Canon simplifies the journey for imaging enthusiasts at Sharjah’s XPOSURE festival

Canon Middle East, the leader in imaging products and solutions, showcased its complete workflow of input to output, covering everything right from the process of taking photographs to printing them on different materials at XPOSURE, Sharjah's International Photography Festival from the 12th until the 15th of October.

A key highlight at the Canon stand was the ‘Projection Experience Zone’ where one of the engagements to attract visitors, was by using convergence of two projectors in order to harmonize single animation content. To add the illusion of the content a transparent ‘Mesh screen’ was used aptly for rear projection. Customers visiting this zone, were treated to a ‘Green Room’ photo shoot against iconic landmarks of Sharjah as a backdrop giving a feel of reality in a virtual world. The visitors also had an opportunity to ‘spin the wheel’ and win exciting goodies. This experience using Canon interactive projectors was a big hit with the visitors because of the gesture based interactions, standing almost a meter away.

The event follows the signing earlier this year of an agreement with Sharjah Media Centre to host XPOSURE, Sharjah's International Photography Festival. The agreement was inked with Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi and Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director of Canon Middle East. Through the partnership, the parties developed a unified global platform for upcoming photographers and photojournalists from around the world to meet and share their experiences.

“Sharjah is the cultural hub of the UAE and an event like this complements the heritage and traditions while also promoting an environment of creativity. Canon has always believed in the philosophy of doing and promoting good for the society. With our participation, we wanted to give every photography enthusiast a platform to experience the latest revolutions in camera and printing technology while also help them learn and evolve in the art,” said Hendrik Verbrugghe, Marketing Director, Canon Middle East and Canon Central and North Africa.

Tariq Saeed Allay, Director of Sharjah Media Centre who are the organizers of the festival said: “XPOSURE offers many exciting prospects to learn new skills and network with leading professionals and enthusiasts, along with the opportunity to see, handle and try the latest photographic products. We are excited to partner with Canon and pioneer this new concept to promote and develop the art.”

At the Canon booth, visitors for the first time, got to be up, close and personal with the most sought-after 5D Mark IV and experience features such as In-Built Fame grab, Dual Pixel AF function in video from the 5D legacy. While Canon showcased the strength of the EOS 5DS and EOS 5DSR in the fashion photography with live-photo shoots, the fastest DSLR in the world, EOS 1Dx MKII was highlighted in the Studio Lighting photography workflow.

Canon also showcased 16 best photos by top photographers in the region in the field of street photography, portraiture, wildlife and fashion. These images were auctioned to the public and the proceeds of which will go to charity.

From a printing perspective, visitors also experienced the input to output journey of taking photos and getting it printed on different materials such as wood, metal aluminum using different printers starting from Water based with the new PRO series, the new UV ink Arizona Flatbed, and the Toner based Image Press series. Some of the printers showcased included imagePROGRAF PRO-1000, PRO-2000 and PRO-4000S which is designed for art schools, graphic artists, designers and professional photographers, giving the very best photographic in print quality in reliable time. Along with the world’s fastest wide format color printer Océ ColorWave 910, Canon also demonstrated its highly comprehensive range of Wide Format Printers which includes the Arizona 460GT UV-Flatbed that produces near-photographic image quality for printing on rigid or flexible media, Océ ColorWave 700 and the powerful imagePROGRAF range that includes iPF6400s, iPF6450, iPF8400, iPF8400SE and iPF9400s.

Canon also went a step ahead and teamed with ace Sharjah-based photographer Abdullah Al Qaish to create an exclusive Sharjah City Guide, replete with Sharjah’s beautiful but unexplored locations and first-hand photography tips. “In every city, there is a place that sets its heartbeat and defines the pulse of the city, reflecting its history, echoing its ethos and mirroring its spirit. Canon aims to find such places across Sharjah and we are bringing them out in the public space in the form of a ‘Sharjah City Guide,” said Abdullah Al Qaish.

Verbrugghe further added: “Today, a new generation of photographers share their work through print, social media, streaming video, mobile devices, PCs and TV. As photographers everywhere become more comfortable, creative and adept with this rapidly evolving form of Hybrid Photography, and Canon cameras lead the way in terms of in-camera creativity tools and 4K Ultra HD Video capture with simple workflow to help everyone shoot and share amazing photos and videos.