Our Instructors
Ed Kashi
Ed Kashi is a photojournalist dedicated to documenting the social and political issues that define our times. A sensitive eye and an intimate relationship to his subjects are signatures of his work. As a member of the prestigious photo agency VII, Kashi has been recognized for his complex imagery and its compelling rendering of the human condition. In addition to editorial assignments, filmmaking and personal projects, Kashi is an educator who instructs and mentors students of photography, participates in forums and lectures on photojournalism, documentary photography and multimedia storytelling. Along with numerous awards, including a Prix Pictet 2010 Commission and honors from Pictures of the Year International, World Press Foundation, Communication Arts and American Photography, Kashi’s images have been published and exhibited worldwide, and his editorial assignments and personal projects have generated six books.
Your favorite Photo Camp learning moment
In Rajasthan in 2009, I watched a young girl from the rural tribal belt the first day trying to figure out how to hold a camera and she couldn’t grasp how to put her one eye to the viewfinder. She was reduced to tears. By the third day, she was making some of the most wonderful images of the group, laughing, coming out of her shell and clearly knew how to hold a camera.
When you were a kid, what did you hope to be when you grew up?
A baseball player and then a storyteller.
Kirsten Elstner
VisionWorkshop’s Executive Director, Kirsten Elstner, has been a photographer and teacher since completing her Master of Arts in Photography at Ohio University in 1990. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, Life, and Fortune magazines, as well as others. Kirsten worked in Bangladesh for the International Red Cross, and as a photographer for Brazil’s largest newspaper, O Globo, in Rio de Janeiro.
Kirsten has taught photography at the college level at the International Center of Photography in New York, The Corcoran College of Art and Design, Goucher College, The Art Institute of Boston, and The Massachusetts College of Art. Through VisionWorkshops, Kirsten mentors young people in her community, as well as nationally and internationally as Director of the National Geographic Photo Camp workshops.
Kirsten lives in Annapolis, Maryland with her husband and two sons on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.
A particular student/camp story that affected you
I watched a young girl’s progress through a workshop in Oaxaca Mexico. She came to us with so many odds stacked against her, yet she showed me around her village with such grace and pride, and put intense focus and effort into everything she did. She inspired me.
Who is your hero?
My mom is my hero. She’s strong, smart, creative and knows how to laugh.
Amy Toensing
Amy Toensing began her career in photojournalism in 1994, covering the community she grew up in for her hometown paper, The Valley News in New Hampshire. She then went on to work for The New York Times in Washington DC covering Capitol Hill and the White House during the Clinton administration. In 1998 Amy went back to school to earn her masters degree in visual communication at Ohio University. In 1999 she was awarded the National Geographic Magazine Photo Internship and embarked on her first story for the magazine on the remote island of Monhegan, 12 miles off the Maine coast. Since then she has been a regular contributor to National Geographic Magazine as well as numerous other national and international publications, taking her around the globe to Asia, the South Pacific, Africa, Europe, and the Middle East. Toensing is currently working on her thirteenth story for National Geographic Magazine. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek, Time Magazine and National Geographic Traveler. Amy lives in the Hudson Valley of New York with her husband Matt Moyer who is also a National Geographic Contributing Photographer. Together, in 2011, they founded On Assignment Workshops – please visit them for more information on their upcoming photography workshops.
I’m involved with NG Photo Camp because the students inspire me and never fail to remind me how powerful and special photography is.
I always knew I wanted to be an artist from a very young age, but I went through a brief astronaut phase as well – I guess there’s still time!
Favorite game to play as a kid?
My favorite was playing kick-the-can with all the kids on our block in the summer.
Lynn Johnson
Photojournalist Lynn Johnson is known for her intense and sensitive work. Dividing her time between assignments for National
Geographic, Sports Illustrated, and various foundations, Johnson has traveled from Siberia to Zambia and photographed celebrities including Tiger Woods, Mikhail Barishnikov, Stevie Wonder, Tony Hawk, Mister Rogers and the entire Supreme Court. In her physically demanding shooting style, Johnson uses the technical skills acquired during a decade as an EMT in hazardous rescue work. With her Leicas, she has climbed the radio antenna atop Chicago’s Hancock Tower and dangled from helicopters in Antarctica. Yet her favorite assignments have been emotionally demanding stories about ordinary people.
Her vision is subtle. At 5’1″ she strives to become virtually invisible, allowing her subjects to reveal themselves to the camera. The photographs, based on fairness and compassion are an attempt to honor and share the stories of others. After 30 years of practicing photography, she sees her personal work moving from that of observer to advocate.
Who is your hero?
My parents – my father is a man of integrity and my mom has the most wonderful warm heart.
Favorite game as a child?
You know I just remember that booioioioinnnggggg sound of that red rubber kick ball in the school yard but my mom tells me I spent many hours on the swing behind our home – alone – in thought – 10 year old thoughts – hmmmm
Favorite place you’ve never been?
Italy. Can you believe it? I have been to all the dusty, dank places – maybe its time for a little light and grace, though I find those things everywhere I travel regardless of place. that’s what makes this life so rich, its the people on the other side of the camera, they carry grace with them.
