“A huge playground”. The first-semester students describe their start as open, diverse and inspiring.
Curious faces, excited voices and first encounters – this is how the first-semester students of the Visual Journalism and Documentary Photography programme at the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Hanover began their studies. A total of 38 students are starting out, two-thirds of them women. Around 60 per cent are beginning their first degree here. The diversity of interests and backgrounds was evident at the welcome event. Many already have initial experience in photography, film or journalism.
Foto: Janek Stempel
Assol (19) from Hanover discovered photography at an early age. She received her first camera when she started school. “Photography has always been part of my life. Even as a child, I used to steal my family’s cameras,” she says. Encounters with photojournalists around her mother had a lasting influence. Her wish now is to further develop her own skills and realise documentary films or photo projects.
Daniel (38) from Leipzig describes his first impression of the university as follows:
“It’s a huge playground. Everything is relaxed and open – very different from my old university.”
After years in PR, he now wants to return to his real interests. “I’ve always loved photography. Now I want to tell stories that are socially relevant.”
His dream: long-term reports that make social grievances visible.
Foto: Janek Stempel
Foto: Janek Stempel
Lowis (21) from Nienburg has already taken photographs as part of a women’s collective in Ecuador. “That’s when I realised that I enjoy telling stories through pictures,” she says. She discovered the programme through her own research and particularly appreciates the open atmosphere:
“On a personal level, everything feels very friendly, and you immediately feel at ease.”
For the future, she hopes to be able to choose topics freely and develop her projects independently.
The introductions of the first-year students demonstrated the breadth of their interests. From political reporting to exploring new media – the coming years offer them the chance to deepen their skills and realise their own projects.
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