In photography workshops, students learn the basics of photography and how to use digital cameras and cameras integrated into smartphones. In addition to introducing students to to the basic photography techniques, composition and esthetics in photography, and working practically with professional cameras, workshop moderators also taught the students about the basic ideas and tricks for taking better photographs.

Another aim of this workshop is to help young people freely express themselves through photography, and to discover their potentials and original ideas in this form of art, which will help them in the competition.

An example of what one of the workshops looked like is the workshop that consisted of three class periods. In the first class, the moderator explained the technical and esthetic aspects of photography. One part of the second class was used for simple tasks, such as taking portrait photos, taking photos of geometrical shapes in the environment, and taking photos of objects of a certain color. 

In the third class, the moderator and the students went through the photos they had taken, analyzed them and did basic photo editing. In many cases, the students stayed for longer than an hour, because of the number of photos they had taken, and because they wanted to talk about the topic of the competition. Classes provided opportunities for practical application of the presented techniques. The students used their own smartphones and the moderator’s equipment to take high-quality photos. They had EU flags they could use as props to symbolize the EU in their photos and they were supposed to use their creativity.

The photographs taken by students were copied onto a laptop by the moderator and presented on the screen. The moderator and the students then commented on the areas where they had improved, but also focused on mistakes students made in their photos, which they will have the opportunity to correct before the competition.