A picture is worth a thousand words. The saying holds true especially when it is referred to in the context of journalism and storytelling. A session titled ‘The Power of Photography’ conducted by Lars Boering at Xposure 2017, highlighted the impact photography can have on society and human race.

Boering, the Managing Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, took the audience on a tour of history and impact of photography, with the help of some famous old and rare pictures from across the world. He mesmerised the audience with elaborate presentation on the most important milestones in the evolution of photography as an art and as a profession.

During the session, Boering played a video that captured the essence of what World Press Photo has been doing since its inception in 1955. It is notable that the foundation works towards developing and promoting the work of visual journalists and storytellers, with a range of activities and initiatives spanning across the globe.

“Manipulation and technology make a huge difference in the kind of impact any picture has. Technology today is unstoppable, which makes photography all the more interesting. Even if you don’t want to be a part of a picture, it just happens,” he said, elaborating on a capture by Google Maps that shows him standing outside his house washing his car.

He later moved on to the topic of tracing the history of photography with the help of some more interesting pictures. “To understand the power of photography, one must first understand the history,” he said.

From a photograph of the first photojournalist of the world, to the use of manipulation and setup, to the rise of digital cameras, Boering in his session used images to tell an engaging story of the evolution of photojournalism and storytelling.

Talking about a photograph of a cave painting in Spain, which dates back to 42,000 BC, he said: “Photography is all about storytelling and as this picture depicts, in that age when it was hard to live and find food, people would still go into caves at night and tell stories to each other. Storytelling is deeply embedded in our DNA and this shows the place of photography in our lives.”

Xposure 2017, which concluded yesterday (Saturday), hosted many such thought-provoking and informative sessions on various issues related to photography that artists across the world face. The second International Photography Festival, Xposure 2017, is organised by the Sharjah Government Media Bureau (SGMB).

The event included five outdoor exhibitions held across four locations in Sharjah and Dubai by 32 of the world’s most celebrated photographers. The Festival also featured 25 seminars, lectures and live-stage events that revealed the incredible power and influence of photographs in transcending linguistic barriers and geographical boundaries.