photo.circle
photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based non-profit founded in 2007 that delivers photography education, workshops, exhibitions, and visual storytelling programming for emerging Nepali photographers, photojournalists, and international exchange cohorts across South Asia, Norway, and Australia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersKathmandu, Nepal
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What photo.circle does
photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based non-profit photography organization founded in 2007 that operates as Nepal's primary platform for photography education, visual storytelling, and archival practice. It runs a portfolio of programming including introductory and advanced photography workshops (e.g., Introduction to Storytelling, Demystifying Portraiture, Street Photography in Birgunj), intensive masterclasses with international photographers (e.g., Mads Nissen), the recurring PC Fellowship Program, monthly presentations, and photography exhibitions at venues such as the Nepal Art Council. The organization is supported by sister initiatives — Nepal Picture Library (an archive of Nepal's marginalized visual histories including the Dusenberry Collection), Photo Kathmandu (a photography festival), and Counter Culture Nepal — and maintains long-standing international exchange partnerships with Pathshala South Asian Media Institute (Bangladesh), Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway), and RMIT University (Australia), along with collaborations with organizations such as Indigenous without Borders and Social Science Baha.
The organization serves emerging and established Nepali photographers, photojournalists, visual artists, and documentary filmmakers, as well as international students participating in exchange cohorts. It also engages broader public audiences through exhibitions such as the 2009 'Home' exhibition, which reached over 10,000 Bhutanese refugee camp residents, and symposia such as 'Reimagining Museums in Nepal' (2024). The organization has a small core team of 9 employees operating from headquarters in Jhamsikhel, Lalitpur, with a secondary venue at Yala Maya Kendra in Patan Dhoka.
photo.circle's business model is a non-profit hybrid of earned and contributed revenue. Earned revenue comes from per-workshop participant fees (NPR 2,000–16,000 + VAT depending on program intensity, with travel stipends for non-Kathmandu participants and 5% member discounts) and from photographic print sales through its online store (NPR 3,500 per print domestically, USD 50 internationally, with a portion of recent sales supporting The Bhoomi Foundation). Contributed revenue is derived from institutional and foundation funding (e.g., Foundation for a Just Society, IHME Helsinki Commission) and partner institution support for international exchange and fellowship programs. The go-to-market motion is community-led: building a community of practice through programming, exhibitions, and partnerships rather than traditional sales or marketing channels.
photo.circle firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- photo.circle
- Legal name
- photo.circle
- Website
- https://photocircle.com.np
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based non-profit founded in 2007 that delivers photography education, workshops, exhibitions, and visual storytelling programming for emerging Nepali photographers, photojournalists, and international exchange cohorts across South Asia, Norway, and Australia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
photo.circle industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Photography Education
- NAICS
- Photographic Services (54192), Commercial Photography (541922), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)
- SIC
- Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Photography & Videography Workshops (THAJAKAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration) (EDAAAGAA)
Keywords
Where photo.circle is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Kathmandu
- HQ country
- Nepal
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
photo.circle business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Workshop and Training Programs: photo.circle generates revenue through workshop fees for various photography and visual storytelling programs including Introduction to Storytelling workshops (NRs. 12,000 incl. VAT), specialized workshops, masterclasses with international photographers, and international exchange programs. Revenue is one-time fee per program.
- Print Sales: Sale of photographic prints through the online store (store.photocircle.com.np), including print sales supporting charitable causes like The Bhoomi Foundation. Prints are sold at NPR 3500 per print within Nepal and USD 50 per print for international buyers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Introduction to Storytelling Workshop - Spring 2024 |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Storytelling 101 - Six-week course |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Demystifying Portraiture Workshop |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Street Photography Workshop in Birgunj |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Print Sale - The Bhoomi Foundation |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
photo.circle product offering
Product offeringCore offering
photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based non-profit organization that delivers photography education, visual storytelling training, exhibitions, fellowships, and archival initiatives to photographers and visual storytellers in Nepal and South Asia. Its core paid offerings include multi-week photography workshops (Intro to Visual Storytelling, Demystifying Portraiture, Street Photography, International Storytelling Workshop), the six-month PC Fellowship Program, and photographic print sales through its own online store. Supporting initiatives include monthly presentations, hosted exhibitions, the Nepal Picture Library archive, and the Photo Kathmandu festival.
