The Journey

Location: San Juan, Puerto Rico

Dates: Coming soon (Fall 2022)

Cost: Tuition: $3900
A deposit of $1000 is due upon registration.

Limited Enrollment: 15 available spaces

Project Puerto Rico 2022

Nonprofit Storytelling

After our company co-founder returned from teaching this workshop in 2018, Jamie was quoted as saying, “This was one of the most profoundly moving workshop experiences we have had in ten years of Momenta.” The nonprofit staff and Momenta photographers worked side-by-side to illustrate the dedication and passion of the people of Puerto Rico for the past two years and this coming workshop is sure to produce equally powerful work.

Momenta stands with its fellow citizens. As the people of the island continue on their path to recovery from the hurricane, the devastating earthquakes of 2019-2020, and COVID-19, Momenta will be there to document the island’s resilience and take part in the recovery. The nonprofits benefit from your brilliant photos by using them to tell their story to the world and you will learn real-world skills to documenting humanitarian issues.

You can be a force of change in Puerto Rico. On this inspirational workshop, you will be matched with a local nonprofit to create a powerful photo essay about their staff and all their efforts to fulfill their mission. We will have lectures, hands-on instruction, as well as daily one-on-one editing sessions. We will end our week together with a celebratory slideshow of the amazing nonprofits from your projects for the public! Scroll down this page to learn about your instructors, the FAQs, and trip details.

Please note: In 2019, this workshop was one of our most popular workshop programs. Please place a deposit for your attendance as soon as possible to avoid the wait list.

Your photography skills have never been more needed.

This workshop will inspire, challenge, and motivate you like no other.

Work directly with local nonprofit staff and clients to support the recovery efforts
Use exceptional gear provided by our Official Camera Sponsor Sony
1-on-1, personalized editing for each student, every day for an hour or more
Lectures on inspirational, nonprofit documentary photography
Our public slideshow party wraps up the week in San Juan
Lectures on portfolio building, business skills, workflow, marketing, & much more

COVID-19 NOTICE: The safety of our students and staff on the ground is paramount to us and we take it very seriously. With the situation changing so quickly, we want to ensure, when we all gather in person to support the nonprofits who desperately need us, it is the best environment for your learning and creativity as well as safety.

As we prepare for all our workshops in 2021-2022, we will continue to follow city, state, and federal guidelines for safety protocols and working with our advisors to ensure every precaution possible is made. In addition to the usual safety preparations and PPE we use on our programs, we will also be implementing stringent personal and group hygiene protocols during all workshops.

Since our programs are limited to small groups and are first come-first serve, we recommend putting your deposit in for the workshop program to hold your place. If you decide you’d like to transfer to another workshop in the future, we are waiving all transfer fees through January 2022 to allow you to feel most comfortable with your decision to travel with us.

Be a Force of Change!

The Destination

San Juan is one of the oldest European settlements in the Americas and the capital city of Puerto Rico, an island oft-overlooked but amazingly welcoming for tropical visitors. While Puerto Rico is still recovering from the devastating impacts of 2017’s Hurricane Maria, the earthquakes of 2019, and the coronavirus in 2020, officials and experts agree tourism remains vital to support the local economy. Even after all the island has endured, San Juan’s harbor, beaches, and neighborhoods are bursting with color, lush with vegetation, and brimming with welcoming residents.

At Momenta, we believe in the power of photography as a force of change, and the residents of Puerto Rico need that supportive change right now. More than a million residents of the island remain without access to constant electricity, while other services and infrastructure remain in need. Even still, the people and nonprofits on the island work tirelessly to rebuild their homes in the face of adversity and neglect.

Join Momenta on this unique workshop to participate in the reconstruction efforts and show your support in their time of need. Volunteer your time and skills to document the tremendous hard work and resilience of Puerto Ricans on their long path to recovery. You will be a part of the effort to help our citizens overcome these challenges and move to a successful future. You, in turn, will walk away with a successful photo package to use in your portfolio to market yourself to other nonprofits clients and collaborators.

