Documentary Storytelling II: The Next Step

with Lisa Kessler (Online)

Five sessions, March 10 – April 14, 2026

The Griffin Museum and Lisa Kessler are pleased to present an online class designed to help photographers develop a long-term project within a supportive and productive learning environment.

Documentary storytelling draws on the compositional awareness of street photography, the intimacy of family and personal work, and the depth that emerges through sustained observation. Whether participants are working with strangers, within their own communities, or on subjects of personal concern, this class encourages thoughtful approaches to photographing people and places through individual perspective and intention.

Over five sessions, participants will share and refine their work through assignments, discussions, and group critiques. Emphasis is placed on clarifying project and narrative ideas, strengthening visual decision-making, and exploring how form, content, and sequencing shape meaning. The workshop fosters compassionate and constructive engagement with subjects, peers, and audiences alike.

Participants may continue an existing project, begin a new one, or use the workshop to explore new directions in their photographic practice. All camera formats and processes are welcome, including smartphone photography. The workshop culminates in a short, edited image sequence that advances each participant’s project.

Class Details

Dates: Four weekly sessions will be held on Tuesdays: March 10, 17, 24, and 31, 2026, followed by a one-week break and a final session on April 14, 2026.

Time: 6:30 PM – 8:30 PM ET

Format: Online, over Zoom

Participants: Limited to 8 

Course Fee: $525 (members) / $595 (non-members)

Level: Intermediate to Advanced

The non-member price includes a one-year membership to the Griffin Museum. Learn more about all the benefits here: https://griffinmuseum.org/membership-account/membership-levels/

Student Testimonial:  Lisa Kessler is a professional photographer and a professional teacher. She did not convene classes to discuss her own work, but to deepen and propel her students’ work.  She laid out a recipe for self-discovery with a camera. 

        – Richard Jacobs, Psychologist/Photographer