The Matrics in Antarctica is an annual adventure where world-renowned explorer Riaan Manser takes five South African students on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to the southernmost continent, Antarctica. It is on this trip where the students will learn important lessons about sustainability, the ecosystem, and the importance of conservation for our planet. As an official partner for the event for the second year in a row, Canon South Africa hosted the ten finalists at a workshop that armed them with the skills and advice to capture this life-changing experience.
“The eco-environmental purpose of this initiative is extremely important to us as an organisation,” says Canon South Africa’s Photo Video Product Marketing Manager, Roger Machin. “We’ve partnered with Riaan Manser on his epic explorations for many years now, and this opportunity for young South Africans to discover more about the magnificence and importance of Antarctica with an expert by their side is simply a ‘bucket list’ item that they will never forget.”
The Canon workshop took place in Grootvadersbosch, Western Cape, where the students were taken through intense immersion training to prepare them for the isolation and experience of Antarctica. Each of the students received a Canon PowerShot ZOOM – a pocket-sized, compact, and powerful digital camera – and were also taken through recommendations of how best to use the camera as an augmentation and supplementation to their smartphones.
“It wasn’t only about teaching the students how to operate the camera, since that’s simple enough,” Machin says. “It was also about how best to maximise the PowerShot ZOOM’s potential for the purpose of their journey. For example, in Antarctica, there are strict wildlife regulations where you are not allowed within five metres of a penguin. By using the zoom feature on the camera, the students will be able to capture amazing pictures from further away without disrupting the wildlife.”
Machin adds that it was a half-instructional, half-motivational workshop. “Considering how incredible this experience was, we wanted to encourage the students to live for the moment and to tell a real story that has real meaning,” he said. “They are going on an adventure of a lifetime – it’s emotional and powerful – and they need to enjoy and capture it in a way that’s both authentic and with purpose for them, first and foremost. Not many people get to experience a natural wonder like Antarctica in their lives, and we wanted to ensure they understood the magnitude and importance of this privilege that has been afforded to them.”
The message left its mark, according to Machin. Before the workshop had even ended, the students were setting up the Wi-Fi and connecting the PowerShot ZOOM to their phones, while others couldn’t wait to step outside and start experimenting with the digital camera’s options. Canon also ran a creative competition that allowed the students to finesse and showcase their storytelling ability.
For Manser, Canon’s workshop will prove invaluable to the students as they capture the unforgettable moments and splendour of Antarctica in their upcoming adventure. “Millions on the planet owe thanks for captured memories to people like Canon, who give us the ability to be transported back in time to relive special moments,” he said.
An experience like Matrics in Antarctica is important to Canon South Africa and an initiative that the imaging solutions specialist will continue to support in the future, as it embodies the value of Kyosei – a Japanese term that means living and working together for the common good. Not only does it promote conservation and environmentalism, but it also serves as unbelievable inspiration to the next generation of photographers and content creators. “People engage with credibility and authenticity,” Machin says. “We want to encourage and empower creators to tell the stories that matter and mean something to them.”
