The sixth edition of Xposure International Photography Festival, organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB),will connect audiences to the world of art, culture, adventure, beauty, and humanity, as celebrated photographers and emerging visual practitioners share their stories, experiences,and lessons from February 9- 15 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Award-winning storytellers, photojournalists, and talented photographers from around the world will open dialogues on their impactful images across a spectrum of genres and offer enriching insights into the world around us, through an expansive series of in-person interactions, inspiring talks, lively discussions, hands-on workshops, and more.

The discussions and talks are an integral component of Sharjah’s annual celebration of photography and aim to create conversations on trends, techniques, and styles and highlights the manifold perspectives and narratives of the moving stories behind powerful and iconic images.

Human experiences in the spotlight on Feb 9

Aaron Gekoski turns the spotlight on mankind’s complex relationship with the $250 billion-dollar-per-year wildlife tourism industry in ‘Wildlife Tourism Uncovered’; Macedonian-Australian photographer Biljana Jurukovski discusses her journey of curiosity and passion for world cultures in ‘The journey of self-discovery through Photography’; and British photographer LevonBiss explains the challenges of photography at high magnification in ‘Extreme Macro’.

Award-winning architectural photographer Steven Brooke will delve into ‘The Depiction of Architecture: Historical Precedents and Contemporary Applications’; while in ‘How the media created Endurance’, Omar Havana discusses the news fatigue surrounding the Nepal earthquake that led to his path-breaking documentary work.

Czech photographer and filmmaker Jana Andert, who focuses on conflict zones and humanitarian issues, tells a story of courage, determination and an overwhelming belief in bearing witness in ‘Inside the War on ISIS’, in a conversation with Ray Wells.

The appeal of compelling visual art on Feb 11

Vineet Vohra solves the puzzle of composing compelling images in a split second in ‘Serendipity on the Streets’; Alan Schaller, a London-based photographer will discuss ‘Monochrome Photography Today’ and examine the reasons why black and white photography is still relevant; Dutch photographer Iwan Baan explores how light and darkness shape traditional building technology and the lives of people in Burkina Faso in ‘Momentum of Light’; while Frank Fournier’s ‘The Other’ is an introspection into the impact of violence and its effect on shaping history.

In ‘Building the Photo Ark’, National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore takes audiences behind the scenes on his mission to photograph every species in human care in the world; while Chris Rainier describes why culture matters in ‘Cultures on the Edge: Documenting Indigenous tribes around the world’.

Artistic, ethical concerns raised on Feb 13

Media expert Aidan J Sullivan pays tribute to a prolific and revered photojournalist in ‘Remembering Tom Stoddart’; Sergey Ponomarev discusses ‘New Opportunities: During the Pandemic Lockdown’ and how his latest project featuring the empty streets of his hometown, Moscow, came about;while in ‘The Challenge of the Freelancer: Long Term Projects’, Diego Ibarra Sánchez will elaborate on a photographer’s role in raising questions instead of giving stereotyped answers to draw attention to the focal point of a tragedy.

Power of photography highlighted on Feb 14

A distinguished panel of photographers including Daniel Kordan, IurieBelegurschi, and
Jordan Hammond will discuss the potential of photography to influence others in ‘The Power of Photography’; Tariq Zaidi will present two unique award-winning bodies of work in his presentation –‘Sapeurs of the Congo’ & ‘El Salvador: a Nation Held Hostage’; while Dutch photographer Jasper Doest discusses his project ‘Meet Bob’—the story of the rehabilitation process of a flamingo who has become an ambassador for conservation.

Alain Schroeder will present the making of two award-winning stories shot in Indonesia – ‘Saving Orangutans’ and ‘Kid Jockeys’ in a session titled, ‘Stories in the making’ where he will also discuss the challenges and obstacles encountered along the way. In ‘The Other Side of Things’, García de Marina offers a walk through the artistic creation of an alternative universe with inanimate objects captured in a conceptual narrative.

‘A Solitary Endeavour: Steve McCurry’s Illustrious Journey’ presents an insight into the celebrated photographer’s key adventures and influences – from his very first journalistic images to his breakthrough journey into Afghanistan, his many travels across India and Pakistan, his coverage of the destruction of the 1991 Gulf War and his most recent work.

Award-winning documentations on Feb 15

Former civil-rights lawyer and conceptual documentary artist Debi Cornwall shares her practice and her process, from researching and negotiating access, to documenting invisible systems and creating a context that invites viewers to look anew in ‘Illuminating Necessary Fictions’; while Gonçalo Fonseca’s award-winning documentation of the deep housing crisis grappling the Portuguese capital will be the subject of a discussion titled, ‘Documenting a Housing Crisis’.

In ‘Eye Contact’,MogensTrolle will take listeners on his journeys around Africa and Asia and discuss his fascination for looking into the eyes of our closest relatives, the other primates; British photographer George Georgiou will share elements of his creative process and the evolution of his projects that discuss the complexities of the individual in relation to community and the urban public space in ‘The Individual & Community’; while American photographer James Nachtwey who has dedicated his career to documenting wars and critical social issues will offer ‘A perspective on visual journalism in an era of social media and ‘alternative facts’’.

All seminars at Xposure 2022 are free to attend and open to the public. To know more about the timing, dates, and other details of each session, please visit www.xposure.ae