THE MENTOR PROGRAM
- edition OSLO 2026
with Elisabeth N. Aanes
DATES:
Feb. 24 - Dec. 15 2026
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The NORDphotography Mentor Program, Oslo Edition, is our only mentoring program that wraps with an exhibit.
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Duration 1 year
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4-5 participants
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A total of 10 meetings from March to January 2027.
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Combination of online group and 1:1 meetings, pluss in-person meetings in Oslo.
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Concludes with a curated group exhibit in Oslo medio Feb. 2027.
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Invitation to be part of Summer exhibit at SAGA 2027.
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Your Mentor is NORDPhotography's founder Elisabeth N Aanes​​​​
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:
This is an mentorship program for photographers and photo-entusiasts looking to work on long term projects, with the goal of finishing a complete body of work within the length of the program.
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Lectures, discussions and critique of student work will be the main structure of the mentorship. Our 1:1 meetings will focus on individual feedback, our group meetings will include lectures, group discussions, and critics. Our in-person meetings in Oslo, which takes plass in the tail end of the mentorship program, will focus on image critic, presentation and planning the exhibit.
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The mentor program wraps with a group exhibition in Oslo where each participant displays a selection of images from their project. The screening will take place in February 2027 and participants are expected to be in Oslo during the exhibit period (Thursday to Sunday evening). The exhibition hangs a weekend and ends with an artist talk, open to the public, where the participants will be able to give a talk about their project. We will also invite a moderator for this evening from the cultural scene in Norway, to give feedback to the exhibitors, and ask questions.
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NORDphotography's Mentor Program will help discover, develop and fine-tune each photographer’s creative voice. You should come to this mentorship with an idea of a project. It can be an old project you want to finish, or a new project you want to create. We will meet once a month for lecture and group critique. The lecture will be tailored to each participant’s project, to give inspiration and guidance for further development.
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During this mentorship you will learn to develop a cohesive body of work, present work in a professional matter (whether it is a book, an exhibit, an event, or a new portfolio of work), to critique other photographers work, and to respond on critique of your own work.​​
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As a participant in NORDphotography's mentorship program, you receive a 20% discount on the workshop fee on all in person workshops that take place at SAGA in the mentor year.
PROGRAM TUITION:
NOK 30.000,-
Deposit: NOK 10.000,-
Payment March: NOK 10.000,-
Payment Sept.: NOK 10.000,-
See payment details in the workshop description.
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Registration on our workshops are binding
TESTEMONIAL:
NORDphotography's mentoring program gave me the structure I needed to develop a cohesive project, both through regular meetings, clear and constructive feedback from mentor Elisabeth, but also input from the other photographers in the group. The program gave me a sense of security and allowed me to stretch my ideas in a completely different way than I have experienced before. Moreover, a visit to Galleri Ramfjord, facilitated by NORDphotography, resulted in a review of my project, which then resulted in an exhibition and gallery representation.
- Maria Prestmo.
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“The photo project (Funkis & Formalin) about the Pharmaceutical Institute at Blindern took shape during NORDphotography’s
mentoring program in 2021. Elisabeth
established my faith in the project and made me feel more confident in my own photographic voice.”
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– Kristin Rosmo.
MEETINGS:
Tuesday 24 March: 6PM - 9:30PM (1:1)
Tuesday 14 April: 6PM - 9:30PM (group online)
Tuesday 19 May: 6PM - 9:30PM (1:1)
Tuesday 23 Jun.: 6PM - 9:30PM (group online)
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JULY SUMMER HOLLIDAY
Tuesday 11 Aug.: 6PM - 9:30PM (1:1)
Tuesday 8 Sept.: 6PM - 9:30PM (in person Oslo)
Tuesday 20 Oct.: 6PM - 9:30PM (group online)
Tuesday 17 Nov.: 6PM - 9:30PM (1:1)
Tuesday 15 Dec.: 6PM - 9:30PM (in person Oslo)
Tuesday _ Jan.: 6PM - 9:30PM (in person Oslo)
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If we have to change a date, or have a meeting changed to an online
meeting, we will inform the class well in advance. ​
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The last mentor meeting is in January 2027. At this meeting the final selection for the exhibition will be chosen. The exhibition is curated by mentor Elisabeth N Aanes.
