Colombo

NEWSNOW Academy
Photography

Street & documentary photography

Capture real life with honest, powerful photographs — learn street and documentary photography on location in Sri Lanka.

Online + in-person workshops

Street & documentary photography

What you'll learn

  • See and anticipate decisive moments on the street
  • Compose strong images using light, layers and framing
  • Photograph people respectfully and confidently, with ethics and consent
  • Use manual camera settings for fast-moving scenes
  • Build a documentary photo story
  • Edit, sequence and present your work
  • Join the Pahana Media community after the course: a shared chat group with journalists and creators in Sri Lanka and around the world

This course includes

  • 13 video lessons
  • 2 articles
  • 4 quizzes and practice assignments
  • Hands-on in-person sessions
  • Watch online on phone or computer, at your own pace
  • Certificate from Pahana Media on completion

Course content

7 sections • 20 lectures • --h --m total length

  1. 01 Getting started 3 lectures
  2. 02 Seeing and composition 4 lectures
    • Video Light and shadow --:--
    • Video Layers and framing --:--
    • Video Waiting for the moment --:--
    • Quiz Quiz: composition
  3. 03 Camera skills 2 lectures
    • Video Manual settings for the street --:--
    • Video Zone focusing and shooting fast --:--
  4. 04 Photographing people 3 lectures
    • Video Approaching people --:--
    • Video Ethics, consent and the law --:--
    • Assignment Practice: a street series
  5. 05 Documentary photo stories 3 lectures
    • Video What a photo story is --:--
    • Video Planning a photo story --:--
    • Assignment Practice: a 10-photo story
  6. 06 Editing and presenting 3 lectures
    • Video Selecting and sequencing --:--
    • Video Editing in Lightroom or on your phone --:--
    • Quiz Final quiz
  7. 07 Photo walks and certificate 2 lectures
    • In-person Hands-on photo walks and field sessions (dates and locations by email)
    • Article Your certificate and joining the Pahana Media community

Requirements

  • A camera or a smartphone with a good camera
  • Basic knowledge of your camera or phone
  • Ability to attend the in-person photo walks

Description

Street and documentary photography is about seeing — noticing the moments, light and people that tell the truth about a place. In this course, you will learn how to find those moments, compose strong images, work with natural light and photograph people with respect and confidence.

You will also learn to build a photo story: a series of images that together tell one story, the way documentary photographers and photojournalists work. You will practise editing and sequencing your photos and presenting them online and in print.

The course combines online lessons with hands-on photo walks and field sessions with your instructor. You can use a camera or a smartphone. When you complete it, you receive a certificate from Pahana Media.

Location and dates of the in-person sessions are shared with enrolled students by email before each session.

Who this course is for

  • Photographers who want to move beyond the basics
  • Journalists and content creators who want stronger photos
  • Anyone who wants to document life, people and places

Instructor

HB

Halil Bekar