August 28, 2018 Canon Australia uses Image Recognition to let photo exhibition visitors scan and purchase pictures

Photo by Tony Hewitt & Denis Glennon

The photo collection Girt by Sea, a collaboration by photographers Denis Glennon and Tony Hewitt and Canon Australia aimed to show the trip the two photographers did in a light Cessna aircraft, circumnavigating the island continent of Australia for 31 days.

The “girt by sea” expression included in Australia’s national anthem Advance Australia Fair had always fascinated Tony. Therefore, he decided to undertake the adventure alongside Denis and capture all the images from both sides of the plane.

The pictures taken from a bird’s eye view were narrowed down to the most impressive 100. These are the ones that better illustrate the beauty of the Australian coast. The exhibition was presented for the first time in Australia’s capital city, in the Paddington Town Hall. It is currently in Hyatt Gallery, in Sydney, until 4th September.

Girt by sea exhibition at Hyatt Regency.

A unique experience for a unique project

The long-cherished dream project of Tony received the support and sponsorship of Canon, leading global provider in the fields of professional and consumer imaging equipment.

When considering the exhibition, the main idea of Canon was to provide a special experience to visitors. The aim was to better engage with them with visual mobile technologies and create a smooth journey from the exposition to the online store. There, visitors can purchase their favorite images to be printed and delivered to their home.

According to Nina Spannari, Assistant General Manager in Digital Area at Canