Small Group Street Photography Weekend Workshop Adventures
Learn the elements of what make a great street photograph
Join me on a weekend adventure exploring a street-genic city in Europe with a bunch of like-minded photographers.
I'll teach you as much as I can fit in andĀ set you challenging yet achievable street photography assignments. I'll give you the lowdown on how to tackle the assignments depending on your level of experience. You'll also get a sightseeing itinerary, andĀ fun group meals making the whole experience such a sociable, memorable andĀ educational affair!
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Weekenders take place over a 48 hour period across three days (usually an afternoon, a full day and a morning).
UPCOMING WEEKENDERSš
Small Friendly Groups
Group sizes average out at 10 participants plus theĀ Boss, but could be a bit less, could be a bit more - so that it's not too crowded and we get great group dynamics and banter when we're hanging out on the street during briefings and at meal times.
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Small Friendly Boss
I'm not very tall, but that doesn't stop me being bossy, but it does encourage me to banter with tall people. I'm a former travel tour leader as well as an experienced photographer, photography teacher, and award-winning street photographer.
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Large Amounts of Photography
Aside from learning loads you'll be going home with bulging SD cards, sprained shutter fingers and aching feet. But you'll have some great memories as well as great pictures plus a new friend or two.
All Photos made on previous Weekender by participants.
WHO
You, me, and a bunch of street-photography-loving renegades.
YOU love street photography and you love to travel. You may already be a street photographer or you want to learn. You have a sense of humour and a sense of adventure. You don't mind being bossed around a bit, but you enjoy your autonomy. You have a camera, lots of energy, strong legs (or the ability to pace yourself) and at least one good eye!
ME, I'm Polly. I'm the Boss at the Department of Street Photography and your Weekender host. I have many years of experience in the travel industry prior to becoming a photographer. In that time I spent 5 years travelling the world as a tour leader for an award-winning adventure travel company. I still have the travel bug and I love teaching street photography in European cities.
WHAT YOU LEARN
šø Ā How to set yourself up for success with the right mindset
šø Ā Ways of "working the scene"
šø Ā How toĀ read the street and think like a street photographer
šø Ā How toĀ "make something out of nothing"
šø Ā The keys toĀ ambiguity and mystery
šø Ā Dos and don'ts of framing and cropping
šø Ā Things to look out for to create context and connections
šø Ā How toĀ tell a story (or multiple stories) with a singleĀ shot
šø Ā The blueprint for a great photo
šø Ā An introduction to theĀ gestalt principles of visual perception
šø Ā How toĀ approach crowded places in multiple creative ways
šø Ā What to avoid and keep an eye on when shooting
šø Ā Ways to structure your images compositionally
šø Ā And more...
I don't hold anything back, and if you join a Weekender with an event I'll teach you how to shoot events like a street photographer not an event photographer!
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šØ What I DON'T do is stand a whole group in one spot and tell you what to photograph. Instead I share ideas, inspiration, tips, and tools so whatever image you capture is all yours. Learning takes trial and error, and getting good takes practice. And all of that leads to a true sense of satisfaction when you nail a shot!
WHAT'S INCLUDED
01
Street Photography Workshop
Briefed on the street (classrooms are so last season) all assignments have beenĀ created to build on one another helping train your observation, composition, imagination, mindset, and approach.Ā Assignments are adaptable toĀ different levels of experience.
Ā Heads upā¦ youāll be able to upgrade to get post-weekender feedback on your photos!
02
City Sightseeing Itinerary
Designed with military precision (many spreadsheets have been sacrificed in the making of these adventures) showcasing the variety of the city at optimum (as possible) light conditions for photography (no actualĀ historical factsĀ tho!). Our feet or public transport take us from spot to spot.
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03
Group Restaurant Bookings Ā
Curated to include cool eateries, local family restaurants or hip pizza joints for a variety of cuisine for maximum holiday-with-friends vibes. If there a street food markets thatās where weāll be heading for lunch! Special diets are considered but choice might be limited.Ā
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PLUS
āļø Pre-departure PDF Survival Guide with arrival logistics and other handy intel
āļø Chance to upgrade to post-Weekender photo feedback at a special rate
āļø Post-Weekender PDF Guide to selecting and editing photos
āļø Discounts and special offers on future Weekender bookings
āļø Advance VIP access to registration on future Weekenders
āļø Invitation to join Street Social ā The DoSP's private Facebook group
āļø The very best photos get showcased in the DoSP website Gallery with your IG handle
āļøĀ Competition forĀ the best set of photos with public adoration for theĀ Winner
WHERE
In a photogenic European city with plenty of variety and activity perfect for street photography. Previous Weekenders have taken place in GdaÅsk, Prague, Seville, Cádiz + Jerez, Porto, Lisbon, Kraków, Valencia, and Rome.
