Let yourself be inspired!

A vibrant day, brimming with energy and creativity: on Sunday, April 19, the Teens Photo Marathon transformed the historic center of Sirmione into an open-air photography workshop. Despite the inclement weather, the young participants explored the peninsula with determination, translating the proposed themes into personal and original shots.

Drawing inspiration from the Magnum Photos exhibition If trees could speak, held at Palazzo Callas Exhibitions, the marathon’s two themes encouraged the young people to view the plant world as a living protagonist: “HARMONY,” an invitation to capture the balance between nature and the urban context, and “STREET CHILDREN,” an exploration of plants that grow spontaneously among concrete and stone, a symbol of resistance and adaptation.

Making the start of the marathon even more special was the surprise visit of Paolo Pellegrin, photographer for Magnum Photos, and Marco Cattaneo, director of National Geographic Italy. Having attended the previous day’s conference Il potere delle immagini at the Hotel Catullo, the two masters of photography and publishing showed up at the start to greet the young people.

In their speech, Marco Cattaneo encouraged the young people to let themselves be guided by enthusiasm and be surprised by what can be discovered through photography, while Paolo Pellegrin emphasized the value of spontaneity, calling for a return to a free and instinctive gaze, similar to that of the very young.

The marathon then continued for four hours of photography, transforming the views, details, and atmospheres of Sirmione into exciting visual stories.

The Teens Photo Marathon photo gallery in the shots of Gian Maria Pontiroli