Browse all Courses
Browse all courses / Photo Journalism
Learn with Stuart Freedman

Photo Journalism

Photo journalism course taught by leading photographer and write Stuart Freedman

Course overview

In the opening lecture we investigate the potential for photographs to tell a story examining the history of the medium from its roots in early portraiture to the battlefields of the Nineteenth and Twentieth centuries. We define the strands of photography and journalism – the traditions of both photojournalism and documentary work within the genre of reportage. We look at the tradition of both the concerned European and American traditions of social reportage combined with camera technology that became the Humanist Documentary tradition in the Golden Age of magazines. We look at the confusing contemporary reportage world and try to relate a reinterpretation of documentary forms within the written and filmic tradition. - We define a checklist for creating a readable and actionable photo-story.

Meet Stuart Freedman

Stuart Freedman is a photographer and writer based between London and New Delhi. A member of Panos Pictures he has, over the last two decades, covered stories from Albania to Zambia. His work has appeared in, amongst many others, Life, Geo, Time, The Sunday Times magazine, Der Spiegel, Condé Nast Traveller and Smithsonian. He has been exhibited widely and his work has received recognition from Amnesty International, POYi, World Sports Photo, The AOP, The RPS, UNICEF and the World Press Masterclass. In 1999 he was invited to speak on Capitol Hill about the atrocities in Sierra Leone where his initial work on the Mutilated premiered and in 2004 addressed the Oxford Union about the continued suffering of that country. His work has been exhibited widely. Solo shows include Visa Pour l’Image at Perpignan, The Scoop Festival in Anjou, The Leica Gallery in Germany, The Foire du Livre (Brussels), The Museum of Ethnography (Stockholm) and the Association and the Spitz Galleries in London. His work on HIV/AIDS in Rwanda and from the post-conflict South of Lebanon has toured extensively internationally. He regularly judges awards and has twice been a judge for the Amnesty Media Awards. He has lectured to students in colleges across the UK, amongst others, Swansea Metropolitan University, Falmouth University, Regents University, Plymouth College of Art and The London College of Communication (LCC). He continues to write and photograph for a variety of editorial and commercial clients

Course description

Award-winning photographer and writer Stuart Freedman teaches you how to capture photo journalism stories and create your own portfolio of reportage photography.

What is reportage photography or photo journalism?

Reportage photography, including photojournalist and documentary traditions, is one of the most challenging and demanding of the visual professions. It includes capturing the story and the atmosphere and emotions of an event in your photo.

It requires technical ability, social skills, persistence and an instinct for a story.

You'll be creating your own photo journalistic portfolio of photos as you learn with Stuart.

Choose Expert option for personalised feedback on your photos from Stuart.

You'll learn:
  • what makes compelling images
  • composition and framing devices
  • equipment
  • techniques
  • best practice for photo journalists
  • real-life scenarios and challenges for photographers
  • story construction

Stuart will explain how to place reportage photography within an historical context whilst also examining contemporary practice and trends.

The course is clear about a documentary tradition that is allied to good journalism in print and film and is based around the construction of the classical photo essay rooted in the Humanist Documentary tradition.

The course covers equipment and technique but more importantly, the ballet of shooting reportage that concentrates on the ebb and flow of narrative, anticipation and the mechanics of actual story construction.

The course is heavy on best practice, ethics and using difficult real-life scenarios that examine the challenges facing working photographers. It tries to challenge the visual cliché of some photojournalistic work as well as some of the clichés about photographers themselves.

Stuart will show his work alongside great classics of the documentary tradition and at the end of each lesson he'll set an assignment that will push your practice forward.

You'll need:

  • a camera
  • 50mm lens

This photography course is aimed at keen amateur photographers and aspiring professionals.

The course includes:
  • 4 on-demand video lessons - presented by Stuart Freedman
  • lifetime access to the video, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical (optional) photography assignments
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom chat online to students from around the world
Time to complete this photography course:

Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 11 hours 30 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lesson: 1 hour 30 minutes in total
  • Assignment: at least 2 hours per lesson
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per assignment
Ready to get started?

Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Stuart on your photos.

Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.