Apart from bringing together the world’s best photographers, Xposure International Photography Festival (Xposure 2021), a four-day celebration of photography, inaugurated today at Expo Centre Sharjah, is also acting as a learning ground for amateur photographers.

With a total of 14 workshops by seven experts, it presents a unique opportunity to the photography enthusiasts visiting Xposure 2021 to learn the nitty-gritties of the profession, directly from the experts.

Led by industry experts, the first day of the festival hosted workshops on a variety of topics covering both technical and aesthetic elements of the craft. Commercial photographer, Mike Browne, delivered one titled ‘Focal Length Explained’, highlighting the importance of mastering the technique of adjusting focal length and applying it correctly to capture good images.

“There are only five things you need to master in order to click a good photo. These are shutter, aperture, ISO, focal length and auto focus. If you know these five well, you can click beautiful pictures. Good use of these can change the mood and the feeling of a photograph dramatically,” he added.

As he went through the technicalities, Mike also shared some hands-on, practical advice with the workshop’s participants, referencing his career experiences during an interactive workshop.

“Look at everything while clicking a picture – not just the thing that you are photographing. To make your pictures more striking, you need to move along with the camera. Don’t just zoom, dance with your camera,” he said.

Mike led a second workshop titled ‘Photo Alchemy’, sharing tips with participants on how to transform an ordinary photograph into an extraordinary one.

Talking about the importance of such workshops, Mike said, “These workshops are incredibly helpful to amateurs.They are not only about the camera buttons or settings as cameras do not take pictures, people do. Through these workshops, we are helping people think like artists and professionals who have the power to generate impact.”

Two more workshops on the first day of Xposure 2021,‘The Basics of Photography’ and ‘Portrait Photography’were presented by photographer Amer Daboub,who gave participants a general overview of both topics along with a few technical aspects involved in professional portrait photography.

In the final workshop of the day, ‘Creating Wow Factor in Landscape Photography’, participants interacted with world-renowned travel photographer Elia Locardi, who let them in on his signature post-processing techniques he has used to build his globally acclaimed repertoire.

On the side-lines of this session, Elia said, “With these workshops, Xposure 2021 is helping participants learn from the experience of already established photographers. The in-person opportunity for learning and interaction that these workshops bring cannot be compared to online sessions. Xposure is serving as a true learning platform in this sense.”

Every year, Xposure International Photography Festival offers audiences the opportunity to meet an elite group of internationally renowned photographers, enjoy their creative work, and learn from them. This year, along with these special workshops, Xposure 2021 also features several seminars and inspiring talks which will be led by over 50 participating photographers from across the world.