A stellar line-up of 53 globally acclaimed local and international photographers will be taking stage at the upcoming International Photography Festival ‘Xposure’ in Sharjah, from September 19 – 22.
Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB) is offering camera professionals, media students and art lovers first-hand access to a wealth of the photographers’ incredible personal journeys, to be showcased in each of their exhibitions and awe-inspiring talks through this unique four-day celebration of photography.
Xposure 2019 has introduced a new concept this year: four themes, namely ‘Xpose Adventure’, Xpose Emotions’, ‘Xpose Art’ and ‘Xpose Life’ to enhance visitor experience. Exhibitions, seminars and other festival offerings will discuss ecology, war, humanitarian and political events, architecture, street photography and more – all under the unique narrative of the four themes.
Participating photographers
- Afshin Ismaeli is a photojournalist, war photographer and researcher who has documented wars and humanitarian issues, and published extensive photographic essays on conflicts in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Greece and Bosnia.
- Aidan J Sullivan is an internationally renowned media expert and photographer who was Head of Assignments at Getty Images and a successful entrepreneur who launched Verbatim agency.
- Alice Wielinga is a documentary photographer from Amsterdam who has done some stunning work documenting artists in North Korea.
- Filmmaker Ami Vitale likes photographing the less exposed aspects of conflict areas and is a five-time recipient of World Press Photos honours.
- Amer Al Ali is an Emirati photographer who believes it is his duty to showcase the heritage and culture of the land.
- Spanish Antonio Aragon Renuncio has extensive experience in documenting lives around the world and has won numerous awards, including the Xposure Photojournalism award in 2018.
- Beno Saradizc is a time-lapse cinematographer and photographer, currently based in Dubai, who has won 50 awards in the last five years.
- Bjoern Lauen’s work has been published extensively in prestigious publications and has pioneered the development of aerial vehicles for photography.
- Fascinated with capturing nature in natural light, Chris Coe has won many awards for his work and founded the now prestigious Travel Photographer of the Year Award.
- US-based street and documentary photographer Chris Suspect’s work has been recognised and exhibited the world over.
- Chris Tuff began taking and processing photographs when he was nine and is now a globally known landscape photographer.
- Well-known for his long-term project on volcanoes, Cris Toala Olivares has won many awards and his work is displayed in museums across the world.
- Multiple award-winning documentarist David Chancellor’s works examine man’s commodification of wildlife.
- A graphic designer who specialises in photography-based projects and publications, David Griffin runs his own studio in Washington and has worked across the spectrum.
- Trained as a marine biologist, David Newton refuses to be tied to one genre in photography and travels the world to get his award-winning pictures.
- Pulitzer Prize-winner Essdras M Suarez was a photojournalist with the Boston Globe newspaper and now conducts photo workshops internationally.
- Florian Ledoux is a nature and wildlife photographer who specialises in the Polar regions and whose work has been published in several prestigious magazines and won many awards.
- Frankie Quinn is a documentarist and director of the Belfast Archive Project. His documentation of Belfast is considered one of the finest examples of photojournalism.
- Frenchman Gregory Pol is a sailor and a scuba diver whose passion is nature photography. He is famous for his series on the snowy owl.
- Best known as a cultural documentary photographer, New York-based Ira Block is also a lecturer and workshop leader.
- An educator with the University of Miami, Prof. J Tomas Lopez has held 35 solo exhibitions of his works, which have won numerous awards.
- Jason Hawkes’ aerial shots have won him much fame, clients and magazine covers, including the National Geographic.
- Storytelling is central to travel and documentary photographer Jeffery Garriock’s work, which includes a series on the workers at the Chernobyl nuclear plant.
- The last staff photographer at LIFE magazine, Joe McNally has done it all and has been listed as one of the ‘100 Most Influential People in Photography’ by American Photo.
- Special correspondent for Getty Images, John Moore won the World Press Photo of the Year this year for his iconic image ‘Crying Girl on the Border’.
