Frame & Focus

Frame & Focus: Advanced Photography Course 2025. Doha, Qatar. © Ziyah Gafic.

workshops, lectures, and guided assignments

Frame & Focus: Advanced Photography Course 2025. Doha, Qatar. © Ziyah Gafic.

Advanced photography course based in Qatar & the GCC

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Frame & Focus

Frame & Focus is an advanced photography course designed to build technical mastery and creative vision in emerging photographers based in Qatar and the GCC. The program combines hands-on workshops, online sessions, theoretical lectures, and guided assignments with one-on-one project mentoring — culminating in a professional portfolio and a public group exhibition.

Developed in partnership with Tasweer, Qatar Museums, and QPS, the course is led by world-class photojournalists and visual storytellers from The VII Foundation’s global network. Each edition brings a new cohort of participants through an intensive hybrid format: in-person sessions in Doha bookend a multi-week online phase with guest instructors from across the field.

Tasweer

Tasweer is Qatar’s leading photo festival, aiming to build and enhance the community of photographers in Qatar and the WANA region. During off-festival years, Tasweer focuses on community development, providing programs, workshops, masterclasses, and courses that help push photographers to the next level.

the vii foundation

The VII Foundation is dedicated to transforming visual journalism by empowering emerging voices and creating impactful stories that advocate for change. In a time when beliefs and actions often diverge from reality, the need for transformative visual journalism has never been more urgent.

QPS

Qatar Preparatory School (QPS) is Qatar’s upcoming vocational school for the creative industry. While still under development, QPS is working with Tasweer to enhance the delivery of the course and the partnership with The VII Foundation.

2026 edition

14 Weeks | 14 Participants | Doha + Online

The second edition of the Frame & Focus: Advanced Photography Course — a 14-week hybrid program presented by The VII Foundation, Tasweer, Qatar Preparatory School (QPS), and Qatar Museums — brings together fourteen emerging photographers based in Qatar and the GCC for an expanded curriculum spanning visual storytelling, writing for images, and personal project development.

The program opened with two intensive in-person weeks at The Fire Station in Doha in January 2026, covering technical foundations, studio and location lighting, composition, and editorial practice. Contributing Photographers to The VII Foundation Rena Effendi and M’hammed Kilito, Alessia Glaviano (Head of Global PhotoVogue and Director of the PhotoVogue Festival), and Gary Knight (Executive Director, The VII Foundation) joined Program Director Ziyah Gafić and Co-Lead Rola Khayyat (Assistant Professor at VCU Qatar) for the opening phase.

Ten weeks of online sessions connect participants with Contributing Photographers to The VII Foundation Ashley Gilbertson, Adriana Zehbrauskas, Tomas van Houtryve, Joachim Ladefoged, Ilvy Njiokiktjien, John Stanmeyer, Ed Kashi, and Maciek Nabrdalik, as well as Marie Sumalla (International Photo Editor, Le Monde) and Sana Ullah (Senior Program Officer, National Geographic Society), with individualized mentorship provided throughout by project advisors Contributing Photographer to The VII Foundation Anush Babajanyan and Dr. Yannis Kontos (Assistant Professor of Visual Studies and Creative Industries, UAE University).

The program concludes in Doha in late April and May with a time-based media and filmmaking workshop led by Oscar Award-winning director Ross Kauffman and Emmy Award-winning producer and Director of VII Foundation Films, Fiona Turner, a heritage photography field trip to the Museum of Islamic Art with Marc Pelletreau, and a final week of editing, portfolio reviews, and individual consultations ahead of the closing exhibition.

“Frame & Focus is built on a simple premise: when photographers are given rigorous training, mentorship, and trust, they do more than make stronger images — they shape how their communities are seen, understood, and remembered.”

— Ziyah Gafić, Program Director and Director of The VII Foundation, Sarajevo

2025 edition

12 Weeks | 13 Participants | Doha + Online

The inaugural edition of the Frame & Focus: Advanced Photography Course — a 12-week program presented by The VII Foundation, Tasweer, Qatar Preparatory School (QPS), and Qatar Museums — concluded with a final screening and celebration in Doha in 2025.

In 2025, thirteen emerging photographers based in Qatar and the GCC enhanced their storytelling skills through a dynamic structure that began and ended with intensive in-person sessions, bookending ten weeks of online lectures, assignments, and mentorship.

In its inaugural edition, the course was led by M’hammed Kilito, a contributing photographer to The VII Foundation, with support from Ziyah Gafić (Program Director) and Rola Khayyat (Curatorial Lead). Guest instructors included Contributing Photographers to The VII Foundation Anush Babajanyan, Christopher Morris, Espen Rasmussen, Ilvy Njiokiktjien, Joachim Ladefoged, Rena Effendi, and Tomas van Houtryve, alongside industry guests Andrew Jackson, Anne Foures, Chrysovalantis Lamprianidis, Marc Pelletreau, Sarker Protick, and Tanvi Mishra.

In the final week, the cohort reunited in Doha for an in-person experience that included a hands-on artifact photography workshop at the Museum of Islamic Art and intensive editing sessions at Tasweer Studio. Under the guidance of curator Monica Allende, the students finalized their projects before showcasing their work in a public event that celebrated the diverse visual narratives they created throughout the course.

“This program is about much more than photography — it’s about equipping emerging photographers in the GCC with the tools and confidence to craft and share their own narratives. I’m proud of each student’s growth over these 12 weeks — their commitment, curiosity, and the quality of their final projects were truly impressive. We remain committed to supporting them as they continue their journeys.”

— M’hammed Kilito, Course Leader

Frame & Focus

2026 edition

2025 edition

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