Year programme in photography, Nijmegen 2026-2027
With Roy Soetekouw and Michiel Heijmans
You have been making photographs for a while. You know how your camera works. You have taken workshops, watched videos, perhaps even read books. And still you have the feeling something is missing. That your images are good, but not really your images. That you photograph, but do not quite know what you want to say.
Then this year programme is for you.
More than pressing a button
You do not learn photography in an afternoon. You learn it by doing, reflecting, doing again, and then once more. By asking yourself what you want to show, not only how. By looking at your own work with honest eyes, and hearing from others what they see.
In this year programme in Nijmegen we work together for a full year: nine lessons, two peer review rounds and a joint exhibition. Not separate workshops where you start over each time. A continuous programme, in which you slowly but surely build something that is yours.
We are aimed at photographers who want to go a step further. Who value context. Who want not only to make good images but to understand what those images say, and why.
What makes this different?
There are plenty of photography courses. In Nijmegen, in the region, online. But this is not a course. This is a programme.
The difference? You work on your own project for a whole year. Not on separate assignments you forget after the lesson, but on a personal body of work you can be proud of at the end of the year. You develop an artist statement, a text that explains who you are as a photographer and what you want to tell. And you close the year with a real exhibition.
On top of that:
Guest teachers, twice. We invite interesting photographers who can add depth and inspiration at that point in the programme. Someone from outside who sharpens your eye.
Work reviews based on printed work. Not on a screen, but on paper. Printed. That is a different thing. It forces you to make deliberate choices.
Optional feedback conversations. Twice a year you can sign up for a personal conversation with Roy and/or Michiel about your progress. Not compulsory, but valuable.
Peer review in small groups. Twice a year you discuss your own work in a small group (without us, with a checklist). That may sound daunting, but it gives you more than you would think. You learn to look and to put it into words.
Roy Soetekouw and Michiel Heijmans
Roy Soetekouw trained at the Fotoacademie in Amsterdam and is a well-known name in the Nijmegen photography scene. He founded PHOC and has guided more than 1,000 photographers on their way. Roy is a portrait photographer and works with posed images; every photo is made with care. His conviction: everything is interesting enough to photograph, what matters is the context you place it in.
Michiel Heijmans guides photographers through workshops, talks and mentoring programmes and has written three books about photography. He works conceptually: from a key word, an idea, a question. Technique is a means. Context is the aim.
Together they bring two perspectives and two ways of looking. Between them there is all the room you need to find your own way.
The programme
June 2026 - The start
We begin with the question most photographers are not used to asking themselves: what do I actually want to learn? Not what do I want to photograph, but what do I want to learn. That is a different thing.
In the first session we sharpen expectations. You formulate concrete learning goals for yourself, things you want to be able to do or understand better after this year. We introduce the work review checklist, a tool that stays with you all year and with which you learn to look at and discuss work, your own and other people’s, in a structured way.
July 2026 - Focus and speed
You can focus on one variable. That is easier said than done. In this session we work on it actively: making images around one theme or element within ten minutes. Not perfect, but focused.
We also form small groups of three. Those groups play a part all year, for peer review, for feedback, for support.
You learn to carry on with what you have, instead of starting over. That is a skill.
August 2026 - Peer review
No lesson in August, but a peer review round. In your group you discuss your work so far. What are you working on? What works? What does not? Together you run through the checklist. This can be at your own location or online.
Peer review without a teacher teaches you two things: discussing work, and listening to how other people look. Both are indispensable.
September 2026 - Camera obscura and personal feedback
One of the most unusual lessons of the year. We dive into the camera obscura and pinhole photography, the most basic form of photographing there is. No autofocus, no histogram, no settings. Light and time.
Why? Because it brings you back to the essential. To what a photograph actually is.
In September there is also the chance to sign up for a personal ten-minute conversation with Roy and/or Michiel about your work and your progress.
October 2026 - The cinematic portrait
Portrait photography through a cinematic lens. How do you tell a story with a portrait? How do you use background, light and composition to give context to the person in front of your lens?
We carry on with what you have. Your ongoing project grows. And as homework: you start on your artist statement. A first version, however rough.
November 2026 - Guest teacher and work review on print
The first guest teacher joins us. Someone from outside, with their own practice and a sharp eye. We discuss work on the basis of prints. No screen. Print.
