IPFO
CAMPUS
Our Mission
The IPFO Campus is part of the HAUS DER FOTOGRAFIE and the INTERNATIONAL PHOTO FESTIVAL OLTEN. A major part of our mission is to position the IPFO as a center of excellence for photography that builds bridges through education and inspiration, and that fosters and develops the creative and technical skills of photographers.
At IPFO Campus, we organize masterclasses and workshops with internationally renowned photographers as well as the cream of the Swiss photography scene for photography enthusiasts from around the world. These courses and workshops take place throughout the year. The focus is not only on learning, but also on having fun.
Dario Veréb | To See and Be Seen
The workshop for photographers who struggle with self-promotion
Dario Veréb is the photo editor of the *NZZ am Sonntag* and regularly commissions freelance photographers for the Sunday edition. In search of new collaborators, he spends hours clicking and scrolling through portfolio websites and social media channels. How does he decide who gets the assignment? Which portfolios stick in his mind, and which ones don’t?
The Magic of the Plate Camera | Photography Just Like 120 Years Ago.
In an age when images are captured every second, conscious, slow, and careful photography is regaining its importance.
That’s exactly where this 2-day workshop comes in. Together with Alfred von Waldkirch, we’ll return to a form of photography where nothing happens by accident. Every step requires attention—from setting up the camera to choosing the frame and pressing the shutter, all the way through to developing the negative and creating the finished cyanotype. This way, you’ll experience the entire photographic process from capture to finished image and discover just how much craftsmanship, precision, and care go into every single step.
From Empty Room to Iconic Portrait Workshop II
From an Empty Room to an Iconic Portrait
Recreate Famous Portrait Lighting Setups Step by Step
Understanding where to place light—and why—is often the very thing that separates the portraits you take from the ones you actually want to take. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to build iconic portrait lighting setups from the ground up, step by step, using simple tools and in a space that needn’t be much larger than the one you likely already have available.
Food Feature with Olivia Pulver at the "Wizard of Entlebuch"
Fire, Smoke & Powerful Images – An Exclusive Photography Workshop with the “Wizard of Entlebuch”
Two days you won’t get back anytime soon: Amid the untamed wilderness of Entlebuch, legendary nature chef Stefan Wiesner—the “Wizard of Entlebuch”—opens his world exclusively to a small group. You won’t just be there—you’ll be right in the thick of it: gathering ingredients in nature, cooking over an open fire, and experiencing the moments in between. A rare opportunity to closely document this extraordinary chef through photography—and to expand your portfolio with authentic, powerful portraits of one of the most fascinating figures in Swiss cuisine.
You’ll be accompanied and guided by photographer Olivia Pulver, who will show you how to turn powerful individual images into a captivating photo essay.
Street Photography WORKSHOP with Jens Krauer
FULLY BOOKED!
The street is a stage, a backdrop, and a mirror of our times. Together with Jens Krauer, you’ll spend a day immersing yourself in the world of street photography and learn to see the seemingly ordinary as compelling visual stories. Jens will show you how to anticipate situations, sense the right moments, and translate them into powerful images—without any staged scenes, using only what the city has to offer. You’ll learn to photographically read and interpret the life around you and make conscious decisions about composition, timing, and perspective.
Dario Veréb | To See and Be Seen
The workshop for photographers who struggle with self-promotion
Dario Veréb is the photo editor of the *NZZ am Sonntag* and regularly commissions freelance photographers for the Sunday edition. In search of new collaborators, he spends hours clicking and scrolling through portfolio websites and social media channels. How does he decide who gets the assignment? Which portfolios stick in his mind, and which ones don’t?
Flash in Documentary Photography WITH NIKITA TERYOSHIN
In this workshop, you’ll delve into the world of Valais fighting cows—a tradition that is not without controversy, straddling the line between archaic ritual, rural identity, and public spectacle. Together, we’ll explore this topic using the tools of street and documentary photography, employing the flash not as an effect but as a deliberate means of intensifying, emphasizing, and visually communicating the subject.
Street Photography WORKSHOP with Jens Krauer
The street is a stage, a backdrop, and a mirror of our times. Together with Jens Krauer, you’ll spend a day immersing yourself in the world of street photography and learn to see the seemingly ordinary as compelling visual stories. Jens will show you how to anticipate situations, sense the right moments, and translate them into powerful images—without any staged scenes, using only what the city has to offer. You’ll learn to photographically read and interpret the life around you and to make conscious decisions about composition, timing, and perspective.
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY WITH REMO BUESS
Do you enjoy photographing people and want to take your portraits to the next level? In this workshop, you’ll get practical tools, clear explanations, and plenty of hands-on practice to take your photos to the next level—without getting bogged down in technical jargon.
So that you can focus entirely on composition and lighting, Remo works with professional models. They know how to move and pose in front of the camera—so you can relax and capture powerful images, and you’re guaranteed to take home great photos at the end of the day.