For the exhibit you will be expected to produce and frame your selected images, take part in hanging the exhibit, and be present in the gallery during the opening hours of the gallery for our exhibit. We will divide
the opening hours between the participants, so there always is someone from the Mentor Group present in the gallery. Participants are also expected to be present at the opening of the exhibit.
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PRICE AND PAYMENT PLAN:
TUITION: NOK 30,000,- which can be divided up in three separate payment:
Deposit: kr. 10,000,-
Before May 2026: kr. 10.000,-
Before Oct. 2026: kr. 10.000,-
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You can choose to pay the full tuition with the deposit payment.
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The cost of your exhibit pieces (framed) is covered by each participant. It is up to the participant how they want the image presented, but the presentation must be accepted by your mentor Elisabeth N Aanes. Gallery venue, vernissage, and marketing materials (posters / advertisement / flyers/ invitation) for the exhibition are included in the program fee.
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REGISTRATION:
After you have registered we will send you an e-mail asking for a link to your website or social media where you present your work, or for you to e-mail us examples of photos you have taken. We will also ask you to tell us what you hope to get out of the Mentor Program as well as highlight any project ideas you want to work with. This is to determine if our mentor group, and our Mentor Elisabeth is the right one for you.
If you have questions about the mentor program, please contact Elisabeth on phone: +47 95 47 69 66
ABOUT
ELISABETH N AANES:
Elisabeth is the founder and CEO of NORDphotography and SAGA Center for Photography. She runs SAGA Studio and teaches NORDphotography’s in-person Mentor Program in Oslo, the online class The Image Crit, and is the facilitator and guide on NORDphotographys Creative Roadtrip 'Discover Iceland'.
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Elisabeth took her photo-education in USA, and worked for several years with the world renowned photographer Joyce Tenneson. She has also worked at the Polaroid Studio in NYC, and assisted photographers like William Wegman and Timothy Greenfield Sanders among others.
Elisabeths work was selected for CMCA’s exhibit 40 Photographers / 40 Years. She holds the cover for The View Project curated by Joyce Tenneson, and was part of the projects traveling exhibit. She has also been exhibited at The Photo District Gallery (NYC), CMCA (Maine - USA), DogA (Oslo), Trondhjem Kunstforening and Sekkefabrikken (Oslo) in addition to private galleris in USA and Norway.
In 2024 she enrolled in the Master of Fine Art program at Maine Media Education, a program she plans to complete by 2027.
Instructor Replacement:
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It is the nature of our business that occasionally a listed instructor cannot participate because of unexpected events. If we are forced to replace an instructor we will do so with someone with equal or similar credentials. When time permits we will inform everyone who has registered.
Cancelation Rules:
We ask that you do not book your ticket until we have confirmed that the minimum number of participants have signed up.
For workshops to run we need a minimum of five participants, unless otherwise noted in the workshop description. If we for some reason are not able to reach our minimum number, the workshop will be canceled and you will receive a full refund.
NORDphotography is not responsible for reimbursement of non-refundable airline / train tickets in the event of a program cancellation. Our line of liability is to return all monies paid to the workshops. Please check on your workshop status before making travel arrangements. There will be a maximum of 10 students in each workshop, unless otherwise noted in the workshop description.
Withdrawal and refund policy:
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We highly recommend purchasing travel insurance.
Enrollment is limited in our workshops, so once you have registered for a class – we are counting on you to attend. The registration is binding. We do however understand that sometimes plans fall trough and offer the following cancellation policies:
Withdraw more than 60 days before the start of class and we will refund all monies paid, minus an administration fee of NOK 1500,-. Withdraw 60 days or less before the start of class and we will charge you with the full workshop tuition.
NORDphotography is not responsible for cancellations due to medical emergencies.