The 2026 programme

As part of the FFF Academy, the unique art education programme FFF Junior promotes both practical skills in handling a camera and a fundamental understanding of visual language as well as visual communication. It has for many years complemented the educational offerings of Fotografie Forum Frankfurt with the expertise of photographers and artists.

FFF Junior 2026 is supported by the German Museums Association as part of the “Museum macht stark” programme, the Dr. Marschner Stiftung, the Metzler Stiftung and FFF main sponsor Fujifilm Electronic Imaging Europe GmbH.

This year, the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt once again offered a range of educational programmes for children and young people.

A Journey into the Creativity of Photography – A Special Needs Project

As part of FFF Junior, a two-week photography workshop took place from March 30 to April 10, 2026 for 24 young people and young adults with Down syndrome or similar physical and psychological challenges. The participants had the opportunity to explore photographic expression using professional cameras and to develop their own visual ideas.

Under the artistic direction of internationally acclaimed photographer Ferhat Bouda, the participants explored the fundamentals of photography. Together with an interdisciplinary team of art educators, pedagogues and volunteers, they experimented with composition, light and portrait photography, developing their own individual photographic styles.

The workshop focused on encounters with people who shape the life of the city. Using their cameras, the participants explored their surroundings, documented personal encounters and developed their own photographic works.

The final exhibition, Gesichter, Geschichten und Begegnungen (Faces, Stories and Encounters), presented around 100 photographs. From August 12 to 17, 2026, Bahnhofstrasse in Neu-Isenburg was transformed into an extraordinary open-air gallery. The photographs presented the city from the perspective of the 24 young people and young adults, turning public space into a place of art, exchange and encounter.

The project was held for the second time as part of FFF Junior, in collaboration with its initiator and project director, Birgit Schwarz-Hickey.

The project was made possible with the support of FUJIFILM Electronic Imaging Europe GmbH, Rotary Club Frankfurt am Main – International, Lions Club Neu-Isenburg, the City of Neu-Isenburg, the Euler Group, as well as numerous other supporters, sponsors and volunteers.

Entdeckungsreise in die Kreativität der Fotografie – A Special Needs Project

Im Rahmen von FFF Junior fand vom 30.03.–10.04.2026 ein zweiwöchiger Fotografie-Workshop für 24 Jugendliche und jungen Erwachsenen mit Downsyndrom oder ähnlich gelagerten psychischen & physischen Herausforderungen statt. Die Teilnehmenden erhielten die Möglichkeit, den fotografischen Ausdruck mit professionellen Kameras kennenzulernen und eigene Bildideen zu entwickeln.

Unter der künstlerischen Leitung des international ausgezeichneten Fotografen Ferhat Bouda setzten sich die Teilnehmenden intensiv mit den Grundlagen der Fotografie auseinander. Gemeinsam mit einem interdisziplinären Team aus Kunstvermittlung, Pädagogik und Ehrenamt beschäftigten sie sich mit Bildgestaltung, Licht und Porträtfotografie und entwickelten dabei ihre jeweils eigene fotografische Handschrift.

Im Mittelpunkt des Workshops standen Begegnungen mit Menschen, die das Leben der Stadt prägen. Mit der Kamera erkundeten die Teilnehmenden ihre Umgebung, hielten persönliche Begegnungen fest und entwickelten daraus eigene fotografische Arbeiten.

In der Abschluss-Ausstellung »Gesichter, Geschichten und Begegnungen« wurden rund 100 Fotografien präsentiert. Vom 12.–17.08.2026 verwandelte sich die Bahnhofstraße in Neu-Isenburg in eine außergewöhnliche Freiluftgalerie. Die Fotografien zeigten die Stadt aus der Perspektive der 24 Jugendlichen und jungen Erwachsenen und machten den öffentlichen Raum zu einem Ort der Kunst, des Austauschs und der Begegnung.

Das Projekt fand bereits zum zweiten Mal im Rahmen von FFF Junior in Zusammenarbeit mit der Initiatorin und Projektleiterin Birgit Schwarz-Hickey statt.

Ermöglicht wurde das Projekt mit Unterstützung von FUJIFILM Electronic Imaging Europe GmbH, dem Rotary Club Frankfurt am Main – International, dem Lions Club Neu-Isenburg, der Stadt Neu-Isenburg, der Euler Gruppe sowie zahlreichen weiteren Förderer*innen, Sponsor*innen und ehrenamtlichen Unterstützer*innen.

During a multi-day Easter holiday workshop with Kinderkulturtreff Eschersheim (30 March–2 April 2026), children and young people aged 6 to 18 explored the many possibilities of photographic expression. This year’s theme was Photography with Light and Colour, led by Magdalena Kristahn (art educator) and Lena Bils (professional photographer).

Inspired by the FFF exhibition Jessica Backhaus: Shadows Might Dance, 23 participants explored the theme of colour through creative photography. They began by searching for a specific colour in their surroundings. Over the following days, they experimented with colour filters and differently coloured light sources. Using a photo booth and lamps, they created striking visual worlds and explored the effects of light and shadow in photography.

As part of the project ICH_DU_SIE_ER_ES, female students from Years 6 to 10 at Marienschule Offenbach explored portrait photography as a medium for identity, memory and personal expression from 22 to 26 June 2026. Led by artist Lisa Weber and art teacher Christiane Helldörfer, they developed their own photographic works.

A central element of the project was a visit to the FFF exhibition GEN Z: SHAPING A NEW GAZE at the Fotografie Forum Frankfurt. The work of international young photographers opened up new perspectives on themes such as belonging, the body, gender and self-representation, providing important inspiration for the students’ own photographic concepts.

The photographs created by the 18 students were jointly selected, professionally produced and presented in an exhibition at Marienschule.

The project was supported by the Stiftung Ravensburger Verlag.

A second workshop on Photography with Light and Colour took place during the summer holidays at the International Children’s House Frankfurt from June 29 to July 1st, 2026. Led by Magdalena Kristahn (art educator) and Lena Bils (professional photographer), the workshop introduced children and young people aged 6 to 18 to a range of photographic approaches.

Following a visit to the FFF exhibition GEN Z: SHAPING A NEW GAZE, the participants explored colour through photography. They experimented with colour filters, differently coloured light sources, a photo booth and lamps, discovering how light, colour and shadow can shape a photograph.

The two FFF Junior workshops with the International Children’s House and Kinderkulturtreff Eschersheim culminated in a large exhibition presenting the photographic works created by the participants. Held as part of the International Children’s House’s 40th anniversary celebrations, the exhibition gave the children and young people the opportunity to share their work with a wider audience.

The photographs were accompanied by music pieces developed and recorded collectively by the participants, providing an additional way for visitors to engage with the works.

Of Dogs, Glasses and Superchildren

The second FFF Junior summer holiday photography workshop took place from July 6 to 9, 2026 in collaboration with Kinderhaus Fechenheim in Frankfurt. Seven children and young people explored the FFF exhibition GEN Z: SHAPING A NEW GAZE and the theme of colour.

Following their visit to the exhibition, the participants created their own interpretation of a ›home‹ as a collage. The resulting colourful compositions were then photographed.

The group also experimented with the photographic alternative printing process of cyanotype, or blueprint printing. The participants collected flowers, grasses and stones, or drew their own ideas on transparent sheets, which they then placed on light-sensitive paper.

The workshop was led by Magdalena Kristahn (art educator) and Lena Bils (professional photographer).

The resulting works were presented in the exhibition Von Hunden, Brillen und Superkindern (Of Dogs, Glasses and Superchildren), alongside photographic works displayed in the staircase of Kinderhaus Fechenheim from July 17, 2026.