EARLY-BIRD REGISTRATIONS OPEN UNTIL NOV. 25
BRUCE GILDEN: “KEEP ON GOING”
FEB. 8-12, 2027, HONOLULU, HI, USA
5-DAY WORKSHOP
Another year, another adventure! After two highly successful workshops in Japan (Tokyo in 2026, and Osaka in 2025), we look forward to kicking off 2027 with yet another groundbreaking mentorship experience with legendary street photographer Bruce Gilden – this time closer to home, but with one foot still eagerly planted in the great Pacific, halfway between two great continents!
Fresh off New Year’s resolutions, we invite all photographers to “keep on going” with their photographic practice, turning wishful aspirations into an exciting, tangible reality under the close guidance from a photographer and teacher like no other!
Participants will receive tailored day-to-day assignments and critiques from Bruce designed to challenge the status quo, and help them grow in the specific areas of practice where they may be most lacking. Striving to make meaningful street photography work that can go beyond the surface (i.e. be both formally and narratively complex to look at) remains one of the most difficult exercises with the medium. Even with native talent and bang-on intuition, it often takes dedicated photographers years of hard practice to come close to mastering the genre. That is what this workshop with Bruce is for: by having him come into the picture, and offer precise, actionable shortcuts to solutions (even ones you didn’t know you were looking for!), participants will receive a framework to accelerate progress, and build on their own distinct voice in the otherwise crowded symphony of street photography.
Participation is limited to 12 photographers. Early-Bird applications are open, and accepted until Wednesday, November 25, 2026 only!
DESCRIPTION
BRUCE GILDEN brings to his masterclass his unique style of street photography which has truly become his own over the past 50 years of working in New York City and other urban areas, both in the US and abroad. He will work with the students to teach them how to improve their pictures shot in the streets by best identifying their working “style” for street photography, and define their personal vision.
Gilden will share his own experience in the street to aid the students in gaining “street smart” sensibilities. These principles are necessary to work in any environment and to be in the middle of the scenario without being obtrusive.
I want to help you MAKE photographs, not TAKE photographs!
– Bruce Gilden
Top & bottom banner images © Bruce Gilden. Top: Brooklyn, NY, USA, 2021, from the series The Circuit | Bottom: Man Sleeping, Coney Island, 1977.
© Bruce Gilden, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. 2016.
© Bruce Gilden, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. 2016.
© Bruce Gilden, book spread from Made In The USA (Super Labo, 2024).
SCHEDULE & PRE-ASSIGNMENT
[subject to change]
PRE-CLASS ASSIGNMENT :
Shoot either 50 digital images or 2 rolls of film in an area or a situation where you are “comfortable” working in, AND 50 digital images (or 2 rolls of film) somewhere else where you are “not comfortable” working in. Please present no more than 5 images.
FIRST DAY OF CLASS
In addition to the pre-class assignment, bring your best photos, ones that are indicative of your style (they do NOT have to be “street” photographs). Maximum 15 photos. After I review their portfolios, each student will be given a personal assignment related to their strengths or weaknesses.
EVERYDAY (9am-2pm):
I review the work and then everybody goes out to shoot on their own.
LAST DAY OF CLASS:
From the recently-completed assignments, each participant will have produced an essay that I will help in putting together.
– Bruce Gilden
ABOUT BRUCE GILDEN
© Coleman-Camp.j
Bruce Gilden was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1946. After briefly studying sociology at Penn State University he quit college and decided to become a photographer in 1967. Aside from taking a few evening classes at the School of Visual Arts in New York, Gilden largely considers himself to be self-taught. Although Gilden cut his teeth on the sidewalks of New York City where he grew up, he has since made significant bodies of work in Haiti, Japan, England, France, Ireland, India, and the USA. Along with his many acclaimed personal projects, Gilden has worked on many commissions for clients including Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Balenciaga, RATP Parisian transportation system, The Climate Group, Vanity Fair, Vogue Homme and New York Times Magazine. Gilden is the recipient of many awards and grants for his work, including several National Endowments for the Arts fellowships , French “Villa Medicis Hors les Murs” grant, the New York State Foundation for the Arts, Japan Foundation Artist Fellowship and in 2013 a Guggenheim Foundation fellowship. Since the seventies, his work has been exhibited in museums and galleries all over the world. Bruce Gilden has published 27 monographs of his work: Lost and Found (2019), Cherry Blossom (2021), and early 2022, Black Country as well as most recently The Circuit. Gilden joined Magnum Photos in 1998. He lives in Beacon, New York.