Product overview
photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based photography organization offering a multi-faceted portfolio of visual storytelling education, exhibitions, and archiving initiatives. The core offerings include photography workshops ranging from introductory courses to intensive masterclasses with international photographers; exhibitions featuring Nepali and international works on social and cultural themes; the PC Fellowship Program supporting emerging visual practitioners; and presentation events showcasing photographer work. Supporting initiatives include Nepal Picture Library for archiving marginalized histories, Photo Kathmandu festival, and Counter Culture Nepal. Print sales and publications extend the organization's cultural mission. The organization operates its own online store for print purchases.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Photography Workshops
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 10,000 Bhutanese refugee camp residents engaged with the 'Home' exhibition in 2009
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use photo.circle
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
photo.circle technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
photo.circle partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, supporting and major.
- Oslo Metropolitan University (Norway)coreOngoing collaboration for International Storytelling Workshop programs. Norwegian students and faculty participate in exchange workshops with Nepali and Bangladeshi counterparts, producing collaborative photo reportage projects.
- The Bhoomi Foundationsupportingphoto.circle organized a print sale to support The Bhoomi Foundation's work in championing folk and indigenous music and art forms from the Mithila region. All funds raised support documenting, archiving, and platforming cultural practices.
- RMIT University (Australia)majorCollaboration on the 'Creative Practice as Civil Action' transdisciplinary exchange workshop. Students from RMIT work with photo.circle and Pathshala students alongside local partners in Nepal on biodiversity conservation and indigenous activism projects.
- Indigenous without Borders (IwB)corephoto.circle collaborates with Indigenous without Borders (IwB) on the 'Jal, Jungle, Jamin – Struggles and Aspirations' symposium and the Common Futures Fellowship program. The partnership focuses on documenting stories of indigenous communities' struggles for rights to water, forest, and land through lens-based practices paired with writing and research.
- Social Science BahamajorCo-presentation of the Kesang Tseten Retrospective film screening event. Social Science Baha and photo.circle partner on programming that bridges documentary filmmaking and photography.
- Pathshala South Asian Media Institute (Bangladesh)coreLong-standing partnership for international exchange workshops in photography and visual storytelling. Students from Bangladesh participate in collaborative programs alongside Nepali and Norwegian peers.
- KTK Belt Project (Eastern Nepal)supportingLocal partner for the Creative Practice as Civil Action workshop. KTK Belt Project focuses on biodiversity conservation and environmental learning in Eastern Nepal.
- Jatayu Vulture Restaurant (Nawalparasi)supportingLocal partner for the Creative Practice as Civil Action workshop. Community-based conservation and environmental learning site in Nawalparasi.
- IHME HelsinkisupportingThe Sovereign Forest exhibition in Kathmandu is part of the IHME Helsinki Commission 2022, produced by photo.circle.
- Amar KanwarmajorArtist collaboration for The Sovereign Forest exhibition. Kanwar's multi-media installation exploring socio-political landscapes of Odisha was hosted in Kathmandu by photo.circle in collaboration with Sudhir Pattnaik/Samadrusti and Sherna Dastur.
- Madan Puraskar PustakalayasupportingPartnership for hosting and presenting the Dusenberry Collection of historical Nepal photographs. The collection of approximately 500 black and white photographs documenting Nepal from 1951-1960 is housed and preserved at MPP.
- Photo KathmandumajorSister initiative focused on organizing the Photo Kathmandu photography festival and platform. Co-founded by NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati alongside photo.circle.
