Reclaiming the Self — Self-Portrait as Healing Practice

This 2 day photography workshop is inspired by the work of Daniela Torres, whose self-portraits explore vulnerability, identity, and the body as a site of transformation. Rooted in contemporary feminist photography, it invites participants to engage with self-portraiture as both an artistic practice and a process of self-reflection.

Participants will work primarily with photography, using the camera as a tool to move beyond surface representation and toward a more personal, embodied visual language. Through guided exercises, they will explore themes such as memory, emotional states, and the relationship between body and environment. Emphasis will be placed on working with natural light, minimal settings, and elemental materials to create images that feel intimate, intentional, and self-authored.

For those interested, video can be introduced as an optional extension of the photographic process. Simple moving-image exercises—such as recording gestures, stillness, or repetitive actions—will allow participants to explore how time, duration, and movement can deepen or shift the meaning of their self-portraits. No prior experience with video is required.

Group discussions and feedback sessions will address questions of gaze, authorship, and how we construct and reclaim our own image.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a small body of photographic self-portraits, with the option of incorporating a short video piece, and a deeper understanding of image-making as a form of personal narrative, exploration, and creative agency.

Suitable for: photographers, artists, and beginners interested in personal storytelling and conceptual image-making. Any gender is welcome!

Format: practical sessions, guided exercises, and group critique.

Analogue, digital, polaroid / indoor or outdoor shoots are on one's own preference.

Participants can use the studio by prior arrangement and should bring their own cameras, materials, and props for shoots.

This workshop takes place at the artist’s studio in Alt-Moabit with a maximum capacity of 6 participants per workshop to create a safe and intimate environment.

Paulstr. 34

10553, Berlin

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Host or Publisher Daniela Torres