the appropriate software. We do not teach you how to use computers or software.

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Locations /

We choose places that the photographers themselves love so you’ll have the advantage of all their local understanding and knowledge. Not every hotel or room will be five star but expect wherever you’re staying to be COOL. Past locations have included Jerusalem, Kashmir, Cambodia, and Rajasthan.

NEW DATES ANNOUNCED: Assignment in Indochina with Gary Knight, July 22nd – 29th 2009

Click here to watch a video shot and edited during the Rajasthan 2009 Masterclass (please note it may take a minute to load).

Please register your interest in future workshops by emailing masterclass@rethink-dispatches.com.

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About Gary Knight and Philip Blenkinsop /

Gary Knight and Philip Blenkinsop have been friends since their early 20’s when they met covering the war in Cambodia. Neither of them is able to recall exactly how they met which is rather revealing. During the early years of their friendship they would often cross the border into Cambodia from Thailand with Cambodian Resistance groups who were engaged in a war with the Government and the Vietnamese Army. Subsisting on rice, insects and fish that they would catch with hand grenades lobbed into rivers, grabbing sleep while napping in hammocks strung between trees in the jungle or underneath village houses and with the sounds of war and slaughtered pigs as a score they became accomplished in surviving the hardships of war and of working together. Since then they have crisscrossed the globe independently covering the darker side of human nature and have documented some of the most urgent issues confronting mankind. They remain close friends and plan on retiring together in a rice field in Cambodia.

Biographies

Gary Knight and Philip Blenkinsop are two of the most celebrated photographers of our time and have won numerous awards, have published several books and their work is in Museum collections worldwide. Gary founded the photo agency VII, is on the Board of several Foundations, has been Chairman of the World Press Photo Awards and a judge 3 times. He is the Editor and Art Director of Dispatches and a contract photographer for Newsweek Magazine. Philip is the only photographer to have been awarded the coveted Visa d’Or twice, has judged and won the World Press Photo Awards, and is one of the founders of the photo agency NOOR.

View some of Gary’s work on VII Photo’s website and Philip’s on Noor’s site.

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Student Feedback /

“I returned to DC a couple of days ago to try to get back to my daily routine and reality after 2 wonderful and incredible inspiring weeks in Cambodia.
First of all I would like to thank Gary and Philip again for your patience, your commitment and your ability to see everybody as an individual regarding our photographic experience and our future development. It was challenging for me in a lot of different ways and very important to see how far I was able to go- whether I was able to cross my comfortable borders and how far I could step over at the other side. It will take me a long time to digest all I learned and to automatically apply everything.”

Petra Barth

The period in Cambodia with you was great and I wouldn’t have missed it!
It taught me a lot of photography, not just the technical details, but especially how to create an enticing storyline. I loved being with such an inspiring group of people and I believe a week is very short for such a great experience…

Guido Van Nispen

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