We will focus our work with local NGOs and nonprofits of varying specialization and scale. From health organizations to community outreach and rebuilding efforts, workshop attendees will be given the task of creating compelling visual or multimedia narrative packages in collaboration with their assigned nonprofit.

In 2022, our workshops will have increased health, PPE, and safety protocols so you can feel fully comfortable during our small group interactions. As the world begins to reopen, economies like Puerto Rico need our support and Momenta remains committed to supporting you as you support the nonprofits on the island.

What To Expect

An unparalleled chance to use your photography skills to help the devastated island recover by showcasing its residents’ tireless work
You will receive your own nonprofit partner to work with based on your answers to a detailed pre-workshop student questionnaire
Momenta will handle all pre-workshop logistics, including setting up each student with their own nonprofit to photograph
You keep the copyright to all your photographs. However, each attendee donates a license to a collection of images to your local nonprofit partner so they can use them to promote the great work they are doing
Your photographs will be part of a collective effort to bring light to the persisting conditions in Puerto Rico as its communities struggle to return to normal
We will provide you with supportive direction and intensive instruction on photo workflow and file management
You have the option to participate in nighttime group discussions throughout the week
You will receive at least one hour per day of 1-on-1, private editing sessions with an instructor to help build your style and skills
Orientation lectures guide you on narrative storytelling, elements of a photo story, the importance of documentary photography, & much more

Join Us for Project Puerto Rico!

Meet Your Puerto Rico Faculty

Keep checking back as more faculty and guest speakers are added.

Jamie Rose

Jamie is co-Founder and COO of Momenta Group, LLC, which owns Momenta Workshops, Momenta Creative, and manages Wildfire Media, a nonprofit dedicated to documentary storytelling. Her early career was spent in the halls of power as a Press Corps photojournalist covering Capitol Hill and the White House, primarily as a long term contract for The New York Times.

Her passion for working with nonprofits led her to documentary coverage of humanitarian and health crisis in Africa, North and South America, and the Middle East…

Learn More about Jamie Rose

…Her clients included organizations such as Doctors Without Borders, The Calvert Foundation, The Global Fund, and Physicians for Human Rights among others.

In 2011, Jamie was awarded the United Nations’ Photographers Leadership Award. Her long term photo projects have won acclaim from the Alexia Foundation and The White House News Photographers’ Association for her portfolio of Doctors Without Borders (MSF) health care workers in wartime Northern Uganda.

Jamie is considered an expert in nonprofit communications and has been interviewed about the importance of storytelling in nonprofit communications by The Candid Frame, Photo District News (PDN), Around the Lens, Photography Talk, Creative Marketing & Business Podcast, and News Photographer Magazine among others. She has been an invited lecturer on communications for nonprofits at The Foundation Center, Colombia University, Georgetown University, University of Oregon, the Northern Short Course, as well as her alma maters.

Jamie holds degrees in Literature and Communications from American University and Visual Interactive Communications from the S.I. Newhouse School of Communications at Syracuse University. She also runs the popular blog, Jamie’s List which promotes jobs and opportunities for creatives. She lives in the mountains of Oregon with her husband, co-founder of Momenta John Chris Anderson, and their rescue dog, Cody. Please don’t look up her website because it’s woefully out of date and will be redesigned hopefully someday before the next decade. Better yet, visit https://www.MomentaWorkshops.com or https://www.Wildfire-Media.org.

Gabi Pérez-Silver

Documentary photographer Gabi Pérez-Silver was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She lived on the island until she was accepted intoSyracuse University’s prestigious College of Visual and Performing Arts to study photography.

During her first experience living through four seasons, she was inspired her to focus her career on adapting and adjusting to new environments…

Learn More about Gabi Pérez-Silver

…Her first major documentary project on mental illness inspired acclaimed photographer Annie Flanagan, also a Momenta instructor, to become her mentor and editor. Her long term documentary project on her father’s battle with mental illness, entitled Our Mind; A Weapon, was published in Burn Magazine and by Vice Media. Her work impressed David Allen Harvey so much he invited her to New York City where she joined projects with him and other Magnum Photos photographers on their editorial, production, and photographic support teams. Gabi returned to Puerto Rico after the hurricane, committed to documenting her home and its powerful stories. She works in the film industry as a freelance photographer and is currently pursuing a new documentary project on mental health. You can see her work at http://gbiprz.com and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/gbiprz.

