Mexico Workshop — Kasia Trojak

Testimonials

Just watching Arien Chang Castan work is, in itself, an education: he is deft in his movements and has an uncanny ability to assess approaching subjects in relation to what's happening in the street quickly. It was my privilege to take a workshop with him in Oaxaca for Day of the Dead in 2022. The class size was very small, allowing for one-on-one instruction. The itinerary was loose, enabling us to respond to serendipitous moments in a way that we couldn't with a set timetable. Arien's critiques of my work were tough but invaluable: I left the workshop with a clear idea of what I needed to work on going forward. I left Oaxaca with new skills to develop and a full heart: we worked hard but we had a lot of fun doing it.
- T.S.

I attended Chang’s photography workshop in Oaxaca, Mexico in October, 2023. There were an abundance of photographers offering workshops at this time in Oaxaca, and now that the workshop is complete I know I chose the right one. Chang is not only a photographer whose work I admire, but also a thoughtful, soft-spoken, understanding and patient teacher. Because it was such a small group, I got a great amount of personalized attention and Chang was out on the streets with me to understand how I shoot and give advice when needed. There was also down time to rest or edit images from the morning. I loved that the workshop didn’t feel frantic or rushed, but was casual and flexible, which is just my style. The daily feedback and critiques I got were valuable and honest and helped me improve my shooting. Kasia, who organizes the logistics of the workshop and is a great photographer in her own right, was kind, friendly and with a good sense of humor. I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop with Chang and Kasia and I left with many images I am proud of. I hope to join them again in 2024 to continue working on my photography skills.
-P.F.

Arien Chang Castán (Workshop Instructor) is a Cuban photographer based in New York City. At the beginning of his career as an artist, he devoted himself to painting, and later discovered in photography both the expression of his personality and a way to document recondite settings in Cuba. He has had solo exhibitions at Thomas Nickel Project in New York, Art Basel Miami, Fototeca de Cuba, Fabrica de Arte Cubano in Havana, X88 Gallery in Sydney and Dots Gallery in Prague. He has participated in multiple group shows including Reportage Sydney Documentary and Street Photography Festival, NY Photo Visura Festival, Havana Biennial, Oregon’s Emerald Art Center, Freies Museum Berlin, and Havana’s Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. He has given lectures at the Columbia University, Parsons School of Design, ICP, Cuban Ludwig Foundation, ISA Higher Institute of Art in Havana and has taught street and documentary photography at Santa Fe Workshops and National Geographic expeditions. He is a recepient of the Raúl Corrales scholarship (Havana, 2009), Red Gate Residency (Beijing, 2013), and Havana Club’s Havana Cultura 3rd Edition Scholarship (2013).

Kasia Trojak (Workshop Producer) is a Polish-born, Los Angeles-based photographer and assistant director. She has worked on the director’s team on over sixty Hollywood studio feature films and television shows, responsible for coordinating logistics and organization of daily operations. In her photographic practice, she specializes in portrait, editorial and documentary while exploring ideas of authenticity, a sense of belonging and mis/placement. In 2020, she was recognized by the British Journal of Photography as one of the twenty “Female In Focus” photographers and her winning photograph has been published online in The Guardian, The Times UK and Vogue Italia. Her photographs have been exhibited in multiple group shows in Los Angeles, New York, London, Italy, Poland and Mexico, with two solo exhibitions in Havana. She is a member of Directors Guild of America and Women Street Photographers.

request more info | SIGN UP | kasiatrojakstudio@gmail.com

Muertos Photo Workshop
with Arien Chang
& Kasia Trojak

Day of the Dead
Celebration

Oaxaca, Mexico

6 Days
Oct 28 - Nov 2,
2024

_{Experience The Traditional Celebration & the beauty of Oaxaca in a 6-Day Intensive Street Photography
Shooting and Editing Workshop}

itinerary

frequently asked questions

scholarship

Testimonials

Muertos Photo Workshop with Arien Chang & Kasia Trojak

Day of the Dead Celebration Oaxaca, Mexico 6 Days Oct 28 - Nov 2, 2024