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A Note on 2026

Due to internal project scheduling, in 2026 the Radar Plan will be offered exclusively by the three academic advisors.

Roban and Pan are temporarily not accepting new applications as navigators, and will only provide the supplementary technical modules and translation support for the advisors' students. Students who already enrolled in 2025 are unaffected.

In the future, we will progressively invite additional academic advisors to join the program.

What Is Radar Plan?

Radar Plan is an online mentorship program launched by Photo Reason Academy together with three academic advisors and Magnum photographers — Mark Power, Emin Özmen, and Jérôme Sessini (in special cases, students may opt for in-person sessions).

As its name suggests, the program's core goal is to offer professional guidance and planning to photographers and enthusiasts with long-term ambitions in art or documentary photography — helping each student complete a high-quality personal project within a set timeframe and begin their photographic "career."

Who Is Radar Plan For?

Radar Plan suits photographers of all levels, from passionate amateurs to professionals looking to advance further. We particularly encourage the following participants:

Students planning to apply to international art schools, especially photography programs;
Photographers planning to enter international competitions, residencies, or grant applications;
Photographers who have taken part in Photo Reason's Magnum Workshops, the Puzzle Plan, or similar workshops, and who have a shooting foundation and wish to keep improving;
Photographers currently in the middle of a personal project who urgently need professional guidance, advice, or planning.

Given the nature of the program and the value participants stand to gain, we do not recommend it for complete beginners with no photographic foundation.

About Radar Plan

At its heart, Radar Plan is a fully customized, companion-style, 1-on-1 long-term growth program. Each student may choose one of Photo Reason Academy's three academic advisors (Mark Power, Emin Özmen, or Jérôme Sessini) as their "navigator," and complete a long-term personal project over 6–12 months under their guidance.

1-on-1 Project Mentorship

Ten online 1-on-1 personal-project sessions per year with your navigator, each 1–1.5 hours, accompanying your project from start to finish.

Supplementary Technical Modules

Two additional technical modules from PRA's internal instructors (Roban or Pan), with content tailored to your actual needs (e.g. image management and output, topic discussion, editing and sequencing support), held either online or in person in Hangzhou.

Project Timeline & Extension

Students complete their personal project over 6–12 months; those who do not finish within 12 months may extend once for free, with the length depending on project progress and capped at 6 additional months (18 months in total).

Final Outcome

By the end of the program, each student should have substantially completed a personal project, presented as a handmade photobook and personal portfolio.

Navigator sessions are taught in English; Photo Reason Academy provides free online English translation for students who need it.

Radar Plan Navigators

Academic advisors group (taught in English, with Chinese translation available).

Mark Power

Mark Power was born in England in 1959. He studied painting (1978–1981) but soon turned to photography, working on editorial and charity commissions over the following decade. His complex, meticulously crafted images, often made with a large-format camera, made him one of the pioneers of British photography. He began teaching photography at the University of Brighton in 1992, eventually becoming Professor of Photography until he stepped down from teaching in 2017.

His time at the university coincided with a shift toward long-term self-initiated projects, pursued in parallel with large-scale commissions in the industrial sector. Over a four-decade career, he has published 14 photobooks.

Mark Power's work has been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums worldwide and is held in several major public and private collections. He became a nominee of Magnum Photos in 2002 and a full member in 2007.

©Mark Power

Emin Özmen

Emin Özmen, born in 1985, is dedicated to documenting human-rights violations in his native Turkey and around the world. He aims to draw attention to those who become victims of civil unrest and social injustice.

Emin Özmen studied photography at the Faculty of Fine Arts of Marmara University in Istanbul. In 2008, he earned a degree in documentary photography from the University of Art and Design in Linz, Austria.

In 2011, he covered the East African famine, the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan, and the economic protests in Greece. The following year, he began covering the Syrian civil war and the ISIS crisis in Iraq, work he has continued since. He has since worked in South Sudan, Niger, Nigeria, Venezuela, Azerbaijan, Iraq, and Turkey, among others.

Emin Özmen's work has appeared in Time, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Der Spiegel, Le Monde, Paris Match, and Newsweek, among others. He has received many honors, including two World Press Photo Awards and the Public Jury Photo Prize of the Bayeux-Calvados Awards for war correspondents.

Emin Özmen became a nominee of Magnum Photos in 2017 and a full member in 2022.

©Emin Özmen

Jérôme Sessini

Jérôme Sessini was born in the Vosges, France, in 1968 and became a full member of Magnum Photos in 2016. He is one of the world's most prolific and respected photographers of war and conflict, working mainly in sensitive, war-torn regions including Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Libya. Beyond frontline reportage, his work also engages many contentious social issues such as street conflict, ethnic tension, and drug abuse.

Over his career, Jérôme Sessini has published several photobooks including «Inner Disorder» and «The Wrong Side», and won numerous awards including the World Press Photo Contest (Spot News Stories / Short Form) and the Pierre & Alexandra Boulat Award. His work has been published by outlets such as The New Yorker, Time, and Stern, and shown in solo exhibitions at Rencontres d'Arles, the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the French Ministry of Culture, the International Center of Photography (ICP), and the Barbican.

Jérôme Sessini is also a Canon global ambassador and a mentor for the Magnum Photos creative documentary program.

Registration

Program Fee

RMB 36,000 / person

All students who have taken part in Photo Reason's Magnum Master Workshops, the Puzzle Plan, or Roban's and Pan's earlier online / in-person workshops enjoy a 10% discount on the Radar Plan.

Capacity

Each navigator mentors at most 5 students at a time; when full, a new seat opens only once a student completes their entire Radar project.

Format

Primarily online (in-person sessions available in special cases).

More Benefits

Photo Reason will curate a personal photography exhibition and a personal work-sharing talk for every student who completes the Radar Plan, held at the "Photo Reason in Space." offline venue or a partner space, with basic exhibition and promotion costs covered by Photo Reason.
Photo Reason will recommend outstanding Radar Plan students and their work to partners (brands, magazines, cultural-tourism organizations, etc.), and offer interested students at least one feature on a photography podcast and other social-media platforms.
Photo Reason provides all students with a free online portfolio page (e.g. roban.photoreason.art), with update guidance from our technical expert CC (Chengchen Wang).
Joining the Radar Plan grants membership in the Photo Reason Pro community, where you can connect with like-minded friends, enjoy exclusive photography news and resource sharing, and borrow Photo Reason's photobooks and equipment for free.
All students will enjoy priority or discounted access to the limited-capacity, one-of-a-kind photography activities Photo Reason organizes (master workshops, special overseas photography study trips, Magnum office visits and lectures, etc.).

How to Apply

1.Scan the QR code below or follow the link to fill out the application form.
2.Applicants must submit 10–15 past works or provide social-media accounts (single images or series, uploaded in the form); returning students need not resubmit.
3.After we receive your application and complete our assessment, we will follow up with you via WeChat or phone.
4.Confirmed students complete payment to finalize registration and schedule their sessions.

Fill Out the Application Form →

Students who, for personal (non-force-majeure) reasons, fail to complete all sessions and their personal project within 18 months are deemed to have withdrawn, with no refund; please inquire for further cancellation and change terms.

Other Information

Language of Instruction: English (Chinese translation available)
Inquiries: WeChat: bonbondepan