Exercises in Seeing. Photography workshops for youth This is a series of free independent meetings about photography for people aged 15–19. It is an invitation to discover how an image works — how it tells stories, manipulates, and changes the way we look at the world. We will learn the basics of camera operation (including phone cameras), work with portrait, documentary and artistic photography, experiment with editing and creating new contexts for photos. Museum collections, archives and exhibitions will serve as inspiration, and additional energy will come from meetings with photographers and experts from the POLIN Museum. We will test ideas, ask questions and build our own visual language — with no pressure, no need to own equipment and no prior experience required. Workshops take place every other Saturday from early February to the end of May 2026, 10:00–13:00. Each meeting is devoted to a different topic, so you can join only selected sessions. Sign-ups are open for the first two meetings. Registration for subsequent workshops opens always in the middle of the month before the given meeting (15 February for March, 15 March for April, 15 April for May). Workshop topics and dates: 28 February (Saturday), 10:00–13:00 — Portrait: from the studio to the selfie. We will step into the world of portrait photography — from 19th-century studios to contemporary selfies. We will look at museum examples, including “Warsaw Portraits” by Jasmine Bakalarz, talk about the role of the portrait and why we photograph ourselves so often. Together we will find the perfect spot for a museum selfie and check how light affects the appearance of the photographed person. Submit an application: https://polin.pl 14 March (Saturday), 10:00–13:00 — Photographic reportage. How to tell a story with a few frames? The starting point will be archival photos from the museum documenting everyday life, important events and ceremonies. We will look at the structure of a photographic reportage and works by renowned photojournalists. In the practical part, participants will create their own reportage about the museum. Submit an application: https://polin.pl/pl/form/cwiczenia-z-patrzenia-reportaz 28 March (Saturday), 10:00–13:00 — Photography as a story about a person and their fate. Does a portrait have to show the face? Or can you tell a person's story without it? Inspiration for the workshop will be a visit to the “Więzi” gallery and various visual narrative methods: photography, video, light, scenography and atmosphere. The session will include a meeting with Mikołaj Grynberg, who will talk about his work and the exhibition “What Can Be Seen”. Submit an application: https://polin.pl/pl/form/cwiczenia-z-patrzenia-opowiesc Additional dates: 12 April (Sunday), 10:00–13:00 25 April (Saturday), 10:00–13:00 9 May (Saturday), 10:00–13:00 23 May (Saturday), 10:00–13:00 Facilitation: Alicja Szulc — photographer, animator, educator. A graduate of the University of the Arts in Poznań and the Pedagogical University in Kraków. For years she has carried out photo–video projects for cultural institutions, NGOs and companies. For over 10 years she has been involved in media and digital education, running workshops across Poland. Author of the social innovation “Earn with a Smartphone”, Flying Cultural Animator, owner of AS_fotografia. She has collaborated with, among others, the Orange Foundation, the National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute, the National Centre for Culture and many museums and cultural organizations. Event information on the website: https://polin.pl
