Inside Our Workshops at Cameras For Girls
As we come to the close of our most recent round of workshops in Uganda, which involved four separate workshops for 15 girls each and spanned 12 intensive days in the classroom plus two field practice days with our NGO partners, I've been reflecting on a question we often get asked: What exactly happens during a Cameras For Girls workshop?
It's a great question that reveals why our workshops are designed as they are. They are not just about handing someone a camera and showing them where the shutter button is. They are the gateway into a year-long journey of growth, confidence, and career-building for young women who have often only received theoretical training in journalism and communications, leaving them wholly unprepared for the demanding job market, which is also traditionally male-dominated.
Many of our students come from degree programs that focus heavily on theory, with little to no hands-on training, especially in photography and ethical storytelling. Without that foundational knowledge and the ability to apply ethical practices in the field, these young women are ill-prepared to land the paid jobs they dream of. That's where we come in.
Below is the outline of a typical four-day workshop and why it's a critical start to our year-long program. It is also an incomparable program in the marketplace of photography training programs, something we are very proud of.
Miriam Najjingo, Cameras For Girls trainer, teaching her cohort of students, Uganda
Day 1: The Exposure Triangle and the Fundamentals of Photography
We begin every workshop with the exposure triangle, where the students learn about Aperture, shutter speed, and ISO. It's the foundation of everything, and we drill this into our students over and over again throughout the training.
Delving separately into Aperture, we explain how it affects depth of field, while the shutter speed affects sharpness and motion. Seeing the exposure triangle and then breaking each one into its separate parts starts to cement the learning. What once seemed foreign slowly begins to take shape, and the confusion slowly starts to fade. But theory, again, cannot be learned alone; it must come with practice and lots of it.
Alongside that, we teach:
How to read and use the histogram
The importance of sensor sizes
How to read light
Key principles of composition
And that's just the morning of Day 1.
In the afternoon, they head outside with their cameras, working in aperture priority mode. It's their first chance to put their learning into practice. As a trainer, it's important to see the joy and excitement on their faces as they begin to take what, for many, is their first photo ever!
Day 2: Practicing Composition and Learning to See Differently
We start Day 2 by returning to the exposure triangle—again. Repetition is key.
Then, we dive into a group photo critique session. Along with the students, we review the images they took the day before and learn together what worked, what didn't, and how they can improve. We don't rush this and sometimes going through 15 students can take us into lunch.
After lunch, we shift to the art of visual storytelling—how to tell a compelling story through composition using various creative techniques. They then head out with their cameras to practice in shutter priority mode.
We also introduce the technique of panning—the art of using a slow shutter speed while moving the camera to track a moving subject. This creates a sense of motion and keeps the subject in relative focus while blurring the background. It teaches patience, precision, and creativity. We also cover how to freeze action, giving them the tools to make conscious creative choices with their photography.
Day 3: Ethics, Consent, and Protecting Mental Health
Day 3 begins, once again, with—you guessed it—the exposure triangle. By now, it's becoming second nature. Some don't yet recognize the critical component of the exposure triangle. However, when they see their photos and realize why they did not get the effect they were after, they quickly learn that it all begins with learning and understanding the exposure triangle.
Once the technical skills have been explored, we move into a cornerstone of our program: ethical storytelling and informed consent. These young women are preparing to tell stories that matter to them and their communities. Without an ethical and moral foundation separate from journalism ethics, their work can unintentionally harm the people they aim to uplift. Learning to be ethical storytellers in written and visual form isn't a theoretical conversation; it's a real-world necessity, especially for women working in male-dominated spaces where power dynamics and safety are at play.
We teach them how to gain informed consent in a respectful, culturally sensitive, and empathy-rooted way. Ethical storytelling also protects them; it gives them a framework for operating confidently and safely in the field while ensuring their subjects completely understand what they are signing and providing consent to—that is why we insist they explain or find a translator who can explain it in their language of understanding.
Later in the day, we welcome a guest speaker who speaks candidly about mental health and navigating sexual harassment, which unfortunately remains pervasive in media spaces. These conversations are critical. They validate our students' experiences and give them tools to advocate for themselves. Some of our girls are hesitant to speak up, but when they see their peers share, they also gain the confidence to share. While mental health support is not in our charity's mandate, working in these spaces is essential that our girls get the support they need.
We end the classroom portion of our training with one of my favourite traditions: a group photo in their Cameras For Girls-branded t-shirts. It's a moment of pride, celebration, and unity. We become one big community, spearheading the goal of bringing gender equality to what was once thought of as "only careers men could do."
Day 4: Ethical Storytelling in Action
Day 4 takes us out of the classroom and into the community. On this day, everything they've learned begins to come to life.
We meet at one of our NGO partner locations. These organizations often work with youth, women, or underserved communities. When photographing or telling the stories of people who may not understand what they're consenting to or what their image may be used for, we slow down and explain it fully. This is especially important when working with parents or guardians of young children. At Cameras For Girls, we do not show children's faces, even with parents' consent. We build trust. We explain consent in their language of understanding, ensuring respect and clarity.
This day is powerful. It bridges the gap between technical skills and human connection. The students begin to see how their camera is not just a tool but a bridge between them and the stories they want to share with the world. Stories that matter and that represent their cultures.
The Beginning of a Bigger Journey
After Day 4, the students are given three weeks to complete their first assignment, which includes:
Selecting and editing their best 30 images from the field.
Write a 500-word article that tells a complete, ethical story and has been edited with Grammarly to fix spelling and grammar.
Submit a formatted assignment for their growing portfolio with 10 of their selected photos embedded in the article, with proper captions.
This assignment does two things: first, it is a gift to the NGO partner for their participation - they are allowed to use any of the stories or photos for their marketing. Second, it tells me what the students have learned during their university career and gives me a baseline of where they are now and where they need to be by the end of our program to reach their goals.
This assignment becomes the first piece of work in their portfolios, helping them get internships, freelance opportunities, and full-time jobs in photography, journalism, or communications. From there, they must submit monthly assignments to remain in the course and keep their cameras. While the camera is a gift, it still needs to be earned. It is our goal that they have at least 8-12 well-written articles and edited photos to show a prospective employer what they are capable of.
That's why we do this and also why we are different. When a girl has a camera in her hand, paired with the knowledge of how to use it and the confidence to tell stories that matter, she is unstoppable.
If this work moves you, we'd love your support. Every donation helps us provide cameras, training, and opportunities to young women across Africa. Let's frame her future—together.