Girl on Swing from Laura El-Tantawy's 2005-2014 series In the Shadow of the Pyramids. The British-Egyptian photojournalist was one of several Canon Ambassadors sharing their advice and experience with young photographers during the 2021 Canon Student Development Programme. Taken on a Canon EOS 30D (now succeeded by the Canon EOS 90D) at 70mm, 1/800 sec, f/16 and ISO200. © Laura El-Tantawy
Like all rewarding careers, photography is a competitive business to break into. But the Canon Student Development Programme gives the next generation of photographers a head start.
The annual event enables students to get practical advice from some of the most influential professionals in the photography industry. The 2021 programme, held virtually, included contributions from Rickey Rogers of Reuters Pictures, Magnum nominee member Lindokuhle Sobekwa and Fiona Shields of The Guardian, as well as Canon Ambassadors Laura El-Tantawy, Gulshan Khan, Gabriele Galimberti, Ilvy Njiokiktjien and many more.
As always, the event focused on the many challenges that student photographers face and how they can rise to the occasion to ultimately take their careers to the next level. Here, we break down the issues discussed with advice from the leading panel of experts.