Documentary with a Purpose

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About Course

Across a curriculum of 14 lessons spanning more than two hours, Mugur discusses his journey into photography, teaches some of his key guiding principles for creating visually compelling work—often on marginalized subjects—and shares insights on how, starting from compassion, he has developed significant projects focused on themes of discrimination, the Holocaust, morbid obesity, and the struggle for survival of Romanian villages. He also explains how to use photography to complement and strengthen social activism. Students of sociology and social work or simply people passionate about helping others, driven by compassion and the desire to do good, can find inspiration in this material.

Intensive course

This course is packed with advice for those interested in using photography to highlight important issues, tell stories, connect with people and discover new places. Learn from Mugur as he shares vital guidance on forging honest connections with subjects, themes, or ideas that can propel your photography and humanity forward.

Practical advice

Mugur explains in detail how to improve your visual skills and elevate them to the level of human motivation. He will share his process of choosing a subject, approaching people, working, editing, and sequencing.

What you will learn

Making of Loving Romania
Discover the Romanian village in three dimensions: people, places, and food, through a journey that began in 2013. This project was inspired by an encounter with a racist teacher.

 

Purpose
Mugur discusses the key guiding principles of responsibility, honesty, and integrity when addressing complex social issues. He emphasizes the important public role of the photographer and the impact of the images they create.

 

Finding your voice
How do you begin? Mugur shares his insights and advice on discovering your voice by staying committed to what truly matters to you.

 

Developing projects
From discovering stories that resonate with you to staying dedicated to long-term projects, Mugur shares his process of creating a cohesive body of work. Mugur is renowned for his ability to follow stories over decades, capturing their developments with depth and empathy.

 

For all shooting purposes, Mugur recommends the products sold here.

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Course Content

Documentary with a purpose
Mugur Varzariu began his photography career in 2010. Mugur does not come from a family of artists; no one in his family was a photographer. However, he vividly remembers that his mother, a person with many talents, had a camera—a Smena—which she carried with her on all their vacations and enjoyed using to photograph him. One could say that the photographer in him was born then, as the main subject of his mother's photography.

  • Introduction
    14:29
  • Initiatic Journey
    10:31
  • Responsibility, Honesty, Integrity
    06:23
  • Passion, Motivation and Purpose
    07:25
  • Equipment, Technique, Style and Influences
    08:04
  • The Universe of Documentary Photography
    08:00
  • Case Study – Roma Part 1
    09:54
  • Case Study – Roma Part 2
    06:22
  • Case Study – Loving Romania
    06:03
  • Case Study – We survive to tell the Story
    03:55
  • Case Study – Buried Alive
    04:04
  • Case Study – End of an Era
    06:11
  • The power of sacrifice, Voice and Composition
    03:04
  • To conclude
    01:39