Photographing Strangers: Practical Tools and Ethical Questions
Photographing Strangers: Practical Tools and Ethical Questions
ONLINE COURSE

Photographing Strangers: Practical Tools and Ethical Questions

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

For many photographers, one of the biggest challenges in taking street portraits or working on a documentary project is how to approach strangers. In this class, we’ll examine practical tools you can use to overcome your fears and confront the ethical questions that are an inherent part of this practice. We’ll discuss how to make pictures that represent people fairly and why that is necessary to consider. We’ll ask ourselves important questions, including: who is the community and why are you the right person to take these pictures? and what guides you in making these photographs?

We’ll look at the work of artists, photographers, and filmmakers — including Baldwin Lee, Judith Joy Ross, and Gianfranco Rosi — to assess the past and present of documentary work and what the future may look like. With weekly assignments, you’ll learn to face your fears through real-world practice. Gain a better understanding of how to navigate the anxiety-inducing act of approaching and photographing strangers, as well as the necessary mindset and tools to do it with a good conscience.

 
Thanks for introducing me to the inspiring work of such amazing photographers and helping me find my own voice as a photographer. It was really helpful to hear your thoughts on pictures and how you see and perceive certain images. Your passion for the art of photography really inspired me and the relaxed atmosphere you create within the classes, as well as your way of offering feedback, made it easy to follow and to share one’s own work. I learned a lot and I got some more direction on where I want to go with my photography, and the discussions made me think about the way I want to express myself.  My passion for telling people’s stories through pictures and my fascination for the craft and art of photography deepened with this class.
—Stephan (Vienna, Austria)


Scott Rossi
Scott Rossi

Scott Rossi is a photographer based in New York who is originally from Canada. His work captures the poetic nuances of daily life and the complex relationship between people and their environment. Rossi is a Documentary Practices and Visual Journalism program graduate from the International Center of Photography (ICP) and holds a BA in Psychology from the University of Victoria. Following his move to New York City in 2020, he began his project, Common Place, a visual meditation on Central Park, resulting in his first monograph. His work has been featured in or commissioned by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Washington Post, Vogue, and the British Journal of Photography, among others. He has exhibited internationally at the Rotterdam Photo Festival, The International Center of Photography, and Photo 2022 in Melbourne.

Scott teaches photographing strangers for StrudelmediaLive.