The Photographer’s Trifecta: Intention, Expression, and Articulation with Aline Smithson (In-person Learning – Five Sessions – San Diego, CA)
- Sunday (orientation)
March 22, 2026
2:00 pm - 4:00 pm - Monday (workshop)
March 23, 2026
9:00 am - 4:00 pm - Tuesday (workshop)
March 24, 2026
9:00 am - 4:00 pm - Wednesday (workshop)
March 25, 2026
9:00 am - 4:00 pm - Thursday (workshop)
March 26, 2026
9:00 am - 4:00 pm - Friday (workshop)
March 27, 2026
9:00 am - 12:00 pm - Friday (An Afternoon in the Park)
March 27, 2026
4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
A Phot0-Immersive Retreat Workshop in San Diego, CA
Today’s fine art photography market asks for more than beautiful, well-crafted images. Curators, gallerists and editors are looking for work created with intention and/or work focused around an idea or concept.
Limited to 12 students.
Tuition: $3,195 Non-Members; $3,095 Members; (Become a Member and save!)
Included with tuition:
• Opening reception/mixer on Sunday, March 22
• An Afternoon in the Park closing reception/slideshow on Friday, March 27
• Classroom rental/location in Balboa Park
• Instructor and course assistant(s)
• Morning coffee/pastries and lunch on all five workshop days, March 23-27
• One group dinner (date TBD)
• One group mixer / portfolio night (date TBD)
• One guided curator walk-through (date TBD)
Not included with tuition:
• Airfare (if applicable)
• Lodging accommodations (if applicable)
• All transportation, including to and from workshop location in San Diego (if applicable)

© Photo by Aline Smithson
About
In-person Learning
Today’s fine art photography market asks for more than beautiful, well-crafted images. Curators, gallerists and editors are looking for work created with intention and/or work focused around an idea or concept. In addition, they are looking for photographers who can not only articulate their images and projects, but reinterpret the world with intelligence and thoughtful analysis, whether it be work made close to home or in regions undiscovered.
Join Aline Smithson for a workshop designed to help photographers create focused projects and the articulation that surrounds the work. Participants will be exposed to genres of contemporary photography, projects created around ideas, and projects that tell personal stories. Photographic and written assignments will be given, and participation is a critical part of the learning curve. Aline will speak about presenting work to the fine art market and will share all aspects of the photo journey from concept to installation. Ultimately, the workshop will inspire participants to reconsider how they make work, how they interpret their lives and their world, and by bringing depth and meaning to their efforts.
This course is strictly limited to 12 students.
PAYMENT AND REFUND POLICY
A $500 deposit is required to reserve space in the workshop (you may also elect to pay the tuition in full). The balance is due three months prior to the start date. Refund requests arriving four months or greater prior the start date will result in a $50 administrative fee. Refund requests arriving three to four months prior to the start date will result in loss of deposit or $500. Refund requests arriving two to three months prior to the start date will result in a 50% loss of the workshop fee. No refunds will be provided for requests arriving less than two months prior to the start date. All refund requests must be submitted in writing via email to info@lacphoto.org.
Aline Smithson is a visual artist, educator, and editor based in Los Angeles, California. Best known for her conceptual portraiture and a practice that uses humor and pathos to explore the performative potential of photography. Growing up in the shadow of Hollywood, her work is influenced by the elevated unreal. She received a BA in art from the University of California at Santa Barbara and was accepted into the College of Creative Studies, studying under artists such as William Wegman, Allen Ruppersburg, and Charles Garabian. After a decade-long career as a New York Fashion Editor, Aline returned to Los Angeles and to her own artistic practice.
She has exhibited widely including over 40 solo shows at institutions such as the Griffin Museum of Photography,the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the Fort Collins Museum of Contemporary Art, the San Jose Art Museum, the Shanghai, Lishui, and Pingyqo Festivals in China, The Rayko Photo Center in San Francisco, the Center of Fine Art Photography in Colorado, the Tagomago Gallery in Barcelona and Paris, and the Verve Gallery in Santa Fe. In addition, her work is held in a number of public collections and her photographs have been featured in publications including The New York Times, The New Yorker, PDN, Communication Arts, Eyemazing, Real Simple, Los Angeles, Visura, Shots, Pozytyw, and Silvershotz magazines.
In 2007, Aline founded LENSCRATCH, a photography journal that celebrates a different contemporary photographer each day. She has been the Gallery Editor for Light Leaks Magazine, a contributing writer for Diffusion, Don’t Take Pictures, Lucida, and F Stop Magazines, has written book reviews for photo-eye, and has provided the forewords for artist’s books by Tom Chambers, Meg Griffiths, Flash Forward 12, Robert Rutoed, Nancy Baron, among others. Aline has curated and jurored exhibitions for a number of galleries, organizations, and on-line magazines, including Review Santa Fe, Critical Mass, Flash Forward, and the Griffin Museum. In addition, she is a reviewer and educator at many photo festivals across the United States. Aline has been teaching at the Los Angeles Center of Photography since 2001.
Details
- Five Sessions
- Date: Sunday, March 22, 2 – 4 pm PST (Orientation), Monday through Thursday, March 23-26, 9 am – 4 pm PST + Friday, March 27, 9 am – 12 pm PST
- Enrollment Limit 12 participants
- Skill/Experience Level: Open to all levels of fine photographers
- Tuition: $3,195 Non-Members; $3,095 Members; (Become a Member and save!)
- Location: San Diego – Balboa Park, Museum of Photographic Arts