Fotografiska Academy: Visual Storytelling

Overview

Led by photographer Mustafah Abdulaziz, Visual Storytelling introduces you to the fundamentals of photography and reveals how images can tell stories and share ideas. The course explores unusual approaches to storytelling, creative strategies for developing a personal voice, and techniques for using emotion effectively in narrative work. Storytelling becomes an ongoing part of the creative process, shaping how photographers express ideas and experiences through their images.

Through seminars, discussions, and guided critiques, you experiment with sequence, intention, and emotional depth, learning to strengthen the clarity and impact of your photographic voice.

The course takes inspiration from Diana Markosian’s exhibition Father, a long-term project showing how photography can tell deeply personal, emotional, and complex stories through careful sequencing and visual clarity.

Scroll down for more helpful information.

Image credit: © Mustafah Abdulaziz

Recommended For

The course is aimed at emerging and mid-career photographers, artists, students, and anyone with basic/foundational photography skills who want to deepen their practice.

Key Activities

• Critical analysis & deconstruction of historical and contemporary visual storytelling
• Guided discussions on photographic language, meaning, and intent
• Experimenting with different image sequences and narratives to see how order, rhythm, and omission change the story
• Drafting and revising a concise written statement expressing the conceptual, emotional, and ethical intent of a photographic narrative
• Exploring how captions, titles, and presentation contexts shape interpretation, including adapting work for different audiences or institutional settings
• Development of a short visual narrative

Key Takeaways

• A deeper understanding of photography as a language and how images communicate meaning beyond words
• The ability to articulate intent clearly, both visually and verbally, within a photographic project
• Practical tools for sequencing images and shaping meaning through order, rhythm, and omission
• Exposure to unconventional narrative strategies, including non-linear and fragmented storytelling
• Greater awareness of how voice, consistency, and evolution function in long-term photographic work
• Insight into the emotional capacity of images and how affect, memory, and subjectivity operate in visual narratives
• Experience in critical reflection and critique, with an emphasis on narrative, conceptual clarity, and curatorial context rather than technical execution
• Strengthened ability to align concept, visual outcome, and written language, such as artist statements and project descriptions

What To Bring

• Camera
• Laptop / tablet
• A5 matte work prints of existing projects 
• Project Proposal (500 words)
• Artist Statement (250 words)

About The Host

Mustafah Abdulaziz (b. 1986, New York City) is a photographer & director based between Berlin and London. For over fourteen years his work has focused on the human impact on climate change by bringing vital stories to the public through large-scale installations around the world. He is the winner of the Leica Oskar Barnack Award, a grantee of National Geographic, and a former fellow of the Alicia Patterson and Bertha Foundations. He is a regular contributor to The New York Times, TIME, and Der Spiegel. His work has been acquired by the Mercedes-Benz Art Collection in Stuttgart and the National Portrait Gallery in London. His first short film, Women Are Beautiful, debuted in Berlin in 2025.

Schedule

Day 1 – 23 February: Introduction to photographic language as a communicative system

The session focuses on how images speak, describe, and suggest meaning through form, sequencing, and context. Participants will analyze existing works and begin articulating intent in relation to their own practice. You will be given an assignment. Afterwards an exhibition tour together through Diana Markosian’ Father.

Day 2 – 24 February: Exploration of non-linear, fragmented, and atypical storytelling approaches in visual work

Emphasis is placed on how ambiguity, absence, and repetition can deepen narrative complexity. Participants will test alternative narrative structures through guided exercises. Develop a refined understanding of sequencing as a primary storytelling tool rather than a secondary editorial act. Assignments will be reviewed and new assignment given.

Day 3 – 3 March: Examination of how a sustained visual voice is developed over time

The session addresses consistency, evolution, and authorship within long-form projects. Participants will refine their personal visual framework and assess their work within a longer trajectory. Coherence between stated intent and visual outcome, and precision of language. Your previous assignments will be reviewed and new assignment given.

Day 4 – 4 March: Emotional Resonance and Critical Reflection

Focus on the emotional capacity of images and how affect, memory, and subjectivity operate in visual storytelling. The session culminates in critical discussion and reflection on storytelling as an ongoing creative and ethical practice. Assignments will be reviewed and last assignment given.

Evening reception at Bar Verōnika.

Cancellation Policy

• More than 7 days before the course start date: Full refund.
• Less than 7 days before the course start date: No refund.
• Refunds will be processed within 14 business days of receiving a cancellation request or notification of course cancellation.

Contact

For any further questions, feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]. Our team is happy to assist you!

Tickets

• 350 € – Course (incl. Museum Entry)
• 280 € – For Members
• 359 € – Course (incl. Membership)*

*This bundle combines this Academy program with a one-year Fotografiska Membership (Member tier). After your purchase, our team will reach out to activate your membership.