RIT x Magnum Visual Storytelling Course

October 21, 2025 Gregory Halpern, Ahndraya Parlato

A group of artists look at photo prints spread out on a table.

In the summer of 2025 at RIT, Ahndraya Parlato and I launched “A Short Course in Visual Storytelling,” a new collaboration between RIT and Magnum Photos.

Thirteen photographers joined us from around the world — New Zealand, Norway, Mexico, California, Texas, and beyond — for an immersive mix of in-person workshops and weekly online mentorship. Over two intensive weeks on campus — one in June and one in August — students explored every corner of RIT’s state-of-the-art facilities while diving into long-term projects, photobooks, slideshows, readings, discussions, and lectures.

Field trips, critiques, and late-night conversations filled our days (and nights) — a vivid reminder of how energizing it is to make and think together. We were also joined by three special guests from New York City for final critiques: Brendan Embser, senior editor at Aperture; Sasha Wolf, curator and founder of Sasha Wolf Projects; and Jackie Bates, photography director at The New York Times.