NEW YORK, NY.- This winter, the International Center of Photography will expand its recently launched online education program. Now students from around the world can further their photographic interests and participate in this creative community.

Each of the six courses features in-depth discussions with fellow students and ICP’s exceptional faculty, including VII Agency photojournalist Ed Kashi and South Africa based photographer Jonathan Torgovnik. Classes meet weekly in live sessions for instructor-led lectures and critiques.

ICP’s online education program includes classes for beginners and those with significant experience. The popular Photography I is an introduction to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography. In Developing Projects, Establishing Vision, advanced students work on a long-term photographic projects.

Each course provides a socially interactive learning environment in which students can access and discuss assignments and course materials. Each student is provided with his/her own dedicated online web gallery to upload work for discussion and critique.

Classes meet in weekly live sessions (webinars) for instructor-led critiques and lectures. To ensure that students receive a qualitative learning experience, enrollment in each course is limited to a small number of students

Complete information on ICP’s class offerings are as follows:

The Art of Visual Storytelling: Exploring Photojournalism's New Frontiers
January 27–April 7 | Mondays | 7–9 pm EST | Ed Kashi
In the digital age, traditional photojournalism has crossed over into and absorbed other media. In this class, students learn about the visual components that comprise great multiplatform storytelling, including the photo essay, video, and multimedia. Discussions also touch upon the use of social media such as Instagram and mobile photography, as viable tools of visual storytelling and communication. By looking at the work of the instructor and examples of other practitioners in the field, working on weekly assignments that deal with still photography, and producing a semester final project, students expand their understanding of the possibilities in creating compelling images and stories and what to expect in this dramatically changing field of photography.

The Impossible Portrait
January 28–April 1 | Tuesdays | 7–9 pm EST | Ben Gest
If a photographer is physically present in the making of a photograph, how can a genuine sense of "aloneness" on the part of the subject be conveyed in a portrait? Photographs of people who seem truly alone might relate to the creation of photographs that seem genuine; however, removing the photographer from a photograph is contradictory to the very nature of the medium. In this class, students subvert this photographic "constraint" and challenge the very nature of a medium fraught with contradiction.

Developing Projects, Establishing Vision
January 29–April 2 | Wednesdays | 12–2 pm EST | Karen Marshall
This course is for students who are ready to commit to a long-term project. Students cultivate ideas, discover personal intentions, develop strategies to accomplish long-term goals, and examine aesthetic and technical intentions when creating images. They focus on an idea, story, or theme to explore throughout the semester, and examine why they have chosen digital or film, 35mm, medium or large format, monochromatic or color, and if they conceive the final work as prints, multimedia or web-based presentations. Each week they upload images to be viewed and responded to by their classmates. During weekly live webex sessions, students participate in class exercises that show how various methods of grouping photographs can strengthen individual images, create series and sequence, and frame ideas. Students initiate photography projects and examine them within the context of established work in museums, galleries, books, and publications.

Documentary Photography Project: Story Telling and Photo Essay
March 3–May 12 | Mondays | 12–2 pm EST | Jonathan Torgovnik
Realizing there is no set formula for a successful documentary project is the first step toward starting one. In this workshop, we discuss the conceptual planning, dedication, and sacrifice that go into a personal documentary photo project. We look at the many ways one can approach such a project, both long term and short, and discuss ways of coming up with story ideas, researching and executing them, and getting them published. During weekly online sessions and critiques, examples of projects by contemporary photographers are reviewed as well as the origins of the traditional photo essay. The goal is to start or develop an existing project and take it to the next level of execution.

Photography I
March 3–May 12 | Mondays | 12–2 pm EST | Keisha Scarville
This course introduces beginners to the creative and technical possibilities of digital photography. Through demonstrations and hands-on sessions, students learn the basics of using cameras and imaging software to produce digital photographs. Topics include camera operation, shutter speed, aperture, focal length, RAW file formats, white balance, and composition. Using Adobe Lightroom, students learn file management and image enhancement. Lectures on historical and contemporary artwork explore creative approaches to photography, and assignments build photographic skill sets.

Investigation of Self and the Human Condition
March 4–May 6 | Tuesdays | 1–3 pm EST | Jen Davis
In this course, students investigate themselves as they turn their camera inward to explore their identities, psyche, and human condition. This is achieved by close examination of gesture, ideas of interior and exterior self, and the use of light. Discussions address different approaches to self-portraiture-fiction or fantasy, diaristic or autobiographical, private or public-and the performative self. Whatever approach utilized, students gain the tools to communicate a deep understanding of themselves through the camera. Students develop a series of self-portraits guided by weekly critiques, lectures, readings, and discussions. This course is designed for those who are interested in developing a body of work that explores self-portraiture as a communicative tool.