Akademie
Experience Photography & Documentary Film
Learn to See, Not Just Photograph
Photography is more than technique, it's about observation, curiosity, and understanding the world around you. Whether your interest lies in street, documentary, portrait, travel, or everyday photography, my workshops are designed to help you develop a stronger visual voice and create meaningful images with confidence.
Led by international documentary photographer Gaylan Nazhad, each course combines practical experience with thoughtful guidance, encouraging you to slow down, observe deeply, and photograph with purpose.
Explore my photography workshops, offered in carefully selected locations that inspire creativity, learning, and visual storytelling.
Exploring Street, Architecture and Human Stories Through Photography
This two-day immersive workshop invites photographers to experience Shanghai beyond the surface, exploring the city’s human stories, urban contrasts, and hidden moments through a documentary and cinematic approach. Through guided shooting sessions, discussions, and image critiques, participants will develop a deeper understanding of observation, light, composition, and visual storytelling, creating more meaningful photographs and a stronger personal photographic voice.
Mastering Documentary Photography, Visual Narrative and Personal Expression
This ten-day documentary photography workshop takes participants beyond traditional travel photography, exploring Thailand as a living visual story through urban environments, coastal landscapes, and human-centred photography. From the vibrant streets and markets of Bangkok to the quieter rhythms of coastal life in Krabi and Phuket, the journey offers an immersive exploration of people, place, culture, and atmosphere.
Through observation, patience, and thoughtful composition, participants will learn to transform everyday encounters and fleeting moments into expressive and meaningful photographs. With guided shoots, discussions, image critiques, and one-to-one mentoring, photographers will refine their technical and creative skills, strengthen their visual awareness, and develop a more personal approach to documentary storytelling.
A Cinematic Documentary Photography Journey from Shanghai to Hainan Tropical Island
China is a land of remarkable contrasts, where ancient traditions meet one of the world’s most dynamic societies. From the historic streets and futuristic skyline of Shanghai to the tropical landscapes and coastal communities of Hainan Island, this seven-day documentary photography workshop invites participants to explore contemporary China through a cinematic and artistic approach. Guided by Gaylan Nazhad, participants will develop a deeper understanding of observation, light, composition, and visual storytelling, capturing people, places, and everyday moments while creating meaningful documentary narratives that reflect their own unique perspective.
A Documentary Photography Journey Through People, Place and Time
This is an immersive two-day documentary and street photography workshop exploring the relationship between people, place, and nature through a cinematic and artistic approach. Set within one of England’s most inspiring landscapes, participants will discover historic villages, rural communities, dramatic scenery, and hidden stories through observation, light, composition, and emotion. Through guided shooting sessions, discussions, image critiques, and personal mentoring, photographers will learn how to transform everyday moments and landscapes into meaningful visual narratives, developing a deeper understanding of documentary storytelling and their own unique photographic voice.
Learning to see is learning to understand the world quietly
In Appreciation of Photography’s Masters
The Timeless Power of Classics
"What we learn from yesterday shapes how we see today"
Photography has always been shaped by those who came before us. The great masters of the past were not just taking pictures, they were shaping new ways of seeing the world. By looking closely at their work, we can understand how they used light, timing, composition, and vision to create images that still inspire us today. Studying their photographs is not about copying them, but about learning from their ways of thinking and applying that knowledge to our own practice. From time to time, I will also share short studies of classical photographers, looking closely at their work and what we can learn from it today. You can explore these studies and discover the photographers on the dedicated page.