- Founder and Executive Director of the Miami Street Photography Festival, Juan Jose Reyes is an acclaimed ‘street’ photographer.
- Kathy Moran is National Geographic magazine’s first senior editor for natural history projects and has edited over 300 stories for the magazine.
- 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.
- Laurel Chor is a freelance photographer, writer, and filmmaker from Hong Kong, who is a National Geographic Explorer, currently focused on photo essays about how China is shaping the natural environment around the planet.
- Linus Escandor II is an independent photojournalist and documentary photographer who relates stories of the incredible travails of the Filipino community in his native country.
- Michael Christopher Brown is an American photographer known for his documentation of the 2011 Libyan Civil War, which resulted in the monograph, ‘Libyan Sugar’ (2016).
- Mike Browne is a commercial photographer who has a passion for training and educating, with clients worldwide and 260,000 followers on YouTube.
- Mobeen Ansari is a photographer, sculptor and filmmaker from Pakistan who narrates stories of his country’s rich history, highlighting the diversity of its people and places.
- Dakar-born Omar Victor’s body of work includes fine arts and fashion photography, and he enjoys dabbling in costume design, styling and creative writing.
- Paul Conroy is a photojournalist and documentary maker who began his career in the military and has worked in warzones all over the world, taking photographs and making films for the BBC, Sky TV and The Sunday Times, amongst others.
- Dr. Paul Funston has been involved in lion research and conservation for over 25 years and is world renowned for his knowledge and passion for lions across Africa. He is an accomplished photographer having published a photographic essay on the bush experience ‘Spirit on the Bush’ and many popular and scientific articles.
- Petros Giannakouris is an award-winning Associated Press staff photographer based in Athens. For several years, he has been documenting his county’s financial crisis, and among others, the refugee flow into Europe.
- Phillip Lee Harvey has spent the past 20 years travelling the world, taking photographs for advertising agencies and magazines which are acclaimed for their graphic quality, use of light and composition.
- A desire to immortalise every day of his daughter’s life led to his interest in photography, which soon became Rafal Makiela’s passion. Dubai-based Makiela specialises in underwater fashion photography and commercial advertising.
- A picture editor with many Fleet Street news agencies and magazines, Ray Wells has been with The Sunday Times for the last 25 years.
- 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.
- Richard Le Manz is a popular Spanish photographer whose work revolves around telling real and imaginary stories.
- Sajin Sasidharan is a multiple award-winning fine art photographer based in Dubai, who specialises in black and white, long exposure photography.
- Sankha Kar is Deputy Photo Editor at Gulf News, Dubai, who has covered several major events, including a tsunami, earthquakes, cyclones and elections in India, and has been in the thick of the action during the civil war in Jaffna, Sri Lanka.
- Somi Nwandu is an award-winning photographer and exhibiting visual artist who works in various media and believes in the power of art to uplift, unify and inspire people.
- Steve Winter has been a photographer for National Geographic for over two decades and specialises in wildlife, particularly the big cats. He has been named BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year and BBC Wildlife Photojournalist of the Year.
- Initially a photojournalist with The Sunday Times and The Independent, Timothy Allen later went on to photograph ‘Human Planet’ for BBC. He has received numerous commendations.
- Xavier Portela is a creative director and a self-taught photographer and videographer known for his visual onslaught of signs and neon lights series ‘Glow’, which has grown in popularity since its debut in 2016.
- Ziyad Al Arfraj tells stories through his camera, with his most famous series being ‘The Face’, which reflects the stories of Saudi Arabian women from every background, representing diversity and variety.
Xposure is the official photography platform that combines a broad range of photography activities with a consumer product Trade Show. Supported by internationally acclaimed professionals and industry experts, Xposure International Photography Festival offers many exciting opportunities to learn new skills and network with leading professionals and enthusiasts, along with the opportunity to see, handle and try the latest photographic products.
