Sharjah will play host to a diverse line up of photo talent as 51of the world’s best photographers from across all over the world will advance the art and appreciation of photography at the fifth edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival, to be held from February 10 -13 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB), Sharjah’s annual four-day celebration of photography is an exciting opportunity to check out wildlife and news photography to conceptual works, documentary photography, and stories that embrace global social, political, and environmental issues, as well as visual explorations of cultural and personal experiences, Xposure 2021 will present a broad range of formats, narratives, and subjects that both challenge and enhance the photographic medium.

HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, said: “The presence of 51 globally acclaimed photographers for the fifth edition of Xposure attests to its growing importance on the global cultural calendar for those who want to break new ground, and debate, develop and challenge the idea of what photography is and can be, now and in the future. For art and photography enthusiasts and our multicultural audiences, Xposure is a dedicated platform devoted to fostering new perspectives in visual language as well as discovering new ways to use photography.”

He added: “As one of MENA region’s leading photography platforms, Xposure also serves to raise our awareness of compelling issues around the world as highly acclaimed photographers share their global experiences, knowledge and expertise, helping nurture and propel the next generation of creative artists onto the international stage.”

Photographers at Xposure 2021

Aaron Gekoski travels the planet to document man’s complex relationship with nature and his confronting, arresting imagery provides a snapshot of human-animal conflict in the 21st century.

Sharjah’s Abdulla Albuqaish has connected his love of architecture and the buildings in his homeland to nurture his specialisation in the art of cityscape photography.

Founder and owner of Verbatim Photo, Aidan J. Sullivan represents some of the globally acclaimed filmmakers and photojournalists and has worked across multiple aspects of the media industry.

UAE-based, UK fine art photographer Anthony Lamb,is infatuated with water and negative spaces and incorporates stillness and silence in his work to delve into the emotional story of the image.

The conceptual approach of still life photography is one of António Coelho’s strong points as it allows him to merge his lifelong passion for art with photography.

Moving from advertising and fashion photography to photojournalism, India’s Ashok Verma, a senior photojournalist based in the UAE, is excited by the challenges of street photography.

‘Light’ is a prime concern for Pakistan’s Atif Saeed who turns his lens on beautiful and remote wilderness locations to satisfy his personal love of nature and his passion for adventure.

Beno Saradzic is a UAE-based Slovenian fine art photographer whose exceptionally envisioned, technically complex visuals are executed with ambitious post-production techniques.

South African Brent Stirton uses his documentary work to shine light on issues relating to wildlife and conservation, global health, diminishing cultures, sustainability, and the environment.

A worldwide traveller whose artistic vision is shaped by his global experiences, Brian Hodges specialises in portraits and documentary photojournalism that make a powerful connection to a place.

Fascinated with capturing nature in natural light, Chris Coe experiments with both movement and light and is the founder of the prestigious Travel Photographer of the Year Award.

Working in collaboration with Save the Children Netherlands, Chris de Bode captures the dreams of children worldwide and covers issues relating to Syrian refugees.

Claire Thomas is a freelance photojournalist and photographer from Wales, UK, whose work focuses on conflict, humanitarian, and social issues in diverse and remote corners of the world.

An explorer at heart, Russia’s Daniel Kordancombines his passions for nature and travel to hone his skills in the genre of landscape photography.

David Newton, who refuses to be tied to any one genre in photography,believes in creating the image in-camera and focuses on camera techniques and creative use of filters and flash to achieve the best results.

Documentary photographer and filmmaker Diego Ibarra Sánchez’s gaze goes beyond the frontlines of conflict zones as attempts to raise questions and generate reflections through his work.

Freelance photojournalist and videographer Dmitri Beliakov’s work focuses on armed conflicts, terrorism, counter-terrorism, and civil society crackdown, mainly in Russia and the former Soviet Union.

Acclaimed travel photographer Elia Locardi’s unique style of photography uses a combination of traditional in-camera techniques and advanced post-processing and time blending methods.

Her interest in people and a longing for reporting on world issues, has led Emma Francis, a British-American, to document women, peacekeepers, and Boko Haram survivors, amongst others.

Italian photojournalist Francesco Zizola documents global conflicts and their hidden crises, focusing on the social and humanitarian issues that define life in the developing world and western countries.

International sports photographer Gareth Harford thrives in the high-pressure environment of motorsports and creates dynamic images that portray both passion and personality.

Former music photographer,Giles Duley, now focuses on the long-term humanitarian impact of conflict o highlight lesser-known stories deserving of public attention and action.

