Get Lost in Palermo
Photography Workshop
2-7 September 2026
With Mimi Mollica and Guest Tutor Aaron Schuman
An intensive six-day photography workshop in Sicily with Mimi Mollica and guest tutor Aaron Schuman.
Street shooting, daily critiques, group and individual reviews, and a hand-produced zine.
Workshop overview & philosophy
Get Lost in Palermo is an intensive six-day photography workshop held annually in Palermo, Sicily. Since 2021, it has brought together a carefully selected cohort of serious amateur and emerging professional photographers to work intensively with guest tutors of international standing — including Martin Parr, Bruce Gilden, and Amber Terranova.
The 2026 edition introduces Aaron Schuman as guest tutor, alongside workshop director Mimi Mollica. With a cohort of 8–10 participants, the programme places full focus on photographic practice, editorial thinking, and the production of a handmade zine.
The "Get Lost" framework
The title is a provocation, not a promise. Getting lost is the methodology. Each day carries a brief, not to constrain, but to focus attention and develop specific abilities in observing, capturing and creating a visual narrative. Participants are assigned different areas of the city so that the group's collective gaze covers Palermo in all its complexity: the baroque and the brutalist, the multi-cultural essence of the city, the still and the relentlessly alive. Every evening, those individual trajectories are brought back together and discussed as a group.
A word from Mimì
Above all, like the other activities I run, such as the Sicily Photo Masterclass and the Offspring Photo Meet, my goal is to create a bond with great people, based on a shared passion and shared values. Fun is crucial to act as a connecting glue. We will work intensively and focus on our storytelling abilities, and when in the evening we get together for drinks and meals, the discussions on photography, friendship and more, carry on in bars and trattorias, on the side of a busy street, surrounded by the charming character of Palermo. Over the years, I have built and supported a growing bunch of friends, facilitated connections and informally extended my mentoring to offer my continued commitment towards the photographers that trust me with their work.
Early bird: £1,200 until 20 June · Full price £1,350 · Alumni rate £1,150
Sharpen your observation and visual instincts
Learn to build and sustain a photographic narrative
Strengthen your editing and sequencing skills
Develop a new body of work, shot entirely on location in Palermo
Push beyond your comfort zone and rediscover the pleasure of making photographs
Learn to approach strangers and photograph people with confidence
Have your work critically assessed in group and individual sessions by practising professionals
Gain a deeper understanding of how a place can be read and interpreted photographically
Collaborate on and contribute to a collectively produced zine
Make new friends with whom you can work and have fun at the same time
Immerse yourself in the culture, history, and energy of one of Europe's most compelling cities
Previous Editions
2021 Bruce Gilden
2022 Amber Terranova
2023 Martin Parr
THE WORKSHOP
Hands On Shooting
Every day brings a fresh thematic challenge. You will push your creative limits to produce new photographic work while discovering the vibrant, layered reality of Palermo first-hand.
Group Critiques
Every evening, the group comes together to review the day's work, build sequences, and discuss each other's choices.
One-To-One Sessions
Individual sessions with Mimi on your ongoing work — not just what you shoot in Palermo, but where your practice is heading.
The Zine
A hand-produced zine of the week's work, designed and printed by the Eglise collective. Yours to keep, free of charge.
THE TUTORS
Mimi Mollica
Workshop Director and Main TutorMIMI MOLLICA (b. 1975, Palermo) is a Sicilian-born, London-based photographer and educator known for socially engaged documentary work and atmospheric storytelling. His practice explores the intersections of identity and environment, ranging from the award-winning monograph Terra Nostra (Dewi Lewis, 2017), a poetic study of the Mafia’s imprint on Sicily, to his latest book, Moon City (Dewi Lewis, 2025). The latter, captured via telescope and mobile phone, offers a "fever-dream" critique of London’s urban alienation.
Mollica’s work is published globally in outlets such as The Guardian, The New York Times, and FT Weekend, and exhibited internationally from Somerset House to New York. A central figure in the photography community, he founded Offspring Photo Meet in 2015 and the Sicily Photo Masterclass in 2018. He is an Associate Lecturer at London Metropolitan University, where he mentors photographers on long-term visual narratives.
