What Makes This Extraordinary

For 3-4 dedicated creative practitioners (photographers welcome, but so are artists, scientists, and anyone pursuing meaningful work), this seminar offers something rare: intensive, personalized, and collaborative mentorship that adapts to your evolving needs. Think of it as climbing onto a trapeze with a safety net. There will be trepidation, falls, recoveries, and fresh attempts, all within an ongoing dialogue about sustaining a creative vision and bringing it to fruition.

Photography and teaching have been the twin threads of my life’s work. Together, they have given me a way to think through the day-to-day—to wonder about what we share, and why we don’t, and what can come out of bearing witness. Through the camera and in the company of fellow inquirers, I have learned that making art (and especially photography) is not just about expressing and seeing, but about understanding; not just about technique, but about discovering meaning, through beauty, in the joyous and the difficult alike. This seminar grows from that conviction: that any creative endeavor (and especially photography), pursued with intention, becomes a practice of both craft and conscience.Program Overview

The Journey

• Four remote sessions (2-3 hours each): October, December, April, June
• Two in-person 3-day intensives: Late January and mid-September 2027 (Sewanee, Ottawa, or Europe)
• Regular check-ins between sessions
• Continuous access to guidance and feedback

Through the seminar, you will develop a significant body of work, discover your methodology, explore territories of meaning, and build relationships that sustain your practice long after our year together.

About the Facilitator

Pradip Malde is the Samuel R. Williamson Distinguished University Chair and Professor of Art at The University of the South (Sewanee), where he has taught photography for over three decades. His work, including the major project “From Where Loss Comes,” has been exhibited and collected internationally. A 2018 Guggenheim Fellow, Pradip has guided photographers and artists working in other media at all levels through sustained creative development. He teaches workshops internationally and brings decades of experience in both the technical craft and the philosophical dimensions of photographic and creative practice.

The Details

Individual Project Focus: Each participant will define and pursue a feasible project throughout the year. While we gather as a group, the heart of the seminar is your work and your creative inquiry. 

Iterative Mentorship: This is not a linear A-then-B-then-C progression. Instead, we work through cycles of making, reflection, critique, and revision—constantly returning to your core intentions with fresh insight. 

Sustained Dialogue: Between sessions, you will have access to me for questions, guidance, and feedback as your work develops. This structure keeps us fully engaged in the progression of your project. 

Community of Practice: Working alongside others generates both challenge and support. The small cohort size ensures meaningful, supportive relationships and substantive engagement with each other’s work.

Where We Are Headed

Develop a significant body of work. Over the year, you will create a substantial project driven by your specific intentions and questions. This is work you’re genuinely excited about—work that matters to you, and by extension to all in the group (not I, but I and I). 

Discover and refine your methodology. Through making, discourse, and reflection, you will gain clarity about how you work best—your approach to making, discerning, theme development, and gleaning insight, for instance. This self-knowledge will serve your practice long after the seminar. You become your own best guide. 

Explore territories of meaning. You will develop your capacity to understand what animates your work and to articulate these intentions to yourself and others. This includes exploring the momentum of your past work and the cultural contexts that shape and are shaped by your project. 

Build relationships that sustain practice. The small cohort and intensive engagement create connections that continue supporting and challenging your work beyond the seminar year. Art is life.

How We Get There

The Seminar runs from October 2026 to September 2027.

Session I – Remote

Introduction and Intentions
Date: October, 2026
Format: 2-3 hour Zoom meeting 

Define your project for the year, establish working relationships, clarify core intentions and questions, and set initial goals and milestones.

Between sessions: Begin project work; make initial experiments or test pieces.

Session II – Remote

Early Development
Date: December, 2026
Format: 2-3 hour Zoom meeting 

First substantial critique of new work. Discuss methodological approaches, problem-solve challenges, and refine direction based on what’s working.

Between sessions: Continue making work. Begin sharing images via a secure online portfolio. Written reflection (2 pages): What’s surprising you? What’s harder than expected?

