This photography weekend is for people who have already pretty much mastered the basic technique of photography. But above all, your motivation is important. Experience in making complete photo series is not necessary.

Please note that the spoken language during this photography weekend is ENGLISH. And you should bring your own photo camera and accessories.

What will you learn:

- What elements a visual story consists of

- How to choose a sharp angle for your story

- How to photograph your subjects; landscapes, portraits, details....

- How to make your visual story really come to life (visual storytelling)

The weekend is very intensive, the group is small and therefore there is plenty of opportunity for feedback, both from the other participants and the teacher.

The aim is for each participant to create a photo essay of 5-8 strong images, together with a text of 50-100 words describing their story.

What will you NOT learn?

You will not learn how to operate your camera during the photography weekend. So we do not offer technical camera instruction.

The photography weekend takes place in Amsterdam. Everyone over the age of 18 is welcome to register.

Please note that there is only room for 12 participants. So don't wait too long to sign up!

The photography bootcamp consists of an intensive and creative weekend: 18 and 19 October.

Day 1 lasts from 8am to 8pm.

Day 2 lasts from 8am to 6pm.

No hotel accommodation is provided.

However, meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack) will be provided.

This photography bootcamp is organised from the National Geographic office and is the base for the photo assignments. This area offers many opportunities for visuals; it is in a harbour area, there is new residential area and the Westerpark, which is rich in diversity of nature, human activity, structures and flowing water, is nearby. This area offers a wide variety of scenes to build a great story with.

The aim is for each participant to create a photo essay of 5-8 strong images, along with a text of 50-100 words describing their story.

Ed Kashi is an internationally recognized photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator. He has worked for the National Geographic Society. He is a contributing photographer to the VII Foundation. Kashi is recognized for his complex and compelling rendering of the human condition. In addition to producing 14 books, he is a pioneer and innovator of multimedia, whose work has been published and exhibited worldwide. 

Saturday 18 and Sunday 19 October 2025

This is a one-off and unique opportunity and only available in this weekend.

The language of instruction in this weekend is ENGLISH.

Bring your own photo camera and accessories!

Day one:

8.00 - 10.00 am          

Meet with a short introduction. Each participant will share up to 10 photos. This homework instruction will be sent to you in advance.

10.00 - 12.00               

Ed Kashi shares work and examples of the four types of images that make a visual story or photo essay. 

12.00 - 13.00              

Lunch

13:00 - 15:00               

Photo assignment: take detail photos that reflect the story you want to tell.

16:00 - 17:30              

Feedback on the images taken and stories

17:30 - 20:00               

Quick meal and back out to shoot landscapes/ Sense of Place images that will take your photo story one step further.

Day two:

8.00-10.00 am            

Review of everyone's work from the first day based on up to 10 photos brought along. These are your best detail and landscape photos.

10:00 - 12:00               

Go outside to take Environmental Portraits that give a sense of the type of characters you have encountered in this part of town. For this exercise, you need to stop the person, introduce yourself, explain what you you’re doing and why, and get basic information from them, such as their name, age, where they live and what they do in Amsterdam.

12.00 - 13.00              

Lunch

13.00 - 15.00               

Go outside to capture Candid Moments; unplanned and unfocused situations that capture the essence of your story.

15.00 - 18.00               

Show work from today and we'll work together on final edits for your story.

Car

The headquarters of Hearst, publisher of National Geographic, is located in Amsterdam's Houthavens and easily accessible by car. There is space for free parking on the Hearst premises if you come by car. Please note that the entrance to the car park is at the back of the building, not on the waterfront.

Public transport

• Amsterdam Sloterdijk (travel time 25 minutes): take city bus 22 towards Muiderpoortstation and get off at Zaanstraat.
• Amsterdam CS (travel time 25 minutes): take city bus 48 from the IJzijde of Central Station, towards Houthavens and get off at the Koivistokade. 

When does the photography bootcamp start?

The workshop weekend is on 18 (from 8am-8pm) and 19 (from 8am-6pm) October 2025.

Why is the bootcamp taught in English?

Normally, all our masterclasses and magazines are in Dutch. But we did not want to miss the unique opportunity to bring National Geographic photographer Ed Kashi to the Netherlands and to organise a very special bootcamp for us. 

He lives and works in New York and does not speak Dutch, which is why the working language is English.

What happens to my contact details?

These will only be used for the bootcamp.

Cancellation policy

It may happen that the course has to be cancelled. This depends on the number of registrations. In the unlikely event that it is not possible to run the course, the course fee will be refunded.

We apply a standard reflection period of two weeks. Click here for the terms and conditions.

Once you have registered, you cannot in principle cancel (apart from the right of withdrawal).

Is the class only held in Amsterdam? 

We organise this photography bootcamp at the National Geographic office in Amsterdam. Participants can park for free at our office throughout the weekend.

Is the workshop also available online?

The National Geographic bootcamp is not recorded and cannot be watched back later. 

Still have questions you can't find on the site?

If you are signed up then please email to masterclass@nationalgeographic.nl. We will make every effort to answer your e-mail within 3 working days. We will inform you in time about the photos to bring for the first lesson.