- Nepal Picture LibrarycoreSister organization and key initiative focused on documenting, archiving, and presenting Nepal's marginalized histories. Co-founded by NayanTara Gurung Kakshapati. Nepal Picture Library operates as an independent initiative under photo.circle's broader umbrella.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
photo.circle competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- World Press Photo Foundation: Global photography education and awards organization running workshops, fellowships, and educational programs. Comparable in mission and education model though far larger in scope and geography.
- Light Work: Photography organization operating residencies, exhibitions, and publishing programs for photographers. Comparable artist-development and community-building model.
- Magnum Foundation: Photography foundation supporting photographers through fellowships and education globally. Closely analogous in running fellowship-based programming for emerging visual storytellers.
- Aperture Foundation: Photography publisher and education platform with exhibitions and public programs. Comparable publishing-and-education mission in the photography space.
- Foam (Amsterdam): Amsterdam photography museum combining exhibitions, talent development, and educational programming. Comparable platform model combining showcases with photographer development.
Regional players
- Bikalpa Art Center: Kathmandu-based contemporary art platform with workshops, exhibitions, and community programming. Operates in the same Nepal geography with overlapping audiences in photography and visual arts, though with a broader arts scope.
- Nepal Art Council: State-affiliated cultural institution at Babar Mahal, Kathmandu, hosting major exhibitions including photo.circle's Amar Kanwar and Kesang Tseten programming. Provides the physical venue infrastructure underpinning photo.circle's exhibitions.
- Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre (KCAC): Nepal-based contemporary arts venue hosting exhibitions, residencies, and educational programming. Geographically co-located in Kathmandu, contributing to the same Nepali visual arts ecosystem that photo.circle cultivates.
Emerging players
- Sàn Art: Ho Chi Minh City-based contemporary art platform supporting emerging photographers with residencies and exhibitions. Comparable emerging-market platform for visual storytellers though focused on Vietnam rather than Nepal.
Direct peers
- Pathshala South Asian Media Institute: Bangladesh-based photography and media education institute that runs Chobi Mela festival. Comparable because it operates the same workshop + fellowship + exhibition model in South Asia, with whom photo.circle has an active exchange partnership, making it the closest direct peer.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
photo.circle social profiles
Digital presencephoto.circle financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
photo.circle leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
photo.circle subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
photo.circle funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
photo.circle M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about photo.circle
What does photo.circle do?
photo.circle is a Kathmandu-based non-profit organization that delivers photography education, visual storytelling training, exhibitions, fellowships, and archival initiatives to photographers and visual storytellers in Nepal and South Asia. Its core paid offerings include multi-week photography workshops (Intro to Visual Storytelling, Demystifying Portraiture, Street Photography, International Storytelling Workshop), the six-month PC Fellowship Program, and photographic print sales through its own online store. Supporting initiatives include monthly presentations, hosted exhibitions, the Nepal Picture Library archive, and the Photo Kathmandu festival.
Is photo.circle a public or private company?
photo.circle is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was photo.circle founded?
photo.circle was founded in 2007. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is photo.circle based?
photo.circle is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal, in the Asia region.
How does photo.circle make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Workshop and Training Programs are the primary driver. The others are print Sales.
Who are photo.circle's main competitors?
Others on record are World Press Photo Foundation, Light Work, Magnum Foundation, Aperture Foundation and Foam (Amsterdam). Regional players are Bikalpa Art Center, Nepal Art Council and Kathmandu Contemporary Arts Centre (KCAC). Sàn Art is listed as an emerging player. Pathshala South Asian Media Institute is listed as a direct peer.
Does photo.circle have an API?
No public API is recorded for photo.circle.
What industry is photo.circle in?
photo.circle's product category is Photography Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAJAKAD, Photography & Videography Workshops, with a secondary code of EDAAAGAA, Visual Arts (Drawing, Painting, Illustration). Its NAICS code is 54192 and its SIC code is 7330.