Session III – In-Person

Deepening Practice
Dates: late January, 2027
Location: Sewanee, Tennessee, or Ottawa, Canada, or Europe (location confirmed at the start of the seminar)
Format: 3-day intensive 

Day 1: Extended individual critiques (90 min each), one-on-one consultations, and evening group discussion.
Day 2: Hands-on exploration of materials and process; how materials carry meaning; working time with guidance.
Day 3: Cultural context and audience; planning path to completion; group reflection on shared learning.

Between sessions: Push your project further. Consultation available as needed.

Session IV – Remote

Momentum and Revision
Date: early April, 2027
Format: 2-3 hour Zoom meeting 

Assess progress and redirect as needed. Deep critique of work made since Session III. Individual guidance on completing the project; discuss what completion means for your specific practice.

Between sessions: Push toward completion. Regular email updates encouraged.

Session V – Remote

Refinement and Articulation
Date: June, 2027
Format: 2-3 hour Zoom meeting 

Near-final critique. Editing, sequencing, and presentation decisions. Individual consultation on finalizing work; discuss how you will share the work beyond the seminar.

Between sessions: Complete and refine your project. Written reflection (2 pages): What have you discovered about your practice?

Session VI – In-Person

Capstone: Completion and Continuity
Dates: mid-September, 2027
Location: Same as Session III
Format: 3-day intensive 

Day 1: Presentation preparation; individual work sessions with facilitator; finalize editing and sequencing.
Day 2: Each participant presents a completed project (45 min); group discussion and response; reflection on the year’s journey.
Day 3: Final thoughts on what this year has meant; sustaining practice and connections; planning for continued community; celebration.

Check-In Meetings

Between each main session, you will have a one-on-one check-in meeting with the facilitator (30-35 minutes, no set agenda). These are flexible, participant-driven conversations to maintain momentum, troubleshoot challenges, and deepen your thinking between group sessions. Dates are scheduled individually based on your availability.

Notes

• Remote sessions will be held in the evening to accommodate working schedules. Final time confirmed with group preference.
• In-person sessions run Tuesday through Thursday to facilitate travel.
• A secure online portfolio space will be provided for ongoing image sharing among participants.
• Public presentation is not required; the focus is on sharing work within our committed community. Opportunities for broader exhibition or publication will be discussed case-by-case as appropriate to your work.

Is This For You?

This seminar is for photographers (but may include other creative practitioners) who: 

Have a Project in Mind— This could be a continuation of past work, a new direction, or an investigation you’ve been putting off. You don’t need it fully formed, but you should have a sense of what you want to explore this year.

Want Intensive Mentorship—You’re seeking sustained guidance from someone who can challenge and support your development. You value expert counsel on your specific work rather than general instruction. 

Can Commit the Time—This requires real commitment: regular making between sessions, participation in all sessions, and engagement with the reflective process. You’re willing to be accountable to your goals. 

Bring Some Foundation—You should be comfortable with fundamental photographic practices. This doesn’t mean mastery of everything, but you need enough technical foundation to focus on meaning-making rather than basic technique. 

Value Community—While the mentorship is personalized, you will work within a small group. You should be willing to offer generous critiques to others and be open to their perspectives on your work. 

Seek Depth—You’re not looking for quick answers or formulas. You want to understand your work more deeply—to discover what drives it and how to realize its potential more fully.

Take a look at the Frequently Asked Questions list.

Ready to Apply?

I’m looking for participants at various career stages who are genuinely committed to a year of focused development. Rather than gatekeeping through restrictive criteria, I’m interested in your intentions, your seriousness, and the fit between your goals and what this seminar can offer. 

What to Submit

1. Portfolio (15-20 images, in any digital format, between 2 and 5 megapixels each): Recent work that represents where you are now. This doesn’t need to be perfect or complete—I want to see what you’re working with. 
2. Statement of Intent (1-2 pages): Why this seminar? Why now? What do you hope intensive mentorship will help you understand or accomplish?  What do you want to work on this year? What questions or concerns animate this work? What do you hope to discover or achieve? 
3. Brief Background (1 page): Tell me about your photographic journey. How long have you been working seriously? What have you done? What’s your technical comfort level? Have you shown work, taught, or collaborated? 
4. Location: A preference for the in-person sessions (Sewanee, Tennessee, Ottawa, Canada, or Europe). List only the locations you wish to go to in order of preference.

