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 highlight 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 Levon Biss 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.

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, Iurie Belegurschi, 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.