One-on-One Photography Mentorship and Editing

A dedicated mentorship accelerates your growth in a way that self-guided learning simply can’t. With more than 30 years of experience as a visual journalist working for publications around the world, I bring insight into the craft, the industry, and the realities of building a long-term career. Working one-on-one with you means every session is tailored to your goals, your pace, and the specific challenges you face, whether you are a professional or an enthusiast.

Instead of spending years navigating the field through trial and error, mentorship provides clear direction, honest feedback, and the perspective needed to move forward. It’s a space to refine your voice and sharpen your visual storytelling. You decide how long you want to work together—whether it’s a short, intensive boost or an ongoing partnership as your work evolves.

What the mentorship can include:

• Personalized guidance to strengthen your photography and visual storytelling
• Editing and sequencing support to shape cohesive bodies of work
• Professional critique and feedback on ongoing or completed projects
• Career development and strategy for building a sustainable practice
• Navigating today’s changing and challenging photography industry
• Contest and award submission editing
• Researching, pitching, and shaping story/project ideas
• Support tailored entirely to your goals, needs, and creative path

€150 per hour*

*Lower prices are available for emerging photographers from developing nations/markets.

SUMMER WORKSHOP SERIES WITH THE HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Saturdays, July 25 - August 13, 2026 (5 sessions)

ONLINE

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This course is designed for photographers and visual journalists who want to strengthen their editing skills and produce more compelling work. Explore how thoughtful editing and sequencing can elevate your projects.

Through guided critiques of works-in-progress and completed essays, participants will learn how to refine narrative flow, expand their visual approach, and avoid common editing pitfalls that weaken stories. Students will be challenged to step outside their comfort zones and broaden their vision.

Emphasis will be placed on creating edits that resonate with editors. Drawing from his extensive experience editing award-winning stories, Michael will break down the process behind effective storytelling, offering tools to help your work stand out in a competitive field—whether for publication, exhibition, or a portfolio.

SUMMER WORKSHOP SERIES WITH THE HOUSTON CENTER FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

June 20 -21, 2026

ONLINE

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Do you wish to develop a new series/project and are struggling to identify good stories or concepts to work on? This workshop is designed for photographers who want to develop stronger, more original story ideas that stand out in an increasingly competitive landscape. The class takes a highly practical, hands-on approach to moving beyond clichés, helping participants pitch work that is compelling to editors, curators, and audiences at large.

Students will learn how to identify underreported visual stories, sharpen their approach, and refine their pitches. We will also discuss the lifecycle of a project, from initial concept to how you will photograph the story. Participants will leave with a well-structured project proposal and a clearer understanding of how to bring an idea from concept to completion.

May 6, 2026 18:00hrs

Leica Store Madrid, Spain

Click the photo to register for the free event!

Mestizo is a profound photographic exploration of the heritage, lineages, history, and identity of the mestizo people of Peru. The project began when Michael Robinson Chávez drew closer to his mother's Peruvian side of the family after his American father drifted away. What started as a personal search for his Latin roots eventually became a visual chronicle spanning more than three decades.

In this Leica Talk, Michael will share how his travels through Peru ignited his passion for photography and helped shape his career as a photojournalist. Far from the pressure of editorial assignments and deadlines, Peru became a territory of creative freedom for him, a place to develop deeply personal work. This approach to photography is also what he now shares with his students in workshops and training programs.

During the talk, in addition to showing photographs taken in Peru as part of the Mestizo project, Michael will present images from significant historical events in more than 70 countries.

March, April, May 2026

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I will be joining a fabulous faculty once again for the legendary Foundry Photojournalism Workshop online. My course will be taught in Spanish but there are course in 12 other languages including Hindi, Farsi, French, Portuguese, English, and Bengali among others.

Go ahead and apply! Full details at the link. Here is the schedule:

March 1st: Welcome event with special presentations

March 2nd to April 25th: Four online sessions comprising three small group classes (no more than eight students per class) and a one-on-one meeting with your teacher. Schedule dependent on Teacher

May 8th-10th: Presentations followed by Q&A, student presentations, awards, portfolio reviews, and social mixers. We’ll learn and then celebrate!