Workshop Details
This intensive seven-day workshop guides participants through the complete creative process of black-and-white film photography. From early morning to evening, participants will shoot sessions on analog film, developing both technical fluency and conceptual depth through the process of developing negatives and printing in the darkroom.
A central focus of the workshop is the exploration of photography as metaphor. On the first day, the group will collaboratively develop a shared metaphor to serve as the thematic framework for the week. Participants will then create individual photographic responses that contribute to a collective visual narrative, working to produce images that move beyond the literal and engage viewers symbolically.
In addition to building core analog photography skills, this workshop immerses participants in a professional production context. Students will be exposed to the whole process of working on a real-world, publishable project—from ideation to final output. The workshop culminates in the creation of a collaboratively designed zine and the presentation of the work in a local gallery exhibition, providing students with practical insight into the editorial, curatorial, and public-facing aspects of photographic practice.
Instructor
Justin Maxon is an award-winning photographer, educator, and social practice artist. He is a faculty member in the Art Department at California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, and holds an MFA in Art and Social Practice from Portland State University. He is a master black and white printer and has been working in the darkroom for over 20 years.
He has received over $350,000 in competitive grant funding for his work, including being named a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow. He has dedicated his career to creating work that challenges systemic power structures and explores themes such as race, class, and representation. His practice is interdisciplinary and collaborative, combining photography with video, performance, narrative, and sculptural forms to create dialogical spaces that foster inclusivity, community participation, and the value of person and place.
He has received numerous awards for his work. He has won two 1st place awards from World Press Photo. He received the 2024 1492/1619 American Aftermath Project Grant, the Aaron Siskind Foundation Fellowship, and the Alexia Foundation Grant. He was named one of PDN’s 30 Photographers to Watch. He was selected to participate in World Press Photo’s Joop Swart Masterclass. He won the Deeper Perspective Photographer of the Year at the Lucie Awards.
His work has been exhibited widely, including at the Museum of Chinese in America; the Museum de Arte Acarigua-Araure in Venezeula, the Wave Pool Gallery during the FotoFocus Biennale, the OneArts Space in New York, the Bermuda National Gallery, the Air Circulation Gallery in New York, the Morris Graves Museum of Art in Eureka, the Lodz Fotofestiwal in Poland, and the Singapore International Photography Festival.
As a photographer, he has worked on feature and cover stories for publications such as TIME, Atlantic Magazine, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Mother Jones Magazine, Bloomberg Businessweek, Fast Company, Fader Magazine, The New York Times, and NPR.
Dubai Masterclass
Black and White Film Photography Workshop:
Mirrors, Messages, Manifestations - Exploring Metaphor Through Photography
Details
Duration
7 Days – This intensive workshop will span seven days, each featuring long, immersive sessions to ensure sufficient time for shooting, developing, printing, and collaborative projects.
Workshop Details
This intensive seven-day workshop guides participants through the complete creative process of black-and-white film photography. From early morning to evening, participants will shoot sessions on analog film, developing both technical fluency and conceptual depth through the process of developing negatives and printing in the darkroom.
A central focus of the workshop is the exploration of photography as metaphor. On the first day, the group will collaboratively develop a shared metaphor to serve as the thematic framework for the week. Participants will then create individual photographic responses that contribute to a collective visual narrative, working to produce images that move beyond the literal and engage viewers symbolically.
In addition to building core analog photography skills, this workshop immerses participants in a professional production context. Students will be exposed to the whole process of working on a real-world, publishable project—from ideation to final output. The workshop culminates in the creation of a collaboratively designed zine and the presentation of the work in a local gallery exhibition, providing students with practical insight into the editorial, curatorial, and public-facing aspects of photographic practice.
Each day includes structured time for:
- Golden hour shooting (early morning and late afternoon)
- Darkroom practice (three hours per day for developing and printing)
- Lectures on influential black-and-white photographers and metaphor in visual storytelling
- Workshops on manual camera operations, darkroom technique, and image sequencing
- Daily group critiques, emphasizing peer feedback and iterative development
Participants will leave with:
- A printed zine featuring the group’s collective work
- The experience of exhibiting their work in a local gallery
- Practical skills in shooting, developing, printing, editing, and publishing analog photography
Facilities Required
Working Darkroom: Equipped for film development and printing.
Classroom for Lectures: For technical instruction, group discussions, and critiques.
Exhibition Space: A gallery or suitable venue for showcasing the final project.
Printer/Publication Tools: For creating the group zine.
Tentative 7-Day Workshop Schedule
Day 1 – Introduction & Collective Metaphor
9:00–10:30 AM – Introductions & workshop overview
10:30–12:00 PM – Collaborative session: Develop a shared metaphor as a group
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–2:30 PM – Darkroom orientation: chemistry, safety, etc…
2:30–4:00 PM – Workshop: Manual camera operations, metering, composition
4:00–6:30 PM – Evening shoot: Begin photographing toward shared theme
Day 2 – Technique & Intention
6:00–8:00 AM – Morning shoot: Continued work on the group metaphor
8:00–9:00 AM – Breakfast break
9:00–10:30 AM – Lecture: Masters of metaphor – White, Meatyard, Michals
10:30–12:00 PM –
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–4:00 PM – Darkroom: Develop negatives from Day 1 + begin contact sheets
4:00–6:30 PM – Evening shoot: Focused image-making
Day 3 – Deepening Visual Language
6:00–8:00 AM – Morning shoot: Push the visual form of your metaphor
8:00–9:00 AM – Breakfast break
9:00–10:30 AM – Workshop: Contrast, filters, creative exposure techniques
10:30–12:00 PM – Lecture: The photographic sequence – building visual narratives
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–4:00 PM – Darkroom: Begin printing selected images
4:00–5:30 PM – Evening shoot: Responding to critique feedback
5:30–6:30 PM – Group critique: Form, rhythm, and symbolism
Day 4 – Refinement & Iteration
6:00–8:00 AM – Morning shoot: Re-shoot or build upon key images
8:00–9:00 AM – Breakfast break
9:00–10:30 AM – Workshop: Editing and visual sequencing
10:30–12:00 PM – Peer-to-peer feedback: small group image reviews
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–4:00 PM – Darkroom: Continue printing—push scale, detail, and clarity
4:00–5:30 PM – Evening shoot: Last light fieldwork
5:30–6:30 PM – Group critique: Cohesion across individual and collective work
Day 5 – Final Shooting + Zine Prep Begins
6:00–8:00 AM – Final morning shoot: Fill gaps, finalize storylines
8:00–9:00 AM – Breakfast break
9:00–10:30 AM – Lecture: Photobooks, zines, and distribution as creative practice
10:30–12:00 PM – Workshop: Intro to zine layout + group editing session
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–4:00 PM – Darkroom: Final prints for zine inclusion
4:00–5:30 PM – Begin assembling zine spreads collaboratively
5:30–6:30 PM – Group critique: Review final prints and sequence draft
Day 6 – Zine Production & Textual Elements
8:00–9:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00–10:30 AM – Workshop: Writing for images – titles, captions, intro texts
10:30–12:00 PM – Zine layout refinement – group editing and design
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–4:00 PM – Print prep: finalize zine pages
4:00–5:30 PM – Group work: Cover design, colophon, credits
5:30–6:30 PM – Group critique: Final zine draft review
Day 7 – Reflection, Assembly, and Closing
8:00–9:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00–12:00 PM – Zine assembly (folding, stapling, trimming, etc.)
12:00–1:00 PM – Lunch
1:00–3:00 PM – Group sharing: Final reflections, feedback, project review
3:00–6:00 PM – Informal zine sharing with invited guests or local community
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