Melville, NY—Canon USA launched a new website to support Canon Legends. The program was first announced in 2020 to honor and preserve the legacy and leadership of some of the most accomplished photographers of our time, as well as former members of Canon’s Explorers of Light program.
In addition, Canon announced it has increased the number of Canon Legends to 18. Through this program, these industry legends will continue to share a lifetime of knowledge and experience. Moreover, they will do so through a variety of public and private events. Activities will include in-person presentations; workshops; editorial features; tips and techniques; as well as collaborations with educational venues.
“Through its Explorers of Light program, Canon has worked with some of the most successful and iconic names in the history of photography. Creating the Canon Legends program is one way we can honor as well as preserve their legacy,” said Tatsuro “Tony” Kano, executive vice president and general manager of Canon USA’s Imaging Technologies & Communications Group.
“They continue to be relevant members of our industry as mentors, teachers and as active photographers. They also offer a wealth of experience and are excited to share that knowledge with the next generation of creatives. Our hope is that the Canon Legends will provide education and support to the photographic industry, and beyond, for years to come.”
Canon Legends
Furthermore, the inaugural class of Canon Legends includes the following photographers.
Sam Abell
Harry Benson
Barbara Bordnick
Lauren Greenfield
Gregory Heisler
Ryszard Horowitz
Walter Iooss, Jr.
Douglas Kirkland
Parish Kohanim
David Kennerly
George Lepp
Duane Michals
Peter Read
Chris Rainier
Denis Reggie
Melvin Sokolsky
Joyce Tenneson
Art Wolfe
What’s more, to honor their legacy, Canon developed the Canon Legends website. Furthermore, the site features iconic images created by these renowned photographers over their long and illustrious careers.
In addition, all members of the program are former Canon Explorers of Light. They were all also invited to join the program through a nomination committee comprised of Canon management and other photo industry experts. Each year, the committee will review the list of former Explorers of Light as well as nominate new members at its discretion.
Canon Legends Participate in NFT Collection
Canon also announced that several members of the Canon Legends program have partnered with Immutable Image to create NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) from a limited collection of their photographs. They will publish them as a collective.
What’s more, the Legends Mint will drop on OpenSea, one of the largest peer-to-peer NFT marketplaces, on June 30, 2022. The photographers are partnering with Immutable Image, which is dedicated to introducing iconic photographs—past, present and future—to a new generation of art lovers as well as collectors.