About the Market Photo Workshop

Located in Newtown, Johannesburg, the Market Photo Workshop strives to create an environment where students learn, not only the technical and conceptual aspects of photography, but also ways of critical thinking integral to the understanding of contemporary photographic practice.

Equipping students with an extensive insight of the role photography plays socially, politically and in the wider cultural community, the Market Photo Workshop provides students with the vital tools needed to negotiate the urban terrain that is present-day Johannesburg.

Through its various endeavours and ongoing projects the Market Photo Workshop continues to make strong links with organisations both locally and internationally. Dedicated to the development and nurturing of new talent, the Market Photo Workshop fosters a rich culture in visual literacy for the furthering of photography in South Africa and Africa.

The Market Photo Workshop plays a crucial role in establishing new voices in South African photography. Alumni include: Jodi Bieber (seven times World Press Winner), other World Press winners like Themba Hadebe, and Sydney Seshibedi; and internationally acclaimed photographers such as Nontsikelelo Veleko and Zanele Muholi.

History of the Market Photo Workshop

The Market Photo Workshop was started by world-renowned photographer David Goldblatt in the late eighties. At the outset, the aim was to provide visual literacy and practical training to young photographers who were excluded from formal training in tertiary education institutions by the policies of the government at the time.

The school’s initial focus was on social documentary photography, a genre which would provide photographers entry into the media landscape, allowing them to create a viable career for themselves. This was the core of the curriculum, as photography as a social and political practice was an important strategy in documenting the socio-political landscape of apartheid South Africa.

Since then, the Market Photo Workshop has successfully adapted to the challenges of a new democratic dispensation, and the influences democracy has had on visual arts in South Africa. The Market Photo Workshop now offers short and long courses in photography, educating learners in all technical and practical aspects the medium.

The Market Photo Workshop is a division of the Market Theatre Foundation. For more information on the Market Theatre Foundation please click here