Are You Looking for the Fine Print?

Click through the tabs below for more info.

What’s Included

Workshop Fees Include: daily one-on-one private editing sessions with our instructors and personalized portfolio reviews, workshop learning materials, slideshows and lectures, an opening night dinner, and final night celebration party.

Workshop Fees Do Not Include: international airfare, hotels (available for an additional fee), early arrival or late departure accommodations, visa fees (if applicable), medivac insurance (required), medical or vaccination costs, meals, items such as personal excursions, alcohol, phone calls, laundry, alcoholic beverages, etc.

It’s Easy to Sign Up!

Each workshop requires a minimum deposit to reserve your place in the workshop. To register and hold your place on the workshop, you must put down a $1000 deposit. After you have registered for a workshop, final payments will be due within 120 days of the start of the workshop. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email from us via our secure registration company, RegOnline.com.

As we near the start of the workshop, you will receive informational documents from our staff including a reading and research list, your final workshop itinerary, and travel guides. We work very hard to insure you are prepared in every way for this learning adventure. Our staff stands ready to answer any of your questions and to help facilitate the smoothest travel experience possible. Please reach out to us with any questions via our Contact page.

Equipment

We require all attending photographers to bring their own cameras, laptop and support gear like external hard drives. Our staff and instructors can offer gear recommendations and help you understand the nuances of your equipment. You will also be able check out a loaner camera and lenses during the workshop thanks to our official camera sponsor!

We ask all photographers bring at least a digital SLR or rangefinder camera with 1-2 lenses. We encourage you to bring a lightweight tripod. Should you choose to participate in a multimedia project, you must come with a working knowledge of the required software programs and your equipment.

Please see our Resources tab at the top of the website for our gear and traveling tips suggestions.

Notes

This course is designed for people who are good natured, flexible, have a working knowledge of photography and are interested in a unique documentary photography workshop experience. We will work with each photographer to improve their photography on any level, and we will find the right theme for your vision. We will provide support every step of the way, but you need to have a positive attitude and work well with a group!

This experience is more of a photo practicum than it is a tourism trip. The educational journey will be amazing and eye opening but it is not easy. You will work long hours. Your instructors will give you daily challenges and push you to new heights with your photography. We will encourage you to stretch and think creatively.

You may encounter people or organizations that are challenging to photograph. You may have to photograph in dark rooms or outside at high noon. You may have stressful days of difficult logistics. While we will be there to help you, support you and give you insight on the best way to handle the situation as a professional, you will need to take as much responsibility for your progress as we do.

FAQs

1. I’m worried about the COVID-19 coronavirus. Should I wait to register? What if I don’t feel comfortable traveling by then?
We totally understand! The safety of our students and staff on the ground is paramount to us and we take it very seriously. With the situation on the ground changing so quickly, we want to ensure, when we all gather in person to support the nonprofits who desperately need us, it is the best environment for learning and creativity as well as safety.

As we prepare for all our workshops in the next year, we will continue to follow city, state, and federal guidelines for safety protocols and working with our advisors to ensure every precaution possible is made. In addition the usual safety preparations and PPE we use on our programs, we will also be implementing stringent personal and group hygiene protocols during all workshops.

Since our programs are limited to small groups and are first come-first serve, we recommend putting your deposit in for the workshop program to hold your place. If you decide you’d like to transfer to another workshop in the future, we are waiving all transfer fees through January 2022 to allow for you to feel most comfortable with your decision to travel with us.

