Canon puts digital cameras in photographers’ hands

chantalle@theheraldnewspapers.com Canon U.S.A. and the American Park Network teamed up to conduct free photography workshops at the Sugarlands Visitors Center with evening programs at the Gatlinburg Convention Center. Attendees received lessens from several professional photographers including Adam Jones, Jerry Whaley, Kendall Chiles, and Rob and Ann Simpson. This program was the first of its kind. Canon, the largest camera manufacturer in the world, brought a trunk load of digital cameras with different bodies and all types of lenses, for professional and amateur photographers to try out during the nature hiking workshops. During the workshops, attendees were teamed up with Canon professionals who taught them how to use the cameras and lenses to get the best photographs possible while on the hiking trail. Each evening, photographers went to the Gatlinburg Convention Center to view a presentation of Adam Jones work. He discussed techniques and lenses he used to achieve the photos he showed during the presentation. “This workshop was a way to expose people to the park in a different way, through photography,” says Jones. Adam Jones is the photographer of “The Great Smoky Mountains”, a coffee table book featuring 131 photos of the park. His photos can also be found in publications such as National Geographic, Natural History, Life Magazine, Audubon, Outdoor Photographer, and many others. He is also a leading photographer in the Canon Explorer of Light Program. At the end of the evening, each photographer was given a cd of their photos they took during the workshop and they were allowed to print out their favorites using Canon’s photo printers. “You don’t usually get to take these cameras and lenses out of the camera store and try them out on real subjects,” says Jerry Ward, Canon, in New Orleans, LA. “Canon is committed to the environment and supporting photographers (in the nature field). This is a very important field of photography.” “This was a way to create interaction with individuals and put digital cameras in photographer’s hands,” says Mark Saferstein, Publisher of the American Park Network’s Guide to Great Smoky Mountains. “There is a lot of great subject matter here in the Smoky Mountains.” “In my opinion, the Great Smoky Mountains has the most beautiful creeks and streams in the country,” says Jones. “The opportunity to take good shots is endless.” Jerry Whaley is a Sevierville photographer who was published in Sierra Calendars, National Geographic Traveler, Backpacker, Outdoor Photographer, and many others. Rob and Ann Simpson teach Nature Photography at Lord Fairfax College in Virginia. Kendall Chiles teaches photography at the University of Tennessee Knoxville and the Smoky Mountain Field School.