Fotoreport. Ereignisse in Bildern erzählt

Life is considered an endless, irrepressible stream – individual moments flow into one another, countless events happen simultaneously. Photography on the other hand, freezes moments and captures short, select situations. Yet this medium is still perfectly suited to making important sequences of events visible and to highlighting the essence of particular incidents.

Whether it be boisterous festivities, political activities, bloody wars, foreign cultures or tedious everyday life – the renowned photographers from the agency Magnum are true masters in documenting events. Their reportages from around the world aim to use photography as part of the debate about the world around us, and our awareness of it. However, how do they succeed in capturing the constant flow of life in a series of static images in such as way that this reflects the dynamic nature and the depth of what has been experienced?

At the beginning of the workshop, the young participants will look at the exhibition at C/O Berlin in Amerika Haus, in which the contact sheets of the Magnum photographers are presented. By means of these documents, which are seldom shown publically, the photographers will provide detailed insights into their working methods. In this theoretical part of the workshop, the youths will discover a wide range of photo reportages, which deal with different traditions, as well as sensitive, current themes. What makes a good photo reportage? What do I want to tell and what common theme do I follow when doing so? From what perspective do I photograph? And how can I succeed in making the series of photos exciting and bring them as close as possible to the viewer? These basic principles give the youths the intuition to find their own topic in order to realise their own first photo reportage after completing their practical experience.

The director Katja Berls and the art historian Greta Kühnast share a passion for photography. In their workshops for children and youths, the history and theory of photography is just as important as the photographic works themselves.