Aaron Schuman
AARON SCHUMAN is a photographer, writer, curator, and educator based in the United Kingdom. He is the author of several critically acclaimed photobooks – including "Passacör" (Witty Books, 2025), "Sonata" (MACK, 2022), "Slant" (MACK, 2019) and "Folk" (NB, 2016). Schuman has contributed essays, interviews, texts and photographs to many other books, catalogues and monographs, including "Aperture Conversations: 1985 to the Present" (Aperture), "Another Kind of Life: Photography on the Margins" (Barbican), "Alec Soth: Gathered Leaves" (MACK), "Storyteller: The Photographs of Duane Michals" (Carnegie Museum), "On the Verge" (Void), "The Photographer's Playbook" (Aperture), and many more. He regularly writes for publications and platforms such as Aperture, Frieze, Foam, ArtReview, TIME, Magnum Photos, 1000Words, and the British Journal of Photography. Schuman has curated several major international festivals, including JaipurPhoto, Krakow Photomonth, and Fotofest Biennial, as well as exhibitions for institutions such as FOMU: Fotomuseum Antwerp, Houston Center of Photography, and the Royal Photographic Society. He is Associate Professor of Photography & Visual Culture at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol).
Guest TutorAlumni Testimonials
'' Spending time under the guidance of Mimi was an outstanding experience. Aside from his truly unique and contagiously comical personality, he is someone who has the rare ability to inspire confidence in the photographers he works with. Alongside an extensive knowledge of the medium, both technically and historically, he was able to lend his eye to a broad range of photographic themes and styles”
Timon Benson - SPM 26 Alumno“Mimi will see in you what you cannot see in yourself. He will understand your work before you do. With that knowledge, he will point you in the right direction(s) and give you the courage to take on the world”
Ben Paul - SPM 26 Alumno“I have received Mimi's advice thanks to the Royal Photographic Society Documentary Photography award, and his support has been a driving force at a moment when I was feeling slightly doubtful about the new project I was working on. Mimi has been invaluable in offering me opportunities on how to further promote my work, bringing it in front of the photo editors and other photographic industry experts.”
Alisa Martinova - Former Mentee“Mimi manages to effectively balance honest feedback and constructive criticism with enthusiastic encouragement in his own unique way ”…” These experiences contributed greatly to me becoming a professional photographer and I will never forget them.”
David Fletcher - Workshop Alumno“Few people are more enthusiastic about and genuinely determined to bring fellow creatives together than Mimi Mollica. That’s something even my earliest memory of meeting him — at Peckham24, surrounded by young and established image-makers, he couldn’t help but introduce to one another between art talk and laughter — confirms. Not just a visionary photographer, Mimi serves as a social glue in a city and a moment in time where getting to know and feeling connected to like-minded people can feel especially hard. As a mentor to me, he has been incredibly supportive since day one, seamlessly balancing sharing constructive feedback, helping me think harder about my work, and spontaneous moments of admiration and awe. Working with him ahead of as well as during the latest edition of the Sicily Photo Masterclass taught me a lot, not just strictly in relation to photography — understanding what images are your images, finding your narrative and letting it inform your sequencing, granting your projects the time and patience necessary for them to take you on a journey and do the same with others — but also about what it takes to be a good host and make everyone feel comfortable about sharing their work and more. This is something he demonstrates widely in his dedication to grassroots photography platform Photo Meet, as well as in the plethora of talks, photo review sessions and awards he chairs and supports throughout the year. I feel grateful to call him a teacher, a fellow photographer and a friend.”
Gilda Bruno - Masterclass Alumna 2026''Working with Mimi was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had as a photographer. He has a rare ability to challenge your way of seeing while making you feel completely supported throughout the process. His feedback was incredibly insightful and genuinely changed my perspective on photography, helping me understand much more clearly what I want to say with my work.
Mimi’s passion for photography is contagious. You leave inspired, challenged, and seeing the world differently.
Beyond being an exceptional teacher, Mimi is simply a wonderful person. He’s generous with his time and knowledge, endlessly encouraging, and so much fun to be around. You can see how deeply he loves what he does, and that enthusiasm makes every conversation and every critique a joy.
I left with stronger photographs, a clearer artistic direction, and renewed confidence in my work. I couldn’t recommend learning from Mimi more highly, and I can’t wait to work with him again.”
Elene Miminoshvili - SPM 26 Alumna''Mimi creates an environment where it feels genuinely safe to be vulnerable with your work. I was able to share deeply personal projects with him, and his honesty and generosity helped me understand my practice in ways I couldn’t have reached on my own. His feedback is thoughtful, perceptive and always rooted in care. In an industry that can often feel intimidating, Mimi reminds you of why you started making art in the first place. Working with him has been an absolute privilege, and I miss him dearly. ”
Sapphire Stewart - SPM 26 AlumnaPricing & Booking
Arrivals Sept 1st / Workshop runs Sept 2nd to 7th (6+ days)
Early Bird
£1,200
Until June 20th
Full Price
£1,350
Alumni
£1,150
‘21 to ’23 PPW
3-instalment payment plan
£600 deposit on acceptance · £400 on 15 July · balance on 15 August. Tuition only — accommodation and flights not included.