About Scout and Eric

 

Best known for her work documenting the Obama presidential campaigns, Scout Tufankjian has spent the bulk of her career working in the Middle East. Her book Yes We Can was a New York Times and LA Times bestseller. Her image of President Obama hugging his wife was the most retweeted in history, and it quickly became Facebook’s most-liked ever.

Photographer Eric Grigorian is a recipient of multiple awards, including the World Press Photo of the Year in 2002. Eric's projects have included: the Changing Face of Iran, the Banda Aceh Tsunami and its Aftermath, Hurricane Katrina, and Spinal Cord Injuries in Iraq. Eric regularly collaborates with Time, Newsweek, US News,

The New York Times and European news magazines.

For four intensive weeks, students worked with world-renowned photojournalists Scout Tufankjian and Eric Grigorian on the depiction of stories through photography.

After passing out SLR cameras and some point-and-shoots, the instructors went over some basic fundamentals of photography with the students. They also familiarized participants with various works of leading photographers in the field and gave examples of the different forms that photo stories can take.

Students were encouraged to explore the world around them and select photo story themes of their very own. The second half of the workshop consisted of students going out in the field and shooting photos on their topic, with Grigorian and Tufankjian offering expert advice, guidance, and tips.

The material gathered by the students was brought back to class where students learned how to edit their photographs using programs such as Adobe Photoshop. After discussing the criteria for evaluation, they collectively reviewed each other's work providing artistic input and constructive criticism.

By the end of the workshop, a total of 43 participants showcased their completed work in a large-scale, public photo exhibition hosted at Tumo. Printouts from each student's work were featured in the exhibit, while the following selected photo stories were displayed on LCD screens on the exhibition area floor.