Hands-on workshops
Some of the advanced courses, run over two days, with most workshop sessions conducted by leading British photographers, Mike Browne and David Newton.
The following workshops will be led by Browne:
Focal Length Explained
This beginner workshop allows you to explore the characteristics of different focal lengths, how to use them to revolutionise your imagery, where to focus, infinity, and why you sometimes cannot control depth of field, regardless of the aperture used.
What to bring: Camera with fully charged batteries, zoom lens, notepad and pen (or laptop).
Photo Alchemy
How do you transform the ordinary, into something extraordinary? Learn how to combine your creative vision with technical know-how and capture stimulating images that excite and intrigue a viewer and hold their attention.
What to bring: Laptop or notepad and pen for taking notes.
Choreography of Composition
Learn how to think, see, and shoot different to bring a whole new dimension to your image-making, and you will discover how a good composition makes all the difference between a boring photo and a brilliant one.
Magical Mystery of Light
In this workshop, you will discover how to ‘see’ light and its qualities; how to use it appropriately; and how, just by moving a tiny amount or waiting just a moment, you can exploit it. Beginners can gain direction from this workshop while professionals will be able to expand their skills.
What to bring: Camera with memory card and fully charged batteries plus lens.
The following workshops will be led by David Newton:
Photo Mechanics
This session, covering exposure, camera settings, autofocus settings, and the basics of composition offers a back-to-basics approach in learning how to be in control of your camera rather than letting the camera control you.
What to bring: Camera with fully charged batteries, one or two lenses, memory cards, notebook and pen.
Light the World
This workshop will cover the basics and some advanced techniques to get you using flash, both indoors and outdoors on location with a model, mixing flash with ambient light so that you will learn how to adapt and shoot on location where things constantly change.
What to bring: Camera, selection of lenses, memory card, batteries, speed-light flash, notebook and pen.
All About Light
Here, you will learn about exposure and how shutter speed, aperture, and ISO interlink to affect the amount of light recorded, and how shutter speed and aperture can be used creatively to dramatically change the look of a picture.
What to bring: Camera (with a fully charged battery) and memory card.
Creative Framing
Learn the many compositional guidelines and how, when, and why to break them too. Gain insights into how lens choice, positioning, and camera height all affect the look of the final image and explore all the different elements that work singly or together to create a stunning photograph.
What to bring: Camera with a fully charged battery, lens, memory card and a tripod.
Encyclopaedia Photographica
Whatever your skill level, and whether you are a landscape, street, macro, wildlife, astro, studio, portrait, pet, or wedding photographer, there will be plenty to catch your interest and benefit from in this workshop, which will be led by both Mike and David.
What to bring: A notebook, pen, questions, and an open mind, are the key requirements.
Creating Wow Factor in Landscape Photography with Elia Locardy
Join Worldwide Travel Photographer Elia Locardi for an in-depth look at the post-processing techniques of editing photos in raw, stitching panoramic images, focus stacking, and targeting colour and contrast adjustments, he uses to achieve his signature look.
What to bring: A laptop computer, tablet, or note pad and pen.
Architectural Photography: Essentials and Beyond
Beno Saradzic will lead this hands-on workshop on capturing iconic and timeless shots of architectural masterpieces as you learn what gear you will need, the secrets to impactful architectural composition, and planning and timing your frame.
What to bring: DSLR/Mirrorless camera, ultra-wide and wide lens, sturdy tripod and ball head or geared head, remote shutter release, an 8 or 10-stop ND filter, laptop with a fully charged battery preloaded with Photoshop CC 2021, Lightroom, NIK Collection 3 by DxO (recommended), and smartphone apps, “The Photographer’s “Emphemeris” and “Photopills”.
Learn Black & White Fine Art Photography
Led by Sajin Sasidharan, this two-day workshop will see you prepare for a sunrise or sunset shoot at a spectacular location in Sharjah and lead you on a complete post-processing workflow from RAW to B&W fine art. You will explore creative techniques and angles, learn what makes an image stand out, how to observe architecture in shapes, lines, and light, and how to create images with intention – photographs that convey your artistic vision.
What to bring: A DSLR and a sturdy tripod, a wide-angle lens and at least a mid-range zoom lens, neutral density filters, and laptop with Photoshop (CS5 or later version), Lightroom, Dxo Silver Efex Pro Plug-in.
Advanced Lightroom Classic for Wildlife Photography
Mohammad Murad will guide wildlife photography enthusiasts on a detailed Lightroom editing workflow encompassing smart objects, luminosity selections, masking, dodging and burning, selective editing, and fine-art black and white techniques.
What to bring: A laptop computer with fully charged batteries and Adobe Lightroom installed.
Challenging Composition & Light In Landscape Photography
Key questions on the role of light in getting the best out of landscape photography will be answered by Daniel Kordan in this technically-driven workshop, which the photographer will base on some of his favourite images as he explains, in depth, their creation process.
What to bring: Laptop with fully charged batteries, and 4-5 images of your own landscape photography on a USB stick for critique and composition analysis.
Portfolio reviews
Xposure’s hugely popular offering, which enables photographers to have their portfolios reviewed by global industry experts, is back with eight stalwarts who specialise in varied genres of photography. They are Aidan Sullivan, CEO & Founder Verbatim – Visual. Global. Storytelling; Ray Wells, Sunday Times Picture Editor and contributing photographer; Lars Boering, Director of World Press Photo Foundation; Muhammed Muheisen, National Geographic Photographer & Two-Time Pulitzer Prize Winner; Timothy Allen, Internationally Acclaimed Travel Photographer & Educator.
Each day during the festival, four of the eight reviewers will be available during two, 20-minute sittings. These need to be pre-booked on the following link https://workshops.xposure.ae/product/portfolio-review/
Focus groups
A total of nine free-to-attend focus groups will be held across the four-day festival, enabling up and coming photographers as well as practicing professionals to pick up invaluable lessons from international award-winning image makers. On February 10, The Creative Narrative will be led by Chris de Bode, followed by The Art of Seeing by Juan Pablo Ramirez; and Taking your photography to the next level will hear from Sohail Karmani.
On February 11, Muhammed Muheisen will zoom in on An Alternate Perspective, while Seagram Pearce will lead an insightful discussion on the topic, Photography for commercial Advertising. On the third day of Xposure, focus group discussions will comprise Freelance Photojournalism on the Frontline and Technical Aspects of Motorsport Photography, by Claire Thomas and Gareth Harford, respectively. On February 14, The Power of a Story will be led by Giles Duley, and Sergey Ponomarev will bring the fifth edition’s focus group discussions to a close with Photojournalism in Hostile Environments.
Educational resource for established and emerging photographers
HE Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Government Media Bureau, said: “Over the years, Xposure’s training and capacity building activities, which include specialised workshops, focus groups and portfolio reviews, have gained renown as an excellent educational resource for both established and emerging photographers. Hosted by the world’s best photographers, these sessions are professionally curated to advance the skillsets and hone the talents of all participants, whether they are beginners, intermediate or advanced practitioners of the craft.”
He added: “In keeping with the current COVID-19 guidelines, the fifth edition of Xposure will strictly abide by the stringent guidelines of the UAE health authorities as we remain committed to ensuring the health and safety of all our guests, participants and visitors.”
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© Press Release 2021