2. When should I arrive/depart? What’s the general schedule?
The workshop begins at 12 pm EST on Sunday and concludes at 9 p.m. on Friday night after the final slideshow party. Check out for those staying at the hotel during the workshop and booking with us is 11 am on Saturday, the day following the workshop. A number of attendees choose to arrive a day or more early to get their bearings and possibly try to meet with their nonprofits to begin photographing before the workshop. But it’s entirely up to you.

3. How do you pick a nonprofit for me? What if I want a very specific nonprofit?
Each attendee fills out a questionnaire to help our staff learn their interests, experience, and goals. The questionnaire is a very important part of our process at Momenta. Your answers will allow us to get to know you and your goals as well as help find the good match with a nonprofit to help you build your skills.

If you want to find your own nonprofit:
We applaud any photographer who wants to try this process out on their own! We love when photographers choose this option because it helps you find the perfect NPO for you. Plus, you learn even more about working with nonprofits as a client when you are able to research and work with them on being your workshop assignment. We still ask you to fill out the questionnaire anyway and indicate this choice on your form.

If you want to search for your own nonprofit, we are happy to work with you to help you find a nonprofit that suits your goals. This is the best way to ensure you are 100% satisfied with your nonprofit assignment for the week and get a little extra learning out of the process.

We have a template email we give you to send to the nonprofits you are interested in joining for the workshop and we also do a phone meeting to help you get started.

If you want Momenta to assign you to a nonprofit:
That’s cool too! We are totally willing to do this for you. You start by filling out the questionnaire we send you approximately 45 days prior to the workshop.

Once we get all the forms in from the attendees and the nonprofits, we will make the assignments and introductions approximately 1-2 weeks prior to the workshop.

4. Who keeps the copyright to the images?
You do. You made them = you own the copyright. A Photo Release Agreement is sent to all parties to sign via DocuSign confirming you are the copyright holder of the images, you give Momenta and the nonprofit permission to use your images for outreach or educational purposes, etc. More details will come on the pre-workshop emails about this process.

5. Do I need a car?
We do recommend having a car if you feel comfortable driving but it is not required. If you won’t be driving yourself, we ask you to let us know on the questionnaire because we need to take that into consideration when we do the nonprofit assignments.

6. Do you recommend hotels or have a group rate somewhere?
We offer a special pricing at our hotel, the Courtyard Marriott in Miramar, and you can pay for your reservation with your final workshop payment when we get closer to the workshop. You can pay for your room directly online and use discounts or points if you wish. Or we can do all the reservations for you. If you don’t want to stay there and choose to go to another local hotel or Airbnb, that’s fine too. We allow each person to find their own accommodations based on their budget. We send registered attendees all this information in the pre-workshop mailings to help you plan according to your price range and accommodation needs.

Have a question about Project Puerto Rico?

Email our staff and we will get back to you within 48 hours or less.
You can also give us a call at 202-688-1448.
Our offices are open M-F from 9-5 Pacific Time.

The Journey

Project Puerto Rico 2022

Nonprofit Storytelling

Your photography skills have never been more needed.

The Destination

What To Expect

An unparalleled chance to use your photography skills to help the devastated island recover by showcasing its residents’ tireless work

You will receive your own nonprofit partner to work with based on your answers to a detailed pre-workshop student questionnaire

Momenta will handle all pre-workshop logistics, including setting up each student with their own nonprofit to photograph

You keep the copyright to all your photographs. However, each attendee donates a license to a collection of images to your local nonprofit partner so they can use them to promote the great work they are doing

Your photographs will be part of a collective effort to bring light to the persisting conditions in Puerto Rico as its communities struggle to return to normal

We will provide you with supportive direction and intensive instruction on photo workflow and file management

You have the option to participate in nighttime group discussions throughout the week

You will receive at least one hour per day of 1-on-1, private editing sessions with an instructor to help build your style and skills

Orientation lectures guide you on narrative storytelling, elements of a photo story, the importance of documentary photography, & much more

Join Us for Project Puerto Rico!

Meet Your Puerto Rico Faculty

Jamie Rose

Gabi Pérez-Silver

Are You Looking for the Fine Print?

Have a question about Project Puerto Rico?

Register with security and confidence.

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