Looking at printed work is different from looking at a screen. You see different things. You make different choices. And you learn what it means to present work properly.
December 2026 - Second peer review
The second peer review round. Again in your group, at your own location or online. The central question: what do I still need to finish my project? What is missing? What is already done?
January 2027 - Illustrative images
Photography in the service of text. How do you make a photo that fits a headline, a social media post, a story? Illustrative photography is a skill in itself, and one many photographers leave alone, but it teaches you an enormous amount about intention.
February 2027 - The exhibition in sight
We discuss how and what for the exhibition. Which work will you present? How will you hang it? What will you say alongside it?
We also discuss your artist statement. The homework: adjust and sharpen it. And there is room for a conversation about what you will do after the programme. Do you want to carry on? In a different way? We are glad to think along.
March 2027 - Guest teacher 2 and wrapping up
The second guest teacher. Again a work review on print, again a fresh eye from outside. And your artist statement is finished.
In March there is again the chance for a personal ten-minute conversation, on sign-up.
April 2027 - The last session
The last session before the exhibition. We make sure it is a good close to the year you have been through together. Open in setup, tuned to the group. Because what a group needs after a year of working together cannot be filled in beforehand.
Exhibition
The year ends with a joint exhibition. How much work you show depends on your project and your budget. We work towards something that stands. That sums up your year.
What you have at the end of the year
A continuous photographic project, guided from beginning to end
An artist statement: a text that explains who you are as a photographer
Work that is ready to present
Participation in a joint exhibition
A year of feedback, reflection and guidance from two experienced photographers
A network of like-minded photographers in the Nijmegen region
Who is this programme for?
This programme is for photographers who already have a grounding. You do not have to be a professional, but you know how your camera works and you are ready to take a step further.
You are in the right place if you:
Want to work on a project of your own, from beginning to end
Want to understand more of what your photography says, not only how it looks
Are open to critical feedback and honest conversations
Are ready to take part consistently for a year
Live in or near Nijmegen, or are willing to travel there regularly
This programme is not for you if you are right at the beginning with photography, or if you are looking for a single workshop to learn a technique. In that case have a look at the basic course on phoc.nl.
Practical information
Sessions: nine lessons, two peer review rounds and an exhibition
Dates 2026-2027:
Friday morning 30 October 2026
Friday morning 27 November 2026
Friday morning 22 January 2027
Friday morning 26 February 2027
Friday morning 19 March 2027
Friday morning 23 April 2027
Friday morning 21 May 2027
Friday morning 18 June 2027
The lessons take place on Friday mornings from 10.00 to 13.00.
Location: Nijmegen, the Splendorfabriek (Gorterplaats 20)
Cost: € 1,750 per person (including VAT)
Discount: photographers who have previously taken a basic course at PHOC receive a 10% discount.
Signing up: through phoc.nl.
Not sure yet whether this programme suits you? Do send me an email and we will look at it together. Be quick, places are limited.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a particular type of camera? No. You work with what you have. It is not about equipment.
Can I take part if I have no experience with work reviews? Yes. We start in June with the basics. The checklist helps you with that.
What if I miss a lesson? That happens. We then discuss how to keep you as connected as possible. If you miss lessons structurally the programme becomes less useful, and you will hear that from us.
Is the exhibition compulsory? We expect everyone to take part in the exhibition. It is the culmination of the year. How large your contribution is, we agree together.
What exactly is an artist statement? An artist statement is a short text, a paragraph or half a page, in which you explain what drives you as a photographer and what you want to tell with your work. It is not a CV and not a biography. It is a position. We guide you step by step in writing it.
Nijmegen is a city with character. One of the oldest in the Netherlands, with a lively centre, a varied street scene and a rich cultural life. For street photography, portrait photography, documentary photography, there is plenty to find here.
The surroundings offer space too: the river landscape, the Waalbrug, the Ooijpolder close by. For photographers who want to work with context, this is an excellent base.
Ready for a year?
This programme asks something of you. Time, attention, a willingness to look critically at your own work. But it gives something back too: direction, growth, a working project and a group of people who understand what you are doing.
If you are ready to take that step, we would like to hear from you.