Already know how to use your camera and want to go deeper? Want to learn how to see more than just a frame — and tell real stories through your photos?
Join the free summer KiNO photo course “As It Is” in Zaporizhzhia. This course is for teens and young adults (14–20 y.o.) who already has basic photography skills. In two months, you’ll create your own documentary photo project — and present it at a public exhibition in the city center.
What to expect:
🔸 Inspiring lectures from working photographers — those who shoot personal and social stories, publish in the media, and exhibit internationally.
🔸 Lots of hands-on practice — we’ll be shooting around the city, in the studio, and at home. Learning to see light, catch the moment, and build a visual language. Canon will provide cameras for the course.
🔸 Curatorial support — we’ll help you find your theme, style, and build a strong series.
🔸 Final public exhibition — your work will be shown in the heart of Zaporizhzhia.
📍 Location: Youth Center & Tourist Information Center, Zaporizhzhia
📅 When: Every Saturday, July 5 – August 31
👥 Who: 14–20 y.o. with basic photography knowledge
💸 Cost: Free (supported by Canon)
Applications are accepted until July 1, 2025.
With the support of the Canon Young People Programme, within the KiNO project we present photographic projects by teenagers and students who took part in a free documentary photography course in Zaporizhzhia “As It Is”.
Over the course of two months, more than ten participants aged 14 to 22 learned to see more than just a frame — to tell stories through photography. They explored light and composition, worked with different documentary techniques, searched for their own themes, and created series that became personal statements.
The aim of the course was to give participants the opportunity to speak about their lives and the present moment through the language of photography, to find their own voice, and to overcome the isolation caused by war and instability.
Each series is a sincere attempt to see the world “as it is” through the eyes of young authors.
Safe Place — Oleksandra Trius
A project about pets as a source of safety, care, and emotional support in times of uncertainty.
Elements of Self — Inna Muzychuk
A project exploring the connection between the human body and nature through visual metaphors and textures.
Summer Between Frames — Anastasiia Shevchenko
A visual reflection on fleeting summer moments that often go unnoticed but shape our sense of being alive.
Shadows of the City — Alisa Doliuk
A philosophical exploration of solitude, inner search, and the hidden presence of eternity within the urban landscape.
Rhythm of Unity — Denys Pushkin
A series capturing the collective energy of night, music, and movement as a shared emotional experience.
Love in Small Things — Uliana Matich
A photographic series about everyday moments of tenderness and connection between people and their cats.
Also you can see works from a documentary street workshop and a studio workshop, where participants worked with light.
The course was taught and curated by professional photographers and organisers Hryhorii Chepurnenko, Olena Tita, and Vadym Vechnyi, under the curatorship of Valia Korabelnikova, with administrative support from Olia Yabchenko.
The course was supported by the Canon Young People Programme, KiNOcourse, and the Zaporizhzhia Youth Centre.
The Canon Young People Programme (YPP) has been running in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa since 2015. Through the programme, young people are given the opportunity to express themselves and create positive change for the future through visual storytelling. Within YPP, Canon collaborates with non-governmental organisations and the United Nations.
KiNO is a programme of free workshops for Ukrainian teenagers, delivered online and offline, as well as in the United Kingdom, Georgia, Estonia, and Ukraine.
