Planet on the Brink: Documenting the Climate Crisis and Global Environmental Change

Instructor: Michael O. Snyder
Recipient of Decade of Change Award, British Journal of Photography
6:30 – 9:00 pm Eastern via Zoom
Eight Tuesdays beginning September 28, 2021
Course fee: $600
Limited to eleven students
Scholarship information

Planet on the Brink, offered via the Social Documentary Network, is a course for photographers who are passionate about documenting our changing planet during these unprecedented times and want to use photography as a tool to drive social change. The course is designed for photographers who already have working knowledge of the fundamentals of photography and would like to deepen their practice, build community, and get their work seen.

The course will begin with the fundamentals of great storytelling: how to find and refine great narrative and conceptual stories that capture the viewers’ imaginations. Students will learn how to establish report with compelling characters and build intimate access to pressing stories.  The class will explore some of the nuances of environmental journalism and use case studies of powerful projects from the past and today.  The class will focus on the visual language of documentary storytelling:  how to envision, set up, and capture the various kinds of images typically seen in documentary projects.  Students will also learn how to interview, edit, sequence, and write captions and project narratives.  The class will cover strategies for identifying editors interested in environmental stories and writing a compelling pitch. Finally, the course will explore meaningful ways to  drive impact around your body of work.

The course follows a practical approach from the perspective of a seasoned working professional who holds a masters in environmental sustainability and has been working as a photojournalist for over 15 years. The course structure will provide a mix of lecture, demonstration, discussion, and critique. Students will be expected to design, share, and build upon a body of work during the course.