How to Submit

Collect all three parts of the submission material (portfolio, statement of intent, and brief background) into a folder—this is just to make the next steps easier. Have your Location (see above) preference on hand. When ready (if these links do not work, please either switch off pop-ups in Safari or try another browser):

1. Text: submit all the text here with responses to a brief questionnaire (your name, contact information, and in-person session location preferences). I am sorry that you will be required to use a Google email address – this helps me verify applications. 
2. Images: go to this submission link, and title the upload with your first and last name so that I can keep track of what you send. Then select and drag each of the files (not the folder) into the upload window. Click “Done with my uploads.” That’s it. 
3. Look out for a confirmation email.

Interview

A shortlist of candidates will be interviewed. We’ll have a conversation (no longer than 45 minutes via Zoom) about your work, your goals, and whether this seminar is the right fit for both of us. This is as much about you evaluating whether this structure and approach will work for you as it is about you being suited to this seminar format.

Practical Considerations

There is no application fee. 

Program Fee: $6,500 total tutorial fee

Non-refundable deposit: $250 due within two weeks of acceptance

The total tutorial fee is 6,500 USD. A non-refundable deposit of 250 USD is required within two weeks of being accepted as a participant. This deposit secures your place in the program and is applied toward the total fee.

After the deposit is paid, the remaining balance is 6,250 USD. Participants may choose from three different payment options for this balance.

• The first option is to pay the full remaining balance of 6,250 USD in a single installment due by the first session.
• The second option is to divide the 6,250 USD balance into two payments, each rounded to the nearest 25 USD. Under this plan, you will make two payments of 3,225 USD each, with one payment due by Session I and the second payment due by Session IV.
• The third option is to divide the 6,250 USD balance into six payments, each rounded to the nearest 25 USD. Under this plan, you will make six payments of 1,100 USD each, with one payment due at the start of each session.

Fees may be paid by check, electronic banking, or credit card via information provided in the admission documents.

Cancellation Policy

Deposit ($250):

• Non-refundable under all circumstances once paid

Balance:

• If you need to withdraw from the seminar after paying any portion of the balance, refunds will be prorated based on remaining sessions minus one session
• Each session is valued at $1,041.67 (calculated as $6,250 ÷ 6 sessions)
• Example: If you paid the full amount ($6,500) by Session I and withdraw after Session II, you would receive a refund for 3 sessions: 3 × $1,041.67 = $3,125
• Example: If you selected the six-installment payment plan and withdraw after Session II, you would owe payment for Session III (the “minus one session”). You would have paid $250 deposit + $1,100 (Session I) + $1,100 (Session II) = $2,450, and would owe an additional $1,100 for Session III, totaling $3,550 paid with no refund

Why This Policy

The non-refundable deposit secures your place in this intimate seminar and allows us to turn away other qualified applicants who would have committed to the full year. Once the cohort is formed, we design the year’s trajectory around the specific participants, their projects, and their working relationships with one another.

The prorated refund structure for the balance reflects that each session builds on previous work and contributes to the development of all participants. If you withdraw, you receive credit for sessions not yet experienced, minus one session to account for the disruption to the cohort’s continuity and the administrative costs of restructuring. This approach balances fairness to you with the reality that your departure affects the entire group’s experience, which has been carefully calibrated for the specific number of participants.

Additional Terms:

Kozo Press LLC will not be responsible for travel expenses incurred for in-person sessions if you withdraw or if personal circumstances prevent your attendance 

All withdrawal requests must be submitted in writing via email

Seminar participation is non-transferable to another person or future program offering

In the event that enrollment does not reach the minimum cohort size, all payments including the deposit will be refunded in full. If Kozo Press must cancel the seminar after it has begun, refunds will be prorated based on the number of remaining sessions

Timeline

Application Deadline: May 1, 2026.
Interviews: June 2-7, 2026.
Acceptance Decisions: by July 1, 2026.
Program Begins: October 5, 2026.