WHEN
Whenever the weather is most likely to be the best*. And sometimes when there are traditional festivals cos we ruddy love those! (*weather is of course unpredictable but it's all part of the adventure and becomes a new fun challenge!)
WHY
You'll learn how to make better photos, you'll have saved yourself many hours of itinerary and restaurant research and planning AND you’ll have a great time with new friends! But don't take my word for it... ā¬ļø
All Photos made on previous Weekender by participants.
SECUREĀ YOURĀ PLACE
Select a payment option that suits you. You'll be transported to the check-out page where you will be able to upgrade to a post-weekender Written Portfolio Review and pay securely via Stripe. You'll get an email confirmation that includes aĀ short questionnaire as well as all the intel you need for the next steps.
šø Street Photography Weekend Workshops
Choose your street photography adventure!
Athens Weekender 2025
šļø 05-07 APR 2025Ā
[Sat PM, Sun all-day, Mon AM]
Itinerary includes: The Acropolis (entrance fee not included), the Changing of the Guard (it's a very short intense window of shooting but I know where to hang *wink), Syntagma Square, Monastiraki Square, and Plaka. I love Athens in April! I "springed" in Athens this year after wintering in Split.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
4 x Ā£105 payments >>>
Ā£400 (pay-in-full & SAVEĀ Ā£20) >>>
SPACES LIMITED
BOOK YOUR SPOT āMalagaĀ Weekender 2025
šļø 18-20 APR 2025Ā
āļøāļøāļø Featuring Semana SantaĀ (Holy Week)
[Fri PM, Sat all-day, SunĀ PM (Sun AM is free time)]
Itinerary includes: Old town backstreets and square, lively seafront promenades, Pompidou Centre, the beach, and any Semana Santa happenings (there will be many!) we come across with a dedicatedĀ Resurrection Sunday shoot!
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
4 x Ā£105 payments >>>
Ā£400 (pay-in-full & SAVEĀ Ā£20) >>>
SPACES LIMITED
BOOK YOUR SPOT āSeville Weekender 2025
šļø 10-12 MAYĀ 2025Ā
šš»šš»šš» FeaturingĀ the Feria d'Abril (April Fair)
[Sat PM, Sun all-day, Mon AM]
Itinerary includes: The Mushrooms, Plaza de Espana, Cathedral square, the Feria de Abril (polkadot dresses, striped 'Casetas', horses, hats and a fairground), and Jewish Quarter. You will learn how to creatively approach shooting a colourful event in one of Europe's best cities for street photography.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
4 x Ā£105 payments >>>
Ā£400 (pay-in-full & SAVEĀ Ā£20) >>>
SPACES LIMITED
BOOK YOUR SPOT āRome Masterclass 2025
šļø 07-09Ā JUNĀ 2025Ā
[Sat + Sun all-day, Mon PM PLUS 2-hr online workshop pre-masterclass]
šØ ONLY AVAILABLE FORĀ PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO HAVE ALREADY PARTICIPATED INĀ A WEEKENDERĀ
The objective is to create a photo series so there is more preparation and individual research followed by autonomous shooting and intensive group editing/selection sessions as series develop. And Rome really has it all for street photography - spectacular "stages", plenty of stories, and incredible light.
PAYMENT OPTIONS:
7 x Ā£90 payments
Ā£600 (pay-in-full & SAVEĀ Ā£20)
MINIMUM + MAXIMUM 6Ā PARTICIPANTS
ALL THE INFO IS HERE āPrivate Groups
āļøĀ Choose where you go, who you go with +Ā when!Ā
Are you a camera club, a bunch for photography lovin' friends and fam, or do you just want a more private experience with a small select group? Get in touch and we can chat further... You can choose from Gdansk, Prague, Krakow, Rome, Porto, Lisbon, Seville, Valencia, Warsaw.Ā [Pricing is per group]
From Ā£2900Ā per group
(2-13 street photographers + me!)
LET'S PLOT!Ā GET IN TOUCH TO BOOK A CALLĀ
EMAIL ME!All Photos made on previous Weekender by participants.