PHOTOGRAPHING INTIMACY

Cheryle St. Onge & Jason Langer Special Guests Andrea Modica & Mark Steinmetz

WORKSHOP DATES

September 10 - October 29, 2025

8 online Sessions

Wednesdays 7pm-10pm (US EDT)

LIMIT

12 photographers  

COST

1,075 USD


Applications will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. The final deadline for all submissions will be June 9, 2025.


WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION

Photography is a medium that offers an opportunity to deepen our understanding of our ourselves, others, and our relationship to the world. This workshop focuses on engaging with ideas and practices that explore intimacy in photography.

The word “intimacy” is often misunderstood as being synonymous with sexuality but in this course we will define it as deep familiarity and connection. We will look at intimacy using a variety of approaches, in both private and public space, and in our relationship with the natural world.

This course, lead by Cheryle St. Onge and Jason Langer, will concentrate on photographing people and oneself for the purposes of interpersonal understanding and empathy, something that is often daunting for photographers.

During this eight-week course, participants will continue to develop a photographic project at any stage, refining their approach through editing, research and writing. These skills will help students feel more comfortable photographing loved ones, strangers or to become more knowledgable about the place they are photographing.

Each session will include time for presentations, discussion and ample opportunities to share and review work. The first part will feature presentations by Cheryle and Jason, along with discussions on key ideas. The second part will be dedicated to reviewing student work and offering insightful suggestions. St. Onge and Langer will help students gain a better understanding of their natural interpersonal skills and help undo any unhelpful habits.

The workshop will include a strong focus on writing, helping students develop artist statements that articulate their ideas with clarity and intention.

We will study the work of artists who have created powerful images which shorten the distance between themselves, their cameras, and the people, places or things they photograph. We will examine exemplary intimate photographs, discern what makes them so, explore their techniques and develop our own methods of intimate image-making that exude closeness, sensitivity and deep familiarity.

During the workshop, Special Guests Mark Steinmetz and Andrea Modica will each present their work in separate sessions, followed by Q&A and conversations.

Photoshop and/ or Lightroom are recommended and students should have access to some kind of printer or lab to make work prints.

The workshop will be taught online via Zoom.

 

WORKSHOP SCHEDULE *

Wednesday, September 10

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Welcome. Introductions
Presentation: What is What is Intimacy? Intimacy Fear, Vulnerability and Communication Methodologies.
Cheryle and Jason present their work.
Break
Review of student portfolios and discussion of goals for the class

Wednesday, September 17

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Presentation: The Intimacy in Public Space
Discussion about Artist Statements
Break
Critique of student work (Group A)

Wednesday, September 24

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Special Guest: Mark Steinmetz
Break
Critique of student work (Group B)

Wednesday, October 1

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Presentation: Intimacy through the lens of the personal, familial, sociological and political
Break
Critique of student work (Group A)

Wednesday, October 8

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Presentation: The Intimate Landscape - Research, Maps and Records; Time in the Landscape, Meditation - Communing with Nature
Break
Critique of student work (Group B)

Wednesday, October 15

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Special Guest: Andrea Modica
Break
Critique of student work (Group A)

Wednesday, October 22

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Presentation:  Portrait / Self Portrait - Establishing a Narrative
Cheryle and Jason present their work in progress
Break
Critique of student work (Group B)

Wednesday, October 29

7 pm - 10 pm (US EDT)
Presentation: Building Trust with Your Photographic Subjects
Best practices for fostering a creative life.
Break
Presentations of Final Work

* This schedule is subject to change at any time. If a Special Guest must cancel unexpectedly, we will work to confirm another artist with a similar level of expertise to join us.

TO APPLY FOR THE WORKSHOP

1. TEN IMAGES

Please submit 10 images that represent who you are as a photographer (JPGs 72dpi; 1080 pixels longest side).

2. BIO & SHORT STATEMENT OF INTENT

Submit a short bio (up to 200 words) followed by a brief statement (up to 200 words) telling us why you would like to take this workshop, as a single Word document. At the bottom of the document please include the following:

  • Date of birth

  • Profession

  • Country of origin / country of residence

  • Previous photography studies, including recent workshops attended (if any)

  • A link to your website and/or Instagram

  • How did you hear about this workshop


Please email your application to selma@laluzworkshops.com. Since we receive applications for a variety of workshops at the same time, please be sure to specify the name of the workshop you are applying for.

Upon acceptance, participants are required to pay the full tuition. We prefer payments via wire transfer or check. PayPal would be accepted only as a last resort. If you choose to use PayPal, please note that any commission will not be returned to you in case of a refund.

If you need to pay for this class in installments, please mention this in your application.

Please read cancelation policies here.
If you have any questions about this workshop please reach out to: selma@laluzworkshops.com

Photo Credits:
From top to bottom: Cheryle St. Onge from the series "Calling the Birds Home"
Jason Langer from the in progress series "Samsara: The Wheel of Life and Transcendence"
Jason Langer from the series "Erika 1998-2013 "