Canon kick starts 7th edition of PhotoMarathon in India

Special focus on the youth where students from 17 schools participated and won exciting prizes this year

Canon, players in Digital Imaging, recently launched its seventh edition of Photomarathon in India. The event was organized at Jawaharlal Nehru Indoor Stadium, Lodhi Road, New Delhi that attracted  a large number of photo enthusiasts, primarily DSLR users, hobbyist photographers as well as professionals. The Photomarathon is a unique event organised by Canon to promote photography culture through theme based photo competition. In this year’s edition, Canon introduced a special category for the young fans aged between 12-17 years where students from 17 schools participated and won exciting prizes.

The Canon Photomarathon is a daylong event that brings together photographic talents from across India. This event is also organized by Canon in countries like Indonesia, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Vietnam.

Speaking about the event, Kazutada Kobayashi, President and CEO, Canon India said, “As the Canon Photomarathon prepares to celebrate its 7th year in India, we are elated to witness the popularity this event has gained especially among the youth. The ever increasing number of youngsters taking up their cameras and unleashing their creative self is reassurance to our constant efforts towards encouraging a culture of photography in India. We believe the Canon Photomarathon will continue to be a definitive platform bringing together photography talent to a day filled with fun and learning. The focus of this event remains application of individual creative talent to draw self-gratification and build relation with fellow photographers. This is Canon’s unique high ground value proposition that customers love the most.”

The Canon Photomarathon 2016 was flagged off by Eddie Udagawa, Vice President Consumer Imaging and Information Centre Canon India which attracted over 800 entries. The judges included the Wildlife Photographer - Shivang Mehta; Wedding Photographer - William Chang and ace Photographer in architecture and Interior Photography – Ravi Dhingra. Renowned photographer Jasminder Oberoi conducted a seminar for the participants on the tricks of engaging photography. In addition to this, Canon cameras and printers were on display, for the participants to get a hands-on experience. Living its commitment to the community, Canon had also set up a free camera health check-up camp for the participants.

Talking about the event, Eddie Udagawa, Vice President Consumer Imaging and Information Centre, Canon India said, “We at Canon strive to make photography a memorable experience. As we enter into the 7th edition of Canon Photomarathon we are happy to observe a growing interest in photography in India. We feel confident and extremely proud with the photographic capabilities that Canon Photomarathon managed to attract this year in New Delhi, which is immensely innovative and at par with the global standards. Photography resonates as one of the most embraced hobby or profession today specially amongst youngsters.  We are encouraging students this year to participate and showcase their best talent and explore the magical world of photography. We will now take this brilliant initiative to Mumbai and our focus remains to support this extraordinary pool of emerging photographers along with refining proficiency, which leads to skill development for the future. We see a huge potential in Indian market and we would like more and more people to click and relive their memories thus creating a photo culture in India.

Sharing a winning experience and highlighting the uniqueness of Canon Photomarathon 2016 as a photography platform Nisanshay Sardana – Grand Prize Winner, Canon Photomarathon 2016, New Delhi said, “This is not just another photo contest that you would experience, it is a Photomarathon and one definitely requires certain level of skill and inclination towards photography to win. The competition is stiff with some mesmerizing work and thought process that contestants indulge in throughout the day. The fact that the Photomarathon is open to any brand or make of camera that the contestant might use is the testimony to Canon’s commitment towards encouraging the culture of photography in India. I am thrilled to win this year and it is satisfying to see my work being appreciated at this level. And the ultimate reward of attending the Canon’s Photo Clinic in Japan is going to be a lifetime experience adding to the uniqueness of Canon Photomarathon as always”.

In this challenging Photomarathon 2016, each contestant had to shoot pictures within limited timeframe and on given themes. Two unique themes were announced just before the event began which made it even more competitive. For students category there was only one theme announced. The pictures were judged by well-known photographers based on their creative, technical and narrative sense. The highlight of the event was the Grand Prize which is an all-expenses paid trip to Canon Japan’s Photo Clinic (photo workshop). Exquisite prizes awarded to the second and the third winners with EOS 5D Mark IV and EOS 80D respectively which got launched this year itself. Additionally, there were exciting prizes for theme based winners and students category.