Sharjah 24: Photographers in the UAE are engaging in open-ended discussions, exchanging ideas, and delving into niche areas of the field through 10 professional-led focus groups at the sixth edition of the Xposure International Photography Festival, which runs until February 15 at Expo Centre Sharjah.

Focus group sessions held at Xposure 2022 on the festivals first two days included ‘Cultures through Portraiture’ by Biljana Jurukovski which detailed both the challenges and opportunities associated with travel photography and the art of capturing the essence of different cultures through portraits; a timely and information-packed session on ‘Marketing and Photojournalism’ by Spanish photographer Omar Havana; and a session on ‘Architectural Photography and Composition’ led by Steven Brooke.

On February 12, Alain Schroeder will break down the editing process in an open-ended session titled, ‘Become a Better Photographer Through Better Editing’. The session will provide depth, nuance and variety and answer individual questions.

The focus groups continue February 13 with Aaron Gekoski’s ‘Breaking into Photojournalism’ where the environmental journalist will lead discussions on how aspiring photographers can enter the world of photojournalism. The session covers topics ranging from pre-production and creative photographic techniques to post-production and marketing.

On February 14, Jeffrey Garriock will lead the session, ‘Photography and Storytelling’, to focus on telling impactful visual stories through composition, eye movement, editing and portraiture techniques. The same day, Lois Lammerhuber will discuss the vision and real possibilities to explore ways to use ‘Photography as a tool to generate a Grassroots Movement’.

Xposure 2022 will conclude on February 15 with a focus group session titled ‘Long Term Photographic Project’. Goncalo Fonseca, a Lisbon-based documentary photographer, will discuss how to craft a successful long-term photography project from conception to execution and receive the required exposure.