World Press Photo’s annual Joop Swart Masterclass, held in Amsterdam annually, has been running for over 20 years, selecting photojournalists and documentary photographers from around the world and offering expertise and support. Last year’s intake included Bego Antón, Raphaela Rosella and Sarker Protick (featured in our Ones to Watch issue in January 2014).
In an effort to cast a wider, more diverse net, the World Press Photo Foundation is implementing a new series of regional masterclasses to develop global talent. The first regional event is the World Press Photo Masterclass Latin America, run in conjunction with the Fundación Pedro Meyer, the organisation dedicated to “the reflection, interpretation and investigation of the image and the new media”. It will be held in Mexico City between the 7th and the 11th of December 2015.
The 12 photographers joining Masterclass Latin America have been announced; made up of seven men and five women of nine nationalities:
Alejandro Kirchuk, Argentina; Dominic Bracco II, USA, based in Mexico; Emilia Lloret, Ecuador; Felipe Dana, Brazil; Jasmine Bakalarz, Argentina; Jonas Wresch, Germany, based in Colombia; Juanita Escobar, Colombia; Meredith Kohut, USA, based in Venezuela; Musuk Nolte, Peru; Tamara Merino Bloch, Chile; Tiago Coelho, Brazil; and Yael Martínez Velázquez, Mexico.
The World Press Photo Masterclass Latin America will give the participating 12 photographers – all from and/or based in Latin America– instruction under the guidance of six masters. These experts will discuss technical and visual aspects of the participants’ work, as well as their overall purpose as photographers. The essays will be discussed with the masters and edited for an online publication on ZoneZero, Fundación Pedro Meyer’s online magazine.
The selection committee was comprised of Ana Cecilia Gonzáles Vigil, Peru, director of photography, Amauta, El Comercio magazine; Daniel Merle, Argentina, editor and curator; JJ Estrada, Guatemala, co-founder and director La Fototeca / GuatePhoto Festival.
The masters of the Masterclass Latin America are:
Adriana Zehbrauskas, Brazil, based in Mexico, photojournalist; Alejandro Chaskielberg, Argentina, photographer; Pablo Ortiz Monasterio, Mexico, photographer and editor; Rodrigo Abd, Argentina based in Peru, photographer AP; Silvia Omedes, Spain, independent curator and director Photographic Social Vision Foundation; and Veronica Cordeiro, Brazil, based in Uruguay, Curator at Centro de Fotografia de Montevideo, Uruguay.
The participating photographers, – all from and/or based in Latin America – will receive instruction under the guidance of the ‘masters’, who will discuss technical and visual aspects of participants’ work. Essays about the work will be published on ZoneZero, Fundación Pedro Meyer’s online magazine.
Find out more about the Joop Swart Masterclass here.
