Upcoming Studio Labs

Brighton:

A City of Edges

A Documentary Photography

Studio Lab

A hybrid four-month studio lab for photographers ready to give serious time and structure to their projects.
Through in-person Brighton weekends, online sessions and guest practitioners, you’ll build a more intentional body of work—supported by critical dialogue and peer community.

Applications closed

The Lab is intentionally small to maintain depth of discussion and meaningful feedback.
Fees are outlined below, with payment plans available. Request the info pack or a 15-minute chat.

Brighton’s shifting edges, between sea and land, calm and storm, set the tone for a Lab shaped by transition, depth and place. This restless, generous energy sits at the heart of this edition of It’s Personal, offering a way into questions of belonging, memory and the stories we carry.

Through sustained feedback, editing, conversation and peer exchange, each participant will be supported in developing a stronger, more cohesive body of work. Brighton becomes not just a location, but a lens: a way of looking more closely at your own relationship to place, belonging and story.

YOUR STORY.

YOUR VOICE.

YOUR TIME.

  • The Lab is led throughout by Laura El-Tantawy, who guides the process across the full programme through critique, conversation, editing and sustained support. Guest practitioners join across the Brighton weekends to offer additional perspectives.

  • A small cohort (6–8) offering critique and shared growth.

  • Four Brighton weekends and online development sessions.

  • A strong, more fully realised body of work, developed with enough depth and clarity to move towards exhibition or publication. The lab culminates in a group exhibition at POST Creatives and an online publication designed by Sybren Kuiper.

What You’ll Walk Away With

At a Glance

Duration

  • May-August 2026

  • Accepting 6-8 participants

Studio Rhythm

  • Online support: 8 group sessions and interim feedback

  • In-person sessions: 4 weekends at POST Creatives, Brighton, featuring guest talks

  • Hands-on workshops during Brighton Weekenders (May 23-24 / June 6-7 / July 18-19 / August 22-23

Fees

  • £2,400 (£2,300 early rate before May 5)

  • Payment Plan: Spread over 5 instalments

  • Brighton Lab Weekender
    Full weekend £400
    Single day £200

  • One reduced-fee place may be available. Enquire via the form below

  • Special rate for POST members

Outcomes

  • A small, serious, high-touch programme designed to give your work depth, structure and momentum

  • Final group exhibition at POST Creatives

  • Inclusion in a digital publication designed by -SYB-

Guest Sessions: Brighton Weekender

May 23 • The Image Afterlife

Exploring how photographic work moves beyond the edit into exhibition, funding and public life. Photo © Nina Emett

With Nina Emett

May 24 • Photographing People with Care

With Jessica van der Weert

Portraiture, collaboration and exploring presence, connection, trust and the space created between photographer and subject. Photo © Jessica van der Weert

July 18 • From Edit to Book

With Harry Hardie

Exploring sequencing, bookmaking and process, focused on structure, rhythm and how a body of work begins to take shape as a form in itself.

August 22 • Landscape & Place

With Simon Roberts

Working close to home: attention, patience and the stories within familiar landscapes, with a focus on how personal perspective shapes what emerges from a place over time. Photo © Simon Roberts

Who This Lab Is For

Photographers ready to commit more deeply to a body of work.

You may already be immersed in a project that needs structure, editing and direction. Or you may be at the beginning of something new and looking for a framework that will help you move with greater clarity and intention.

You might join because you are looking for:

  • momentum and accountability in your practice

  • rigorous, thoughtful critique

  • support in shaping a more cohesive body of work

  • a small, committed peer group engaged in serious photographic practice

You do not need to be a professional photographer. What matters most is commitment to the work, openness to dialogue and a readiness to be challenged, supported and changed by the process

Participant Reflections

  • “She knows photography and gives feedback that is both sensitive and direct. She is also incredibly perceptive, both visually and for what lies behind the photograph. As a mentor, she leads from behind and helps you uncover your voice and your story.”

    — Bob Farese, Jr., mentored through the making & publication of his first book

  • "I was immediately impressed by Laura's work, her sensitivity to her subject matter and her ability to translate the ephemeral and intangible into compelling visual imagery. Her capacity to swiftly grasp the essence of the series and her empathy, with me as a human being and my work in its own right, were invaluable to my process of evolving the project."

    —Julia Neal, participant in one-to-one online mentorship

  • “Laura is patient, constructive, considerate and critical in just the right way, fostering confidence, not despair. The workshop was a useful, inspiring and genuinely collaborative experience which helped me organise, value and reconsider my own book project with a fresh pair of eyes.”

    — Sam Anthony, participant, On Making Books, The Photographers’ Gallery, London

Got questions? You’ll find many of them answered here. And if not, you’re always welcome to get in touch.

  • The Lab is best suited to photographers who are ready to give sustained attention to a body of work. It is for those looking for structure, critique, momentum and a serious but supportive space in which to develop their practice.

  • Yes. You do not need to be based in Brighton to take part, though you will need to be able to travel to the in-person weekends at POST Creatives. The online sessions are designed to support the work between those weekends.

  • You do not need to be a professional photographer or have an established career. What matters most is commitment to the work, openness to dialogue and a readiness to engage seriously with the process.

  • This will vary depending on your project, but you should expect to spend regular time developing, reflecting on and preparing work between sessions. The Lab is designed for those able to make space for their practice over the four months.

  • Yes, payment plans are available for the full Lab. One reduced-fee place may also be available, depending on need, so please enquire if cost would otherwise be a barrier.

  • By the end of the Lab, you will have developed a stronger and more cohesive body of work, shaped through critique, editing and sustained support. Participants will also contribute to a final exhibition at POST Creatives and be included in a digital publication.

  • The full Lab offers the complete four-month experience, including all Brighton weekends, online sessions, peer exchange and final outcomes. The Brighton Weekenders offer a more flexible way to join selected in-person sessions depending on where you are in your practice, without committing to the full programme.

  • The in-person weekends form the heartbeat of the Lab. They are immersive working sessions built around critique, conversation, mentoring and guest-led input, with time spent developing projects together in a focused, hands-on studio environment.

    Evenings are more informal, with optional social time designed to help participants connect and experience the city itself through shared meals, cultural outings or time spent together in Brighton beyond the studio. Together, the weekends balance focused creative work with space for reflection, exchange and community.

  • You can apply or request an information pack using the link on this page. Once your enquiry is received, you will hear from me directly with the next steps and any additional details needed.