Shutterbugs expose captivating stories
It might be an image taken spontaneously, or its photographers might have spent considerable time and made immense efforts to stir our feelings towards a certain issue, just asthe talented writer does using his pen.”. Sheikh Sultan
sharjah — His Higness Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, on Wednesday inaugurated the Xposure 2017 International Photography Festival, which will run until November 25 at the Expo Centre Sharjah.
The event displays the photography of locally and internationallyrenowned photographers, who will also share their expertise to help the region’s enthusiastic shutterbugs take more engaging images.
The four-day Xposure 2017, held under the theme ‘Captivating Stories,’ features 23 exhibitors, 35 workshops and 25 seminars covering ecological topics, humanitarian subjects and social issues, with the sessions revealing the incredible power and influence of pictures in transcending linguistic and geographical boundaries.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, the Sharjah Ruler said: “At the second edition of Xposure, we capitalise on photography to share all the world’s secrets and figure out what is hidden behind the picture. It might be an image taken spontaneously, or its photographers might have spent considerable time and made immense efforts to stir our feelings towards a certain issue, just as the talented writer does using his pen.”
During the launch, Dr Sheikh Sultan attended Canadian photographer Paul Nickel’s ‘Polar Obsession’ keynote session.
This year’s edition of Xposure features an exhibition by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Palestinian photojournalist Muhammed Muheisen, whose selection of 12 photos titled Faces of Sharjah is exclusively displayed at the festival.
An exhibition featuring the work of the 17 winners of the festival’s photography competition, which saw entries from 10,000 photographers from 98 countries around the world, is also being held. The initiative is aimed at motivating talented photographers by giving them a valuable opportunity to promote their work.
The Sharjah Ruler viewed the 50 display panels and images by new talents. He also viewed the work of the Timothy Allen Photography Scholarship Award winner, which was launched during the first edition. Workshops at the exhibition will cover an array of photography types like location, street, aerial drone, product, underwater, photo archiving, camera focus tech- niques, besides studio lighting essentials, long exposure and postprocessing.
Dr Sheikh Sultan also highlighted the efforts of Muslim scientist Al Hassan Ibn Al Haitham and his scientific contributions that led to the first camera’s invention, through the discovery of the dark room with a circular opening that he called “the cabin,” up to 1826 when the first known photograph was taken by French scientist Joseph Niépce. The festival is organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, the media and communication arm of the Sharjah Government.