Fotografie Forum Frankfurt
Braubachstraße 30-32, 60311 Frankfurt am Main
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MASTER CLASS WORKSHOP
NINA BERMAN“VISUAL STORYTELLING AND THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY”
“VISUAL STORYTELLING AND THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN ARCHIVE AND CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHY”
Friday–Monday, July 24–27, 2026,
10 am–5 pm
Subjects
Archives, visual storytelling, memories, creative photograph
Workshop schedule
Day 1
The workshop begins with the family archive and a look at photographic work by artists who have combined original photography with archival works. In the afternoon the focus is on the participants’ own visual family archives.
Day 2
Nina will talk about two of her own projects where she used personal and institutional archives and show work by other photographers who work with archives. Continued discussions around morning presentations and presentations by each participant of their own archive informed story projects (This could be a continuation of the family work shown on Day 1 or a different project entirely)
Day 3
Focus on each participant’s own project
Day 4
Practical exercise in Frankfurt, discussion and presentation of the outcomes
Preparation
Please bring a collection of digital images (no more than 40) and archive materials (family album, drawings or letters) which you want to work with during class.
Equipment
Laptop and camera equipment
Location
Fotografie Forum Frankfurt,
Braubachstraße 30–32, 60311 Frankfurt
Porträt, Nina Berman, © Nina Berman, 2026
Language: English
Price members: 650 €
Price non members: 800 €
Number of participants: Min. 8 / max. 10
Registration deadline: July 10, 2026
Duration: 4 days, 1 public lecture
Archives, whether personal or institutional, are fertile material for creative photographers looking to expand their visual storytelling and provide context to their images by introducing visual or textual materials that have been created by others.
But how does one balance found work with original photographic production? Is the archive a key that can unlock memories and provide proof of suppressed narratives or is it a mysterious presence that gives no clear answers but rather serves to complicate the seemingly mundane and ordinary? Is the archive a truthful voice or a suspicious one that requires interrogation, disruption and subversion through creative methods such as redaction, repetition, or reconstruction?
Through artist presentations, in class exercises and critical discussions, this workshop is designed for those who have a project in progress, whether at its very beginning, or close to completion, and want a creative supportive environment to test ideas around narrative structure and the interplay between original photography and archives. Participants will finish the workshop with more confidence in the creative possibilities of utilizing archives as a storytelling element to expand their photographic practice.
Nina Berman, from the series “Missiles On Our Land”, 2023, © Nina Berman, 2026
Nina Berman is a documentary photographer, filmmaker, journalist and educator. Her work explores American politics, militarism, environmental issues and post violence trauma. She is the author of Purple Hearts – Back from Iraq, (Trolley, 2004) portraits and interviews with wounded American veterans, Homeland, (Trolley, 2008) an examination of the militarization of American life post September 11, and An autobiography of Miss Wish (Kehrer, 2017) a story told with a survivor of sexual violence which was shortlisted for both the Aperture and Arles book prizes. Additional fellowships, awards and grants include: the Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography, the New York Foundation for the Arts, the World Press Photo Foundation, the Open Society Foundation, the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University, the MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellowship and the Aftermath Project. She started her photographic career in 1988 as an independent photographer working on assignment for the world’s major magazines including Time, Newsweek, Life, the New York Times Magazine, New York Magazine, German Geo, and the Sunday Times Magazine. She covered a range of issues, from women under siege during war in Bosnia and Afghanistan, to domestic issues of criminal justice, reproductive rights, and political process. Her photography and film work has been exhibited at more than 100 international venues and is in several noted public collections including the Smithsonian and the Bibliothèque nationale de France. She has participated in and given workshops around the world for young photographers and was a member of NOOR images from 2009–2021. She is currently a professor at Columbia University and lives in her hometown of New York City.
Sign up here for the master class with Nina Berman:
Please note that for this event the access is limited and a previous registration is necessary.
After the submission of your data we will send you a confirmation by e-mail. This e-mail also includes the bank information for the transfer of the workshop fee. Your payment should reach our account fourteen days before the start of the workshop and is necessary for the participation. In the event of your absence without prior notice of at least 14 days we can unfortunately not refund the fee of the workshop.
With your registration you will confirm that you have read and understood the PRIVACY POLICY of Fotografie Forum Frankfurt.
Do not hesitate to contact us by e-mail at anmeldung@fffrankfurt.org or telephone at +49 (0) 69 291726 if you have any questions regarding workshop schedule, registration or payment.
Thank you for your registration. We will contact you shortly.
FOTOGRAFIE FORUM FRANKFURT
The Fotografie Forum Frankfurt (FFF) is one of the leading centres of photography in Europe. As an exhibition space, institution and event forum the FFF deals with all types and aspects of photography. Since its founding in 1984 it has presented more than 300 exhibitions with historic and contemporary artists. Additionally, the programme of the FFF comprises of regular workshops, talks and discussions with internationally renowned photographers, artists and experts.
