Greg Miller's Teaching Philosophy

Describe your teaching philosophy and your reasons for becoming a teacher.

My role as a photography teacher is to guide my students in discovering their own personal path of artistic creation. The struggles and successes of my own career have informed my approach to teaching: it is not just about acquiring the skills, but also about having patience with oneself along the way. I became a teacher because I truly enjoy helping my students succeed. Many return years later to tell me that they found meaning in my class—this is truly an honor.

What is your favorite aspect of teaching in the Documentary and Photojournalism Program at ICP?

Often my students want to travel the globe to far-flung, war-torn lands as truth seekers and documentarians and make a difference with their photography. I admire this and of course want to help them in their hopeful vision. However, one of my favorite aspects of teaching in this department has been to show my students that they can make a difference photographing what is close to them, in their own backyard, whether that backyard is in Jerusalem or Jackson Heights.

Do you see a relationship between teaching and your own photographic practice?

Like the saying goes, I am only as good as my last picture. I can’t stand up and tell a classroom full of young photographers that they can make a living following their bliss and not be the photographer I am talking about myself. I have to be a living breathing example of what I teach. To that extent, every year, as the words leave my lips, I am essentially taking my own class. It renews me.