Queensland College of Art students will travel to Malaysia for a series of masterclasses by world-renowned photographers.
Two student photographers from the QCA will join students from Singapore’s Yale-NUS in a 5-day intensive in-field masterclass as part of theObscura Festival of Photography.
As part of ‘The Process, The Narrative, Your Journey’, students will develop a personal photo project, and learn how to produce a photographic story with impact.
The masterclass is lead by acclaimed documentary photographer Ian Teh, whosework has been published internationally in magazines such as National Geographic, The New Yorker, Bloomberg Businessweek and Granta.
For Bachelor of Photography student Cathy Ross, the masterclass offered her the opportunity to travel overseas for the first time.
“I’ve never left Australia before – so this experience is terrifying, nerve-wracking and exhilarating,” she said.
“I think when you land in a new place, you see things more intensely and pay more attention to the details.
“I’m hoping to experience another culture, and open my eyes to new ways of life.”
Fellow Bachelor of Photography student Deborah Harrip has spent her life on the road. She sailed through the Indonesian archipelago as a child, and worked in NGOs across South East Asia and Africa, before spending five years involved in Indigenous education in the Northern Territory.
Her love of travel and sense of social justice originally inspired her to study photography.
“As a kid I was given an old Box Brownie, and I always had a camera in my hand,” she said.
“I always said I was going to be a war correspondent, but I’ve got a husband and family!
“There is a big wide world out there, and so many issues and injustices – I want to bring attention to it.
“Masterclasses like this will help me find my voice.
“It’s all about storytelling, and seeing what the camera can do.”
Queensland College of Art alumnus Louis Lim, now a sessional photography tutor and LiveImage coordinator, will accompany the Bachelor of Photography students – his third visit to the festival.
“It is a fantastic opportunity for our students – they get the chance to work with photographers who are at the to of their game, make connections with students across the region and experience the melting pot of Penang.”