Wedding of Marc and Cynthia Choueiri, Chateau de la Napoule, Domaine des Oliviers d Esterel, Restaurant la Guerite, Ile sainte Marguerite, with Rocio Vega Ghada Blanco and Fares Jammal. © Franck Boutonnet

Wedding Photojournalism with Franck Boutonnet

Wedding photography : a documentary approach


GOAL

To acquire the key skills needed to bring out the creative potential in the documentary photography approach for weddings. To learn to seize intense real life moments which happen on the wedding day. To learn to use photography as a visual narrative tool of the wedding rather than simply dramatizing real life, as traditionally is the case with wedding photography practiced today.

BIOGRAPHY

Franck has been a documentary photographer for 17 years. He divides his time between his daughter, his personal long-term projects, his wedding photo-reportages and conferences and “item”, the photography agency he co-founded in 2001, dedicated to concerned documentary photography. Over the years, he joined international structures such as WPJA, ISPWP, WPS or Fearless and his work has been regularly awarded (230 awards). In his photographic approach, he feels close to the tradition of humanist photography. For his personal projects like for his weddings, he tries to tell a story or different stories with a highly personal vision, trying to have a lyrical and poetic strength in his images.

Program

«During a wedding, the photos that I want to take and those that I have to take of, are, a priori two completely different things. Nevertheless, I am able to take the photos that I want within the framework of the photos expected of me. For example, the image that one expects is the photo of the wedding ring ceremony, the wedding vows, and certain wedding preparations: the wedding dress, the entrance into the room. These scenes can lead to capturing a more personal photo than what I am looking for. What I am looking for in my images is a timeless quality and my proclaimed complete subjectivity. I like to capture images with the feeling that they aren’t necessarily taken in the context of a wedding, and with a documentary aspect whilst attaching much importance to the aesthetic and lyrical dimension.» Franck Boutonnet (Radio program Regardez voir de Brigitte Patient, France Inter)

This is a practical workshop that includes photo-shooting sessions, daily group exchanges and editing sessions.

You will have to immerse yourself completely, take risks and go beyond your limits in order to progress to a higher level in your photography practice.

Previous Workshops

Wedding of Jeroen Rutten and Michele Noten in Tuscany © Franck Boutonnet 2022
2021
wedding of Jane Kuno and James Four Seasons Hotel Geneva 2018
fb1505_7439 2017
Oct 16 - Oct 20, 2019
5 days in Paris - 1450 €
Early Bird 1400 €
before Jul. 16th

- Only 8 students will be admitted for each session. Students will be granted admission to the workshop based on a review of a selection of 10 of their photographs.

- The 1.450€ fee does not include transport, accommodation nor on the ground expenses. For participants coming from outside the European Union, please be aware that there is a bank fee when making the payments via bank transfer. In order to avoid them, you can use alternative systems such as Transferwise.

- In order to confirm your application, an advance payment of €100 is advised. Once the application is completed, we will send an email via PayZen to the participant in order to settle the payment. If the candidate is accepted, this amount will be deducted from the overall cost of the workshop.

- In case the participation is not confirmed, he will get a full pay back of the 100€ fee.

- If accepted, the participant will receive a course contract confirming the success of his application by email.

- To confirm registration, the participant must return this contract to us, signed, within ten days, along with payment of 30% of the cost of the workshop. The participant will also receive an invoice.

- The rest of the fee must be paid by the first day of the workshop at the latest.

- A dossier in order to get prepared for the workshop will be sent to the participant at least two weeks before the workshop begins.

- If you're willing to participate in more than one workshop, we do offer a 10% discount on the following workshops' price.

- Successful candidates will be expected to arrive comfortable with their equipment and ready to photograph.

- Participants working digitally should bring their own laptops, and everything needed for digital editing.

- Participants working on film can use external laboratories services to develop their films but at their own expense and within the given time. Eyes in Progress will provide a list of laboratories and prices and the workshop team will be able, whenever possible, to bring the films to the lab and back once they're developed.

- Participants are required to find their own accommodation in Paris.

- Photo books

- Projector and screen

- 1 MAC with photo editing software

- Professional A3 printer

- Negative scanner

- Photo paper

A technical assistant will be present during the workshop.

- The portfolios produced by each participant will be published on the site of Eyes in Progress.

- Mentors are photography experts such as a photo editors, journalists, creative directors, gallery curators, then will then critique these portfolios. The review, if written, will be published on the participant's page on Eyes in Progress.

- In case the participant does not want a portfolio review after the workshop, the workshop price can be reduced of 70€.

- Video interviews in which the students discuss their work, their motivation as photographers, as well as what they learned during the workshop will also be posted on the site. In case the participant is not willing to have his video online, we won't publish it, however, we do encourage to record the video anyways as a practical exercise on how to orally express himself as a photographer.

- Social media modules will be available in order to share the page with friends and contacts.

- Each participant will be awarded a certificate of completion of the course.

- The participants will be required to evaluate the workshop when it has been completed, to show their level of overall satisfaction and the extent of their acquisition of new skills. These evaluations will help us to improve our workshops.

- If the participant is not willing to have his profile online (portfolio, review, video), we will of course respect his decision and will not publish it.

- There will be two rounds of applications review:

> If you apply before February 16, 2019: successful applicants will be informed via email by February 18th, 2019.

> If you apply after February 16, 2019: successful applicants will be informed via email by August 18th, 2019.

It is possible that the workshop is completed with the first round of applications, in that case, the second round of applications will not be processed.

Applications will be open until August 16th, 2019.

- In case the participant comes from far away and needs to make early travel arrangements regarding the workshop's date, we will study his request to review his application ahead of the official deadlines.

- Eyes in Progress reserves the right to cancel groups with less than 7 participants. Participants will be given either a full refund or offered a place with an alternative photographer. In the event of a cancellation, participants will be given at least 3 weeks advance notice. Eyes in Progress reserves the right to change or alter the program advertised.

- If a participant decides to cancel for whatever reason, this must be confirmed in writing:

. Eyes in Progress will reimburse all the registration costs except for the €100 administrative fee, if the participant informs Eyes in Progress of cancellation at least 3 weeks before the first day of the workshop. Beyond this time limit, Eyes in Progress will charge the following:

. 50% of the cost if cancelled between 6 and 20 days before the workshop commences.

. 100% of the cost if cancelled less than 5 days before the workshop commences.

. All workshops that are commenced but not completed through the fault of the participant need to be paid in full.

- Eyes in Progress is not responsible for reimbursement of travel expenses in case a workshop is cancelled. We recommend that you buy refundable air tickets and/or travel insurance.

Eyes in Progress is committed to using all possible means to enable beneficiaries with disabilities to participate in the workshops. For this, the director of Eyes in Progress will assess all required adaptations and implement them.