Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Chinatown: In-Person Weekend Workshop NYC
© Lewis Rothman (StrudelmediaLive student)
Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Chinatown: In-Person Weekend Workshop NYC
© David Comora (StrudelmediaLive student)
Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Chinatown: In-Person Weekend Workshop NYC
© Anja Hitzenberger
Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Chinatown: In-Person Weekend Workshop NYC
© Edward Ratliff

StrudelmediaLive Community Weekend in New York City

Manhattan’s Lower East Side and Chinatown: In‑Person Weekend Workshop NYC

Dates: Oct 17–19, 2025
Time: 11am–4pm (ET)
Sessions: 4 (Friday, Oct 17 (afternoon), Saturday/Sunday, Oct 18–19, 11am–4pm (ET), with a follow-up online critique session on Sunday, Oct 26, 12–3pm (ET))
Limited enrollment: 12 students
Fee: $650
Register Now

Join us for a weekend-long photographic exploration of New York City’s Lower East Side and Chinatown — discover the unexpected in a small group with something new to experience for everyone!

Fri, Oct 17: 3-5pm (ET)

A special curated gallery tour with the StrudelmediaLive community, followed by a social get-together.

Sat/Sun, Oct 18/19: 11am–4pm (ET)

New York City’s iconic Lower East Side is a neighborhood that’s rich in history and constant change, and has been a home over the years to people of a wide variety of cultures and economics. It’s also where Jacob Riis created some of the first environmental portraits, as he documented newly arrived immigrants from Europe. Over two days, we’ll explore and experience the streets, people, architecture, and urban landscapes with some of the newest buildings in the city alongside historic structures from the 19th century. 

Manhattan’s Chinatown — New York’s original Chinatown, dating from the 1850s, is a tightly packed neighborhood filled with lots of outdoor activity with vendors and markets and massive amounts of street life — great opportunities for street photography and more.

Sun, Oct 26: 12–3pm (ET)

The following Sunday, we’ll meet online to discuss and critique your fresh NYC photographs.

Please note: Make sure to wear good shoes because we'll be walking a good amount.
 
Anja's course helped me to get out of my comfort zone and grow as a photographer — the assignments and the feedback helped me to be more honest about my work and challenge myself more. I cannot stress enough how useful her courses would be for anyone looking to improve as a storyteller and photographer. I really enjoyed the interactive part where you can speak and see the other people in class in real time — it really brings up the learning experience.
—Alejandra (Mexico)
As a photographer, I had many stories to tell but I didn't know how to evolve from photo-taker to storyteller. Anja generously shared her experience and through weekly assignments and her constructive critiques, she gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed. I'll always value her guidance as a turning point in my photography career.
—Jennifer (Monaco)
I wanted to thank you again for sharing your wisdom and your insightful thoughts with me these past ten weeks. I really enjoyed the structure you created for the class. It was also such a nice group of people — everyone was very supportive.
—Karyn (New York City)


Anja Hitzenberger
Anja Hitzenberger

Anja Hitzenberger is a photographer, filmmaker, consultant, and educator. She is the founder of StrudelmediaLive, an educational platform that offers live online photography classes and more to people around the world. Anja studied in the Creative Practice full-time program at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York City, and has been on the faculty there since 2009. She is dedicated to working with people from different cultures across the globe.

Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows, film festivals, and on theater stages throughout Europe, the United States, South America, and Asia. Her photography has been published internationally and is a part of both private and institutional collections, including the International Center of Photography. She has received numerous artistic grants and has been awarded residencies in Rome, Paris, Warsaw, Beijing, and Tainan (Taiwan). A focus of her activities has been working with live performance, including producing a multimedia piece that toured in New York City, Austria, and Korea.

Anja has been teaching live online photography classes since 2015, as well as in-person workshops at organizations in New York, Europe, China, and Taiwan, including C/O Berlin, Three Shadows (Beijing), and FJUM (Forum for Journalism and Media – Vienna). Originally from Salzburg, Austria, she divides her time between New York and Vienna.

Anja teaches visual storytelling, environmental portraits, critique groups, and how movies can inspire your photography for StrudelmediaLive.