Project India 2012

Photography as a Force of Change

in collaboration with

Location: Dehradun, India
Dates: January 29 - February 11, 2012
Cost: $4650 for Dual Occupancy.
Please contact our office for itinerary and travel information.

Momenta provides each student with a detailed questionnaire to match that student's interest with a nonprofit in Dehradun, India
Each student will get their own nonprofit to work with, based on feedback from our pre-workshop student questionnaire
Momenta will handle all pre-workshop logistics for nonprofit assignments including introductions to each nonprofit occuring about 1-2 weeks before the workshop
Student work benefits small, local nonprofits in their need to publicize and project their activities to new audiences
Momenta presents an intensive instruction on Photo Mechanic and photo asset archiving
Students receive daily personal reviews with lead instructor and Momenta staff
Regular slideshows, lectures and group critiques
Daily mentoring and story development editing
Voluntary multimedia instruction for interested attendees
Lectures on narrative storytelling, elements of a photo story and history of documentary photography
Final slide show and party hosted by Momenta for all students, nonprofit staff, general public and members of the photographic community

If you've ever wanted to do more with your photography than show your friends your travel images, this workshop is for you! We are so excited to have India as the location of our first Project Workshop with Leica Camera in 2012. India is inarguably one of the most important and influential countries of the next century and home to one of the worlds most fast-changing social environments. Join us to work with the many varied NGOs and nonprofits that have helped shape India's development projects over the last 50 years in Northern India. Learn the skills necessary to work successfully and profitably with nonprofit organizations in one of the most culturally diverse countries on Earth.

A wonderful new addition to our curriculum in 2012 is the collaboration of Momenta Workshops and Leica Camera during our Project Workshop series. All photographers on this trip will have the opportunity to borrow and demo the digital Leica M9 camera bodies and lenses to use in their nonprofit photo stories. We will have a special lecture during orientation about the use of Leica cameras and their great history in documentary photography.

During this Project workshop, we work with NGOs of varying specialization from agriculture to women's issues to health care in the Northern city of Dehradun, India. While photographing in the foothills of the Himalayas, workshop attendees will be given the task of creating a compelling visual or multimedia narrative in conjunction with their assigned nonprofit. Each nonprofit assignment is chosen based on an extended questionnaire from each student regarding their goals for the workshop and their own personal photographic vision.

Every day of the workshop, Momenta staff and instructors work with you to develop a photo story that is close to your personal vision. We do this through dailyone-on-one editing with you and an instructor for about one hour each evening.

On the final night of the workshop, Momenta hosts a student slide show presentation for all the organizations who participated in the workshop as well as neighborhood residents, local photographers, journalists and the workshop attendees. The slideshow is truly a moving and emotional experience for everyone involved. It creates a wonderful atmosphere of camaraderie and celebration to honor our time together!

We hope you can join us for this very special workshop experience in one of India's most vibrant and exciting regions!

Workshop fees include: accommodations, in-country travel and meals (excluding alcohol) as indicated on the itinerary, daily one-on-one access to an instructor, personalized portfolio reviews, all handouts and workshop materials, daily slideshows and lectures, software and equipment training.

Workshop fees do not include: international airfare, early arrival or late departure accommodations, visa fees (if applicable), travel insurance, medical costs, meals not indicated on the itinerary, items of personal nature including phone calls, laundry, alcohol, etc.

About your Instructors

Leading this trip is our Director of Workshops Jamie Rose. Jamie is considered an expert in nonprofit photography and has lead this particular workshop for the past two years. She has been interviewed by Photo District News, News Photographer Magazine and numerous online publications about the importance of nonprofit photography for documentarians. She has worked in five continents for some of the biggest publications and nonprofits in the world including The New York Times, The Calvert Foundation and The Global Fund.

In 2011, Jamie was awarded the IPC's Photographers Leadership Award by a branch of the United Nations. She has won numerous awards and grants for her documentary and nonprofit work including the prestigious White House News Photographers' Association Project Grant for her portfolio of nonprofit work from Africa.

Jamie's co-instructors will be announced in late 2011. Learn more about your instructors by visiting Our Instructors page.

For More Information

Please email our staff for further information at info@momentaworkshops.com. You may also reach Director of Workshops Jamie Rose between the hours of 9:00 a.m - 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday at our offices at 202.688.1448.

Please contact us for more information about this workshop today!

Important Workshop Notes: The conditions on this workshop can be difficult due to the nature of rural accommodations. This is not a luxury trip nor travel oriented. This course is designed for people who are good natured, flexible, have working knowledge of the photo mechanical process and are interested in working with nonprofits. Momenta will work with each photographer to improve their photography on any level and we will find the right local NGO partner for you based on your student questionnaire. We will provide support every step of the way but you need to know that this is not a photo tour.

This trip is more of a photo class than it is a tourism trip. This journey will be amazing and eye opening but it is not easy. We need you to be aware of the realities of working in a developing area before you register. If you are used to five star accommodations, they simply are not available in this rural area and you should consider one of our travel oriented workshops. However, seasoned travelers will have no problem with the basic hotels and rural food options.

Also, please note students need to provide their own equipment, including laptop, cameras and software. We recommend having Photoshop or Lightroom on your computer when you arrive. We also arrange for a two month downloadable trial version of Photo Mechanic for all our students and we have arranged with the software company so you can purchase the program at the conclusion of the workshop at a discounted rate. We will send you a detailed packing list before the workshop so you will be prepared for your trip.

Please contact us for more information about this workshop today.