Matt Moyer
Photojournalist Matt Moyer has worked on assignment for publications such as National Geographic magazine and The New York Times as well as prominent non-profit organizations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Moyer began his career at The Citizen, a small newspaper in Auburn, New York where he spent two years documenting daily life in the tight-knit farm communities and small towns of upstate New York. It was here that Moyer became dedicated to the community based photojournalism that he still practices today whether documenting the life of a Shiite family in Iraq, a group of hired guns in Afghanistan, or wolf hunters in the American West. In 2011, him and his wife and photographer Amy Toensing founded On Assignment Workshops – please visit them for more information on their upcoming photography workshops.
Why are you involved with VisionWorkshops?
Vision Workshops has a mission that is close to my heart. I love the idea of using photography to empower young people so that they can have a voice in the world. I have worked on several photo camps and each time I am inspired by the talent and sensitivity of the students. Each time I learn something new just by being around them. It inspires me to keep doing the work that I do.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was a kid I wanted to be a vet for exotic animals. That changed when I discovered photography as a teenager and decided I wanted to photograph wildlife for National Geographic magazine. While in college the human animal became more interesting to me so I became a people photographer. Being able to shoot for National Geographic magazine is a dream come true for me.
Alison Harbaugh
Alison is an Annapolis-based portrait and wedding photographer, with a background in sports and news shooting for The United States Naval Academy, The Baltimore Ravens, and The Annapolis Capital newspaper. Her passion for teaching and for documentary photography inspires her involvement with VisionWorkshops.
Favorite Teaching Moment
One moment that I can recall, that made me realize that what we are doing is worth so much, was one of my first workshops in Annapolis. I was working with kids in the Drug Court program, and there was one girl who stood out on the first day. She wanted nothing to do with what we were saying, she kept her head on the desk in her arms and said very little. Then, she and I were paired up for the ice breaker that we usually do on the first day…I learned so much about her in just minutes and she realized that I was not there to judge her, but to teach her some fun photography techniques and help her share her story. She and I worked closely together over the next few weeks. Every week, her enthusiasm increased and her work showed improvement. At the final showing of their work, she gave me a big hug and thanked me and we laughed about what a grump she was the first day. We kept in touch for awhile via email and last time I heard from her, she was still into photography and looking into careers where she could use her new skills. It was such a learning experience for me, a moment when I realized that the most hardened kid can be turned around and produce something amazing.
My greatest inspiration comes from seeing people that go to work everyday doing something that they love and using their talent for good.
Nicholas Tolson
Nicholas Tolson is an entrepreneur, teacher, live music fan, photographer, and popcorn addict who lives in Washington, DC with his wife and a fish. Nicholas can’t wait to hit the road again with the VisionWorkshops team, he is excited with the opportunity to combine his love of photography with connecting with children and making a difference around the globe.
A particular student/camp story that affected you
Upon telling our crew that everything was packed up and we were ready to roll to a new town to start our next series of workshops, I got wind of a student having some issues. I walked in to an interior room to find one of the kids that had been on my team drowning in tears because we were leaving. He was a Palestinian refugee and he was so grateful and so enjoyed the Photo Camp experience that he was unsure of what would happen once we left. Since I had spent the most time with him during our time, I stepped in and held him as others encouraged and consoled him. A local native speaker on our team took his Photo Camp notebook and wrote him a long note, even including his phone number if the child ever wanted to talk. I realized then the deep impact we were having on these childrens’ lives and that it went far beyond just photography.
Favorite place that you’ve never been
England, India, and Syria
Piper Watson
A film graduate from Savannah College of Art and Design, and a Photography graduate from The School of Hard Knocks, Piper Watson’s insatiable curiosity about the world, it’s people, and magical places fuels her passion for storytelling. Much to the chagrin of her little black dog named Red, her wanderlust has taken her from the far reaches of Turkey by bicycle, to largely uninhabited islands of Japan on foot. All the while, learning the importance of establishing a true connection with her photography subjects, and wanting to pass that subtle art onto the young photographers of the world. Currently coordinating VisionWorkshops’ Crossing Borders program, Piper is also now one of many talented teaching assistants with National Geographic Photo Camp.
A particular student/camp story that affected you
At a Photo Camp in Chad, one of my female students and I developed a particular bond. She was a young, single mother, and quite beautiful. It was apparent to me that she hid a lot behind her pretty face, although what exactly, my poor understanding of rapid French never revealed. When selecting their self portraits for the final exhibition, I encouraged her to select a portrait that was very close-up where her expression was rather direct, looking straight into the camera. She shook her head and said that this portrait was “too truthful.” I said to her that it told me that she was a person of strength, a woman who had seen many things and bore great responsibility early in life. It also showed that she was beautiful inside and out- why wouldn’t she want people to see that? She thought for a long time and after class told me that she wanted to be brave and let people see that truth in her, that she would select this portrait.
When you were a kid, what did you hope to be when you grew up?
Indiana Jones… I think I came close enough!
