Camera Ministry: Lens-based Encounters

Camera Ministry: Lens-based Encounters is an intensive weekend workshop on lens-based storytelling, held at the UnionDocs Center for Documentary Art in Ridgewood. It is led by New York-based photographer and filmmaker Khalik Allah, who unpacks his singular approach to image-making and his concept of the 'Camera Ministry', treating the camera as both a technological object and a spiritual instrument. Participants explore how a camera can become a means of presence, connection and encounter rather than mere observation, considering the roles of intuition, trust and vulnerability in making an image, and can share their own work in feedback sessions. Guest artists include filmmaker and cinematographer Shevaun Mizrahi, discussing her move from cinematography to directing, and hip-hop photographer and cultural archivist Jamil GS, reflecting on photography as cultural memory.