Two of the most consequential figures in photojournalism of the last forty years, teaching in one of the most alive cities on earth. Over five days, you’ll work in the field, developing a single body of work under Christopher’s daily mentorship, supported by Gary. The focus is not on chasing spectacular images, but on the harder, more rewarding work of careful observation, patience, and understanding.
Christopher Morris is one of the most influential photographers of the 20th century and one of the most celebrated visual chroniclers of war. Morris re-invented and reimagined what was possible with the language of political photography for a generation of photographers and editors while working for TIME magazine during the George W. Bush Administration in the United States, but his colleagues hold him in the highest regard for his visceral and poetic war photography. His career, however, has defied the narrow confines of conflict and politics. An Italian fashion magazine commissioned him after seeing his photographs of Republicans in America, and that led to further work with celebrities and world leaders eager to receive similar unorthodox photographic treatment. Christopher will be joined by his friend Gary Knight.
Gary Knight, a former conflict photographer for Newsweek, started his career in Indochina and Southeast Asia in the late 1980s. He later co-founded VII Photo Agency with Christopher and five colleagues and went on to build The VII Foundation into a tuition-free training ground for the next generation of documentary storytellers and a platform for filmmakers and visual journalists to produce complex multidisciplinary stories.
This February, they bring their experience to a single week in Bangkok, a city that has long been one of the great proving grounds for documentary photographers. It is a home to extremes: sacred and profane, wealthy and poor, traditional and modern.
Bangkok is one of the most magical and evocative megacities in Asia, and one of the most photographic. Thailand’s capital sprawls over 1500 square kilometers of delta on either side of the great Chao Phraya River and is home to 11 million people. With 1,684 canals stretching for 2,602 kilometers, and a myriad of roads weaving through neighborhoods and past the capital’s 400 sacred temples, it is accessible and welcoming, and rich in tradition. Bangkok is the economic engine of the country and the center of wealth and modernization.
A city built on contrasts, Bangkok is unhurried and frantic at the same time. That tension is what makes it one of the great living classrooms for documentary photography. There is always a frame. The challenge is earning it.
This isn’t a workshop about gear or technique. It’s about tuning yourself how to see, how to gain access, how to build a narrative, and how to bear witness responsibly, taught by two people who have done it under the most demanding conditions. They will share their knowledge of the city and invite friends and colleagues who are based in the region to speak to the class.
WORKSHOP DETAILS
Price: US$5,000
Photography Level: Intermediate hobbyist to professional. Beginners are welcome but the course is demanding, so you should at least bring a knowledge of camera basics and a brief history of photography in order to get the most out of the experience.
Requirements:
What’s included:
Daily Schedule:
100% of the profits from the workshop will support the tuition-free education programs of The VII Foundation.
From: Jan. 31, 2027
To: Feb. 5, 2027
Location
Bangkok, Thailand
Instructors
Christopher Morris with Gary Knight
Level
Intermediate hobbyist to professional
Group Size
6 – 12
Price
US$5000
100% of the profits from the workshop will support the tuition-free education programs of The VII Foundation.
Early bird: 10% off with code FIELDWORK10 through October 31, 2026.
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