Photographing People, Telling Powerful Stories
© Anja Hitzenberger
ONLINE COURSE

Photographing People, Telling Powerful Stories

Interested in this class? Email us and we'll notify you next time it runs.

Learn how to tell stories about people by photographing them in their own environment — their home, workplace or on the street in their neighborhood — and how to incorporate space that tells a story about the subject. We will discuss ways to make your subject feel comfortable and relaxed so that the images will illuminate their personality and feel more intimate. Students are encouraged to use available light, but basic lighting setups using portable LED lights will be discussed. A history of the environmental portrait as well as a selection of contemporary photographers will be presented.

 

 
I am a huge fan of live online photography classes, having participated in a dozen since 2014! Through inspiring and encouraging critique from instructors and discussion with other students, I have seen my own work and that of others grow, focus and refine. Another benefit of these classes is the opportunity to meet and interact with others, near and far, who, like myself, are not able to participate in a New York City classroom. I have enjoyed Anja's classes so very much; her expertise is impressive, her enthusiasm contagious!
—Lisa (New York City)
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)
Since I haven't had the opportunity to study photography formally, I needed a course that would help me acquire an awareness of the composition skills I was thinking about unconsciously. Anja helped me improve my observation skills, both explaining the main elements of composition, with reference to the techniques used by other photographers, and through shooting exercises and group critique, which took me, week after week, to intentionally compose the frame in order to develop a narrative.
—Gianluca (Italy)


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.