• Canon Academy to create a new generation of storytellers and photographers under the Canon Juniors Academy photography course.
• Second edition of CJA included more than 60 students enrolled in a hybrid 10-week course to learn the art of storytelling through photography.

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES, 06 July, 2021:  Canon Middle East has launched an interactive virtual exhibition showcasing children’s creative talent in photography following the successful conclusion of its Canon Juniors Academy (CJA) course, which took place from January 24 to April 8. The Virtual Exhibition, is running a display of visual creativity, showcasing the students’ work and how they applied the skills they learned from the course to tell unique stories.

The second season of CJA’s beginner photography course was conducted through a hybrid learning approach to ensure the safety of the students in line with social distancing practices. The course held its sessions through virtual webinars and the students attended one session each week after school, which covered all that they need to know regarding the fundamentals of photography. The workshops were conducted by Dubai-based photographer Nick Arundel, who  partnered with Canon to coordinate the Canon Juniors Academy full program. Arundel’s passion for travel, landscape and street photography led him to conduct numerous seminars and workshops throughout the UAE, training and providing tips on how to best capture images, especially those who are keen on travel and landscape photography.

The Canon Juniors Academy photography course, which was offered to students at GEMS schools in Dubai, was organized in partnership with DELTA Learning & ESM, the leading sports services company in the UAE. A total of 65 students registered for the course, which was divided into two modules to accommodate both primary (ages 6-11) and secondary (ages 11-16) level students.

Commenting on the development, Binoj Nair, Senior Marketing Manager, B2C Marketing & Direct Sales, said: “Despite the current challenges, the need to inspire creativity does not go away. The COVID-19 pandemic has introduced a high level of uncertainty across the world. School students faced new challenges as remote learning limited them from important learning experiences. To fill this gap in the children’s skill development, Canon resumed the Canon Juniors Academy after-school course virtually and with all the necessary safety measures in place, to offer them the opportunity to learn and grow skills to facilitate their career paths.”

Each participating student was given a full CJA toolkit consisting of portfolios to complete during the entire course, and used a Canon EOS 4000D camera with an SD card to complete the assigned tasks and practice new techniques. Further, they also received  a certificate of completion from  Canon Juniors Academy.

According to a recent study, more than 60 per cent of the Arab countries’ population comprised youth under the age of 25, making it one of the most youthful regions in the world. This shows that the region has enormous potential and opportunities to build a strong workforce that will help it grow in the future, which Canon Juniors Academy aims to nurture.

Although this year’s Canon Juniors Academy is different from the first course, Canon ensured that students had a hands-on experience to work and play with their camera, without compromising their health and safety.

Following the success of the first CJA photography course in 2019, Canon continues to offer the course and had started the next batch on April 25, 2021, which ran for a period of 10 weeks. The course followed a similar structure with students learning basic principles of photography such as the differences between various shooting models, visual aesthetics and composition, the rule of thirds, ISO, and more.

Canon Juniors Academy is part of Canon Academy, an initiative that was first launched in 2016 to engage customers, offers opportunities for users to learn professional photography and to get the maximum benefit from the company products. Over the years, Canon Academy has conducted many workshops ranging from introductory to advanced photography courses, webinars, exhibitions, competitions and much more.