Photography is invariably a solitary pursuit, but to grow, most of us need the feedback of our piers – I certainly do. This is why I was so pleased to have the opportunity to attend this year’s Mountain Photo Workshop based in Williamsburg, Kentucky.

It’s been two years since I started self-studying documentary photography and photojournalism, and this is only my third blog post. However, I have finished stage one.

This is the latest blog post in a series about self-studying Photojournalism and Documentary Photography.

I'm basing my study around the London College of Communication BA in Photojournalism and Documentary Photography.

At some point in mid-2021, I was feeling a little discouraged by not being able to work on the projects I'd been planning. So, I turned my attention to improving my knowledge about the field of documentary storytelling in general. This is the first blog post documenting that process.

I've been self-studying to improve my knowledge of documentary photography.

I've been building resources that fit the course outline of a Photojournalism and Documentary Photography BA course. I'll update this page as I progress.

An ongoing list of online courses, talks, books and documentaries relating to documentary work, documentary photography and photojournalism.

I started to write a post about Project Planning. As I go along, I realise I'm really describing Idea Generation, which feeds into Project Planning. So let's start there. It's important to say there's no right way to do this, and this is my way.

It's one of those moments when the world snaps into focus. I'm standing in the National Gallery looking Van Gogh's, a wheatfield with cypresses. As I look closely on the left-hand side, I notice the paint doesn't go to the edge. You can see the canvas, now darkened with age, showing through.

I think I've mentioned here before the excellent Documentary Review Podcast. Actually it occurs to me that by saying 'I think' I may give you the impression that I've been too lazy to check. I'm not taking you for granted, dear reader. It's just that, well, I suspect that I may not have mentioned it before, which would, I'm afraid, have been dreadfully remiss of me.

Good documentary photography is a mixed blessing. Yes, it enlightens, it inspires, but for much of the time, it shows the vast majority of us how lucky we are and what tough lives some of us live. This is particularly true for the work of Jim Mortram.