Best Photography Residencies and Artist Retreats for Photographers in 2026 One thing I have learnt since beginning my career as a photojournalist in 1997 is that sometimes the most valuable thing a photographer can receive is not money, nor publication, nor even recognition. It is time. Time away from expectation. Time away from the relentless pressure to produce, upload and perform. Time away from trends, algorithms and the increasingly accelerated cycle of contemporary image-making. Time to think, to experiment, to fail and to return to an idea without feeling the need to explain it before it has fully formed. That, for me, is where residencies become important. Over the years…