As part of its commitment to supporting local talent in the community, Canon, a world leader in imaging solutions, hosted a professional photography workshop as part of the Canon Kenya Photography Awards 2015. The workshop is designed to provide a creative learning environment that inspires talent and supports participating photographers in building their professional portfolio to the highest standards.

The Canon Kenya Photography Awards were organised by the Photographers Association of Kenya and PAWA254 - an Arts and ARTivism hub based in Nairobi - to recognize skill, talent and hard work among professional and budding photographers in Kenya.

Photographers submitted their work in nine main categories, intended to cover diverse areas of interest. The Photographer of the Year 2015, Alice Oldenburg was announced at a Gala event at KICC-Nairobi. The award was presented by Hendrik Verbrugghe Marketing Director Canon Middle East and the Swiss ambassador in Kenya Jacques Pitteloud.

The award categories included: Creative, News, Sports, Nature, Portraiture, Daily Life, Young Photographer of the Year, Special Category Climate Change, and Peoples Choice (online vote).

Canons workshop was hosted by Raul Gabat; Business Development Manager Canon Middle East. Finalists were invited to a technical session that included a free check and clean for Canon equipment. The mornings programme centred around the following four topics: Canon CMOS Sensor, Camera Design, AF System and Understanding the Glass. Nominees asked questions and the session was closed with a Touch and Try segment wherein the rising photographers were able to further experiment with Canon equipment.

Anurag Agrawal, Managing Director, Canon Middle East said: We have seen great success at the workshop hosted in Nairobi. Through Canons ongoing professional workshops we are able to provide educational opportunities in communities where access to institutional photography education is costly and limited.

Canons Kenya Photography Awards comes at a time where the photography industry is steadily growing with many young people opting to choose the art as a professional full time career and make a living from it. And we are here to support the event as we aim to motivate and encourage talent, added Agrawal.

As part of its community based activities in Kenya, Canon hosted a professional photography workshop in Nairobi last year and a second workshop earlier this year, to provide emerging young photographers the opportunity to gain new knowledge and enhance their skills in this specialised profession.

Additionally, Canon has partnered with the Mathare Foundation in Nairobi in support of the Silent Stories photography project aimed at nurturing the photography skills of youth based in East Africa.

Canon Middle East serves as an active partner in the communities it operates in, by working with governments, scientific, academic, humanitarian, and arts and culture organisations, to integrate corporate social responsibility across all elements of the business.

For further details of Canon Middle East, global operations, products and services visit www.canon-me.com.