www.brucegilden.com
@bruce_gilden
BRUCE GILDEN
HONOLULU, HI
02.8-12, 2027
REGISTRATION FEES & DEADLINES:
TUITION/REGISTRATION FEE:
Early bird: $2500 USD
[Deadline: Wednesday, November 25, 2026]
Past attendee: $2400 USD
[Deadline: Wednesday, November 25, 2026]
Regular: $2800 USD
[Deadline: from Thursday, November 26, and until filled]
• REGISTRATION DEPOSITS ($1300 USD): photographers accepted into the workshop must confirm their participation by sending a Registration Deposit. Their remaining registration balance will then come due by Wednesday, December 23, 2026.
• APPLICATION REVIEWS: Applications are reviewed bi-weekly on a first-come first-served basis throughout the registration period. Our review and acceptance process usually takes 3-4 from the day your application is received: applying early is therefore recommended for greater chances of selection.
• PAYMENT PLANS are available to all photographers accepted in the workshop, and at no additional cost. Requests for payment plans must however be made no later than November 25, 2026. Please note all plan payments remain non-refundable and non-transferable. Please all note that tuition must be paid in full by the time the workshop starts in February.
For more details, read the “Registration Deposit & Payment Plan” section below ⇣
TRAVEL & STAY
Flights, local transportation, meals and accommodations are not included in any registration fees. However, a detailed workshop information packet will be sent to all confirmed participants to help coordinate their stay in Honolulu. It will list a number of recommended accommodation options, as well as local transportation directions, and more important logistical tips.
APPLICATION PROCESS
Applications to register are free (no fee to apply). Enrollment is limited to 12 participants. Photographers from all education backgrounds, and at all stages of their careers are encouraged to apply (film and digital both OK). Submitting a portfolio of 15-20 images focused on past and/or ongoing work is required in order to receive full consideration.
REGISTRATION DEPOSITS & PAYMENT PLANS
Photographers accepted into the workshop are required to confirm their participation by sending a $1300 USD registration deposit payment, or a full early bird/past attendee/regular registration payment within 1 week of their acceptance date.
Remaining registration balances for photographers sending a registration deposit will come due in full on Wednesday, December 23, 2026.
Flexible monthly payment plans are also available to all accepted photographers at their request, and at no additional cost. If you are interested in subscribing to a registration payment plan, please inquire directly with FotoFilmic Co-Director Bastien Desfriches Doria at bastien@fotofilmic.com by: Wednesday, November 25, 2026. Please note that all plan payments remain non-refundable and non-transferable, and that tuition cost must be covered in full by the start of the program in May.
CANCELLATIONS/WITHDRAWALS
The deadline for registered photographers to withdraw their participation and request a refund is Monday, December 21, 2026. Please note that all withdrawal with refund requests are subject to a $350USD cancelation fee, and that no refund requests will be accepted past the December 21st deadline.
In the event that the program is not meeting the minimum enrollment needed to run, registered photographers will receive full registration refunds without any cancelation fee applied. Please also note FotoFilmic cannot be held responsible for any traveling expense refunds if the program gets canceled for any reason: purchasing travel insurance is therefore highly recommended.
QUESTIONS/CONTACT
For any questions or inquiries, please contact FotoFilmic Co-Director Bastien Desfriches Doria directly at bastien@fotofilmic.com