Planet G(reece) #2: Doc & Photography

The workshop is implemented with the support of the Ministry of Culture and Sports.

Have you ever heard anyone say that “a picture is worth a thousand words”?

In this workshop, Massimo Pizzocaro and Elisavet Laloudaki will teach us how to tell stories with pictures. True stories, like the ones that take place right outside our door, in our neighborhood, our city, our planet. We’ll go in search of the truth and we’ll document our findings in pictures, instead of words, just like a regular photojournalist! All the photo stories we’ll shoot will be incorporated in a short film about our learning experience.

How do we spot a good story, what should we be looking for and what questions are we supposed to ask? How important is structure and covering multiple aspects of the same story? Why are some pictures more powerful than others? What is the purpose of a photograph? Is it supposed to inform, to raise awareness, to entertain or to shock our audience?

In order to gain some personal insight into this profession, we’ll visit a news agency, where we’ll meet some of our “colleagues” and watch them work. Is it true that you need to be brave in order to be a photojournalist? Do you need to be physically fit? Be passionate for the truth? Our mentor will explain all this and more, sharing stories from the front line!

Participating in the workshop does not require any prior photography or film experience. All equipment –except for your cellphones– will be provided by Exile Room. The short film you will create with your instructors will be edited and shared within a month after the workshop is over.

The instructors will teach in Greek. An interpreter will be available for additional languages.

Massimo Pizzocaro was born in Milan and lives between Greece and Italy. He has studied photography at the Istituto Europeo di Design. He initially worked in commercial photography before transitioning into travel photography, while in the past few years he has focused on documentary filmmaking. He taught photography at the Focus School of Photography and New Media for more than 20 years and was one of the co-founders of On Location photo agency.

Elisavet Laloudaki was born in Athens. Before becoming a journalist, she studied literature, music and theater. She has written for some of the biggest newspapers and magazines in the world, including National Geographic, Geo and more. The documentaries she has coproduced and codirected with her creative partner, Massimo Pizzocaro, have screened in various festivals and TV channels in Greece and abroad.