Long-Term Photography Mentorship with Simon Chang

Finding your own voice – photography as a way of living.

The 2026/2027 Long-Term Photography Mentorship marks the 7th collaboration between photographer Simon Chang and Galerija Fotografija.

Rather than a traditional photography course with a fixed curriculum, the programme is conceived as a long-term mentorship: a space to develop your own photographic practice, find your personal visual language, and become part of a small creative community.

Photography is not only about making images.

It is also about learning to look, to notice, to question, to trust your intuition – and eventually to understand what a body of work wants to become.

Over several months, each participant will develop an ongoing or new personal project through individual conversations with Simon, group discussions, editing and sequencing sessions, and exchanges with fellow participants.

The emphasis is not on following a particular photographic style or producing a predetermined result. Instead, participants are encouraged to become more attentive to their own interests, instincts and ways of seeing – and to develop the confidence to make their own creative decisions.

You do not need to arrive with a finished project or even a clearly defined idea. Unfinished work, uncertainty, experiments, outtakes and changes of direction are all welcome. The aim is to work together to understand what each project needs – what to keep, what to remove, and how its visual language and narrative might become clearer.

What's Next

1. You're invited to visit Galerija Fotografija on Tuesday, 10 November 2026, at 6 pm to meet Simon Chang and this year's workshop attendees, see the projects they have created and learn about their mentorship experience.
2. Read more below and apply for the mentorship program before 29 November.

Mentorship & Community

Individual mentorship forms the heart of the programme.

Through six one-to-one consultations, Simon will follow each participant’s project closely as it develops – from initial questions, research and experimentation to photographing, editing, sequencing, presentation and finding an appropriate form.

Alongside the individual mentorship, three group meetings will create a shared space for looking at work, exchanging ideas and references, asking questions, and learning how to give and receive constructive feedback.

The aim is not only to develop individual projects, but also to form a small photographic community in which participants can learn from one another, share doubts and discoveries, and follow each other’s work as it evolves.

The program combines six one-on-one consultations, three group sessions and studio visits, creating a space where individual exploration and collective exchange coexist.

Structure & Programme

• 6 individual consultations with Simon Chang
• 3 group meetings with all participants
• occasional studio visits and encounters with local creative practitioners – including printing, bookbinding, framing, design, publishing and related fields (TBC)
• a final public presentation at Galerija Fotografija

Who Is It For?

The mentorship is open to photographers and visual storytellers at different stages of their practice. Formal photographic education is not required.

You may already be working on a long-term documentary or artistic project, preparing a photobook, zine or exhibition, developing a new body of work – or simply looking for a stronger direction in your photographic practice.

What matters most is curiosity, openness and a willingness to commit to the process – and to share that process with others.

Final Presentation – A Continuing Tradition

As has become a tradition, the mentorship will conclude with a public presentation at Galerija Fotografija, bringing the participants, their work and the wider photographic community together.

This does not necessarily mean presenting a completely “finished” project. Participants may share photographs, sequences, books, zines, experiments or works in progress – whatever form most meaningfully reflects where their project has arrived.

The final presentation is an opportunity to share the work with a wider audience, exchange ideas and celebrate both the individual journeys and the creative community that has developed throughout the mentorship.

The goal is not for everyone to leave with the same answers – because there is no formula, and there are no shortcuts.

It is to help each participant look more closely, trust their own voice, and continue discovering what photography can mean to them personally – not only as a way of seeing and telling stories, but as a way of living.

• Program duration: December 2026–through 2027

• Exact dates will be arranged with the participants and may be adjusted according to the development of the projects and the needs of the group.

• Language: English

• Tuition fee: 620 €
• Discounted fee: 580 € (Early Bird until 15 November 2026 and returning participants)

• Application deadline: 29 November 2026

To apply, please send an email with the subject "Mentorstvo Simon Chang", your name, surname, address and phone number to tina.deu@galerijafotografija.si.

In case of further questions regarding the workshop, do not hesitate to contact us.

More about Simon Chang and his award-winning book Shepherds and the Slaughterhouse.