Former photojournalist Isa Ebrahim specialises in depicting the lives of people across countries and cultures and has been the Vice President of the Bahrain Photographic Society since 2015.

Developing her photography skills to document her adventures in remote locations around the globe, Canada’s Jody MacDonald today focuses on the larger issues impacting cultures and the environment.

Colombian Juan Pablo Ramirez, a former photojournalist, has for the past three years, been documenting the lives of Iranian sailors living by Dubai Creek.

An independent documentary photographer, Bangladesh-based K M Asad’s work is primarily based on humanity, disaster, social rights, climate change, and long-term projects.

Lars Boering is the Director of the World Press Photo foundation, as well as a photopreneur, advisor on photography, teacher, collector, and consultant with decades of experience.

French artist Laurent Chéhère’s“Flying Houses” series is a collection of fantastical buildings, homes, tents and trailers removed from their backgrounds and suspended in the sky, as if permanently airborne.

Luca Venturi’s passion for photography, which inspired him to create a world-class festival in his city of Siena, led to the founding of the Siena International Photo Awards.

With a passion for training and educating others, commercial photographer Mike Browne is helping photographers fulfil their dreams, and experience the world anew through photography.

Dubai-based landscape photographer and portraitist Mohammad Kamal communicates the visual beauty of vast natural spaces through multiple exposures shot under dramatic light.

Mohammad Murad is an award-winning Kuwaiti photographer specialising in wildlife photography, with a special interest and passion for bird photography.

Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner Muhammed Muheisen has been documenting the refugee crisis around the world for over a decade and is the founder and chairman of the Dutch non-profit organisation, Everyday Refugees Foundation.

A philanthropic motorcyclist, journalist, and photographer, Neale Bayly is the founder of the Wellspring International Outreach, a non-profit organisation that comes to the aid of orphans around the world.

Raised in Australia, Indian-born Palani Mohan now living in the UAE, started his professional career with the Sydney Morning Herald and has authored six books including Wind, Water. 

American photojournalist Paula Bronstein’s expertise lies in documenting humanity and bringing awareness to compelling issues throughout the world, especially those in the conflict regions.

Ray Wells, Picture Editor of The Sunday Times, often grapples with the dilemma of how to balance reporting a harsh reality without losing your audience.

New Zealand’s Robin Hammond is dedicated to amplifying narratives of marginalised groups through Witness Change, a non-profit organisation he founded to advance human rights through visual story telling.

Founder and CEO of Iconic Images, Robin Morgan, seeks out lost or forgotten negative archives, fully digitises them for posterity and collaborates on creating exhibitions and publishing books.

New York City and Miami-based photographer Ron B. Wilson specialises in an award-winning documentary style of photography with an emphasis on environmental portraits.

Sajin Sasidharanis a multiple award-winning fine art photographer based in Dubai, who specialises in black and white, long exposure photography.

Nature photographer Samuel Feron’s explorations in remote and sparsely inhabited areas has taken him to Namibian red dune deserts, Indonesian acid lakes, and cloud forests of Costa Rica, amongst others.

Combining his love for astronomy, arts and adventure, UAE-based multi-award-winning photographer, Samy Al Olabi’s body of work in astrophotography is regarded as one of the best in the region.

For South Africa’s Seagram Pearce, dramatic lighting is the priority in every frame of portraiture or automotive visuals, as it allows him to create the mood and capture the soul of his subject.

An independent visual storyteller, Senthil Kumaran is currently documenting human and animal conflict issues in the Gulf of Mannar biosphere and illegal animal trade in Cambodia.

Sergey Ponomarev is a freelance photographer based in Moscow, Russia, and is best known for his work covering wars and conflict in the Middle East as well as the migrant crisis in Europe.

His fascination for human behaviour has led SohailKarmani, a British professor at New York University Abu Dhabi, take a keen interest in ‘people photography’, focusing on travel, street, and documentary photography.

Lithuanian documentary photographer and a great admirer of analogue photography, TadasKazakeviciusadopts a humanistic approach in telling people stories.

Working with international news companies, Lebanese Palestinian filmmaker Tariq Keblaoui has captured powerful and emotional scenes of peaceful protests and army and police crack downs in Lebanon.

Timothy Allen has co-created a photography scholarship award with the Sharjah Government Media Bureau, which is awarded annually to 5 photographers from around the world.

Tran Tuan Viet is an award-winning Vietnamese photographer specialising in travel, fine art, and cultural photography.