- Portfolio Development Lab
Build the portfolio your work deserves.
Hosted by Aida Muluneh
You Have the Work. Now Build the Portfolio.
6 Limited Seats!
A three-week virtual program for photographers who already have a body of work and are ready to edit, sequence, and present it professionally. Six photographers per cohort. Direct feedback from Aida Muluneh across three live sessions.
- Location: Online
-
Early Bird:
$150$140 - Early Bird Deadline: 6th Sept, 2026
- Instructor: Aida Muluneh
You have spent time making the work. You have images you believe in. But turning those images into a portfolio that communicates clearly to galleries, grant panels, or publications is a different skill — and most photographers have never been taught it. The Portfolio Development Lab is not a photography course. This program is for photographers who already know how to make images and are ready to do something meaningful with them.
Over three weeks, you will work directly with Aida Muluneh in a small group of six photographers. You will examine how your images work together, remove what does not belong, develop a sequence with intention, and leave with a portfolio that is ready to put in front of the people who matter.
Three live virtual sessions, one per week for three consecutive weeks. Maximum six photographers per cohort. Between sessions you revise and prepare for the next one. By the end of the three weeks you have something you can put in front of the people who matter.

Editing and Sequencing
This session is about how your images work together. Opening and closing image, rhythm, flow, and how to build a sequence that holds attention from start to finish

Portfolio Diagnosis and Direction
You present your existing work. Together you identify what it is communicating, where its strengths are, and what needs to change. You leave with your first focused edit and a clear direction.

Final Portfolio and Professional Presentation
Final image selection, project description, PDF and website organisation, and how to introduce your portfolio verbally. You also receive individual recommendations for your next professional steps.
This program is for photographers who have an existing body of work and are ready to do something with it. You might be preparing for a grant application, a festival submission, a gallery approach, or a portfolio review. What matters is that you have one project of approximately 15 to 40 images and can commit to all three sessions and the work between them.
This is not for complete beginners, photographers without an existing body of work, or anyone seeking technical or camera instruction.
What you leave with
A focused and refined portfolio developed from one existing body of work, a considered sequence, a draft project description, guidance on presentation, and individual recommendations for submissions, reviews, and professional outreach.
Three cohorts are available across different time zones.
- Block A
Africa, Middle East and Asia
Tuesdays: 22, 29 September and 6 October | 9:00 - 11:00 AM GMT
- Block B
Africa, Europe and Middle East
Thursdays: 17, 24 September and 1 October | 2:00 - 4:00 PM GMT
- Block C
Africa and the Americas
Saturdays: 19, 26 September and 3 October | 5:00 — 7:00 PM GMT
(Early bird registration ends on the 6th Sept, 2026)
Aïda Muluneh
Aïda Muluneh is an internationally recognized Ethiopian artist, photographer, filmmaker, educator, curator, and cultural architect whose career has been defined by building platforms as much as producing images. Her practice sits at the intersection of visual art, education, cultural diplomacy, and institution building, with more than 18 years of experience creating programs, exhibitions, workshops, festivals, and cross continental initiatives that expand how African visual culture is produced, taught, and circulated. A Canon Ambassador and National Geographic Explorer, she has developed a body of work and a public career that position her as one of the leading voices shaping contemporary African photography and visual storytelling.
What counts as an existing body of work?
What happens between sessions?
After each of the first two sessions you will receive an assignment — revising your image selection or preparing your sequence before the next session. The work between sessions is part of the program.
Will sessions be recorded?
What do I need to participate?
A stable internet connection, a device, and one body of work of approximately 15 to 40 images ready to share via Google Drive or Dropbox before Session One.
What is the refund policy?
Fees are non-refundable after the program begins. Transfers to another block are possible subject to availability before the program starts.
What happens after I pay?
You will receive a confirmation email and we will send another email with your session link, date, time, and everything you need to join.