Course Syllabus

Photo Documentary and Discovery

Semester & Location:	Fall 2025 - DIS Stockholm
Pre-requisites	None
Type & Credits:	Elective - 3 credits
Major Disciplines:	Communications, Photography, Visual Arts, Art History
Faculty Members:	Lola Akinmade Åkerström (current students please use the Canvas Inbox)
Time & Place:	Tuesdays 11:45-14:30, Classroom C505

This syllabus is subject to change

Course Description

Use your camera as a way of opening doors and connection in Sweden and as your tool to explore and understand the cultures, people, and places you encounter. 

The knowledge you gain through this course will give you a steady base and make you more confident as a photographer when traveling in Sweden and abroad.

In this course, you will learn to research and tell your individual story through photography.

Through workshops, photo reviews, guest lectures, and excursions outside the classroom, you develop the skills to dive into different environments and use your camera as a medium for understanding both yourself and the people you are interacting with. You will also get familiar with how to tell your story through photographs.

Rather than creating photographs as simply mementos, you will make photographs that tell stories. You will learn what makes a picture interesting and powerful, and how to create images that are beyond your typical beautiful sunset shot. You will be encouraged to view your new environment – not through the lens of an outsider viewing a novelty, but to give viewers special access into your Swedish world.

This course combines practical assignments, portfolio reviews, and research for a photographic project. At the end of the semester, your project will be exhibited at DIS in the end-of-semester showcase. While the artistic practice is almost entirely self-directed, you will participate in regular critiques in order to gain a deeper understanding of your own photographs, as well as those of your colleagues.

Using the basic tools of photography – a camera, a lot of effort and practice, and a deepened knowledge about light – you will learn to discuss your work responsibly and concisely. Critiques focus on intentionality and embedded meaning, while studying some of the most important photographers within the field when it comes to personal projects, documentary, and travel photography.

 

Learning Objectives

• You will practice how to choose photos from a larger set in order to create and pinpoint the story you want to tell with your photographs.
• You will understand how light, composition, colors, and the way you take the photos affect the story.
• You will engage in the language of photographic critique – both of your own work and that of your fellows – and practice to thoughtfully describe the meaning of a photograph. 
• You will work your way to find a personal artistic statement and a personal style on how taking pictures and telling a story.
• You will develop a new sensitivity to looking at the world through the lens of a camera. 

 

Faculty

Readings

Søren Pagter “The Essential image”

 

Guest Lecturers

Each semester includes classes held by different guest teachers. Which these are varies from year to year. But so far the course has had guest teachers such as:

Thomas Karlsson - Thomas is an experienced photographer with Sweden's biggest newspaper, Dagens Nyheter, as working place. 

Pieter ten Hoopen - Pieter is a multi-award winning photographer both nationally and internationally and one of Sweden's most successful photographers.

Hannah Modigh - Hannah has received awards from Swedish arts grants committee several times, been chosen Artist of the year 2009 by Beat magazine, awarded first prize Magnum Photography Awards, portrait and much more.

Daniel Nilsson - Daniel has been internationally multi-awarded for his photos and he has covered several Olympic games, world cups, paralympics, champions league finals and other major sports events around the world.

Ylva Sundgren - Ylva is one of Stockholm's most hired photographers and is famous for her use of flash in portraits and documentary photos. She has been awarded in Swedish Picture of the year competition, and her photos has been published in several books throughout the years.

 

Approach to Teaching

As much as I want you to open up and show your individual fears, feelings, and expectations, as a professor, I will also be transparent on a professional level. I will share parts of my photographic journey which includes photographic mistakes, failures and successes.

Being open minded and being willing to journey outside your comfort zone is an important skill for photographers to achieve when you approaching people that you would like to photograph.

We will maintain this level of being open minded and I want you all to know that our classroom is a safe space. View the classroom as a place where you can be 100% yourselves - and dare to make mistakes.

 

Expectations of Students

I want you to put down your guards and dare to make photographic mistakes, while sharing your thoughts and experiences in photographing while at the same time giving the photographic assignment your best effort. I understand that all students have different backgrounds and skill levels, therefore I will have different levels of results. I expect that students will work hard, try their best, be creative and have fun while doing it. That is what I reward.

It is also important to deliver your assignments on time. Failure in keeping your deadlines will result in a 10 points reduction in the grading of that specific assignment. If you have difficulties meeting the deadline for any reason (severe sickness, accident, for example) please let me know and I could postpone the deadline for you if the reason is valid. Forgetting the deadline or missing it due to travel isn't enough.

You have to take responsibility when it comes to delivering assignments on time and following the instructions that comes to every assignment.

 

Evaluation

In class, we will work with the result of the assignments. We will go through the photos taken on assignments, give critique in a constructive way so you can grow as a photographer. Students will also comment on each other’s work, because it is important everyone engage in the feedback sessions to help each other grow as photographers. 

A lot of the evaluation is based on how much effort is put into the assignments. I reward hard work over talent. I want students to feel comfortable trying new photographic styles, so that at the end of the semester, you have found your visual voice as a photographer and your own unique way of visual storytelling.

For example:

Presentation - Your photographer presentation in front of the class.

Final portfolio - Your work with the final project and showcase.

Artist statement - How you work with more "artistic" assignments.

Attendance at all class sessions is mandatory. Two unexcused absences will warrant a reduced letter grade. Three unexcused absences will result in failure. 

In order to be eligible for a passing grade in the class, all work must be submitted. 

NOTE: Students are expected to bring their own camera, preferably a DSLR that is capable of shooting in a fully manual mode. The students also have to be able to upload photos on their laptop. 

 

Grading

Assignment	Percent
Assignments	55%
Presentations	10%
Midterm	15%
Final Portfolio	15%
Artist Statement	5%

 

Assignments

Some examples:

Photographer presentation: How you have worked with research, with your group and the presentation in class.

Final portfolio: Your work and engagement with final showcase. 

Documentary assignment: Photograph, document a person, and try to come as close as you can both "mentally" and with your camera.

 

Field Studies

This course is partially built on more field studies and learning outside the classroom! But there will also be a number of classes held in the classroom, for example when we give each other feedback on given assignments or when we go through a new field of photographic learning.

During field studies and classes outside classroom, we will engage in workshops and practical in-field training where we can teach tips and tricks out in the field. We will also visit museums for inspiring exhibitions. 

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on: 

• Course Enrollment and Grading  
• Academic Expectations and Honor Code 

 

DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org