How to Take the Best Photo of Russia

Where can you learn professional secrets and proven techniques of successful photographers? The Russian Geographical Society knows — and is giving this opportunity to all participants of the XII Photo Contest «The Most Beautiful Country»! For the second time, the RGS will conduct a free educational program as part of the large-scale media project that has brought together tens of thousands of people. Master classes and portfolio reviews from leading experts in the world of photography will help you get closer to victory. And in 2026, there is a special reason to compete for it, because in addition to the traditional prizes, the finalists will take a photo tour to one of the country’s unique nature reserves!

The educational program of the photo contest will be held in three cities: St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, and Vladivostok. Participants will receive master classes from members of the project’s expert commission and finalists of «The Most Beautiful Country». No less valuable will be the opportunity to show your work to professionals and hear their opinions — in the format of a portfolio review.

On February 17, in St. Petersburg, participants of the educational program will plunge into the atmosphere of the Russian Galapagos — the Commander Islands — together with Ilya Trukhanov, a traveler and photographer, winner of the RGS’s photo contest. The guests of the master class will learn firsthand about aerial and ground-based photography in the conditions of yacht expeditions to save the population of the Mednovsky Arctic fox, the only predator of the island of Medny. Vyacheslav Zametnya, winner of the prize in the «Wild Animals» category and the People’s Choice Award of the 11th photo contest, will tell about how to successfully conduct a «photo session» with the participation of another famous and rare inhabitant of protected areas, the snow leopard. The photographer will talk about the species patterns of the rarest animal in Russia and share how to overcome the difficulties of working as a photographer in difficult conditions of the highlands — from choosing equipment for remote systems to finding the right locations. 

The RGS media project has proven more than once that you can take a great shot on a smartphone. Chief editor of Prophotos.ru Georgy Politsarnov, a member of the expert commission of «The Most Beautiful Country», is 100% sure that it is not a camera that is shooting, but a photographer. But still, you can’t do without a thoughtful choice of photographic equipment. How to achieve an impressive result and what to shoot on to win the contest? The expert will share these and other secrets on March 6 in Yekaterinburg. Also on this day, the participants of the educational program will embark on a real adventure together with Sergei Semenov, a member of the expert commission of the contest, CEO and leading photographer of the world-famous AirPano project, who has prepared a real lecture-journey. The guests of the meeting will learn more about the art of wildlife photography and photographing in the most inaccessible corners of the planet.

At the end of March in Vladivostok, participants of the educational program will be immersed in the wonderful world of the night astronomical landscape in the company of amateur photographer and astrophotographer, multiple finalist of «The Most beautiful Country» Anton Komlev. He will tell you everything about landscape astrophotography, starting with the specifics of this field and ending with the nuances of shooting and picture editing. Another winner of the RGS’s contest, photographer Yuri Smityuk, who works at the junction of natural and reportage photography, will share his professional secrets.

The submissions for the XII Photo Contest «The Most Beautiful Country» are already open — the RGS is waiting for unique shots from different parts of Russia until March 31, 2026. The winners in the main categories receive a prize of 250,000 rubles, special prizes from the project partners, and a unique gift for the finalists —a photo tour of Sailyugemsky National Park in August 2026. The authors of the best works of the children’s contest will be awarded prizes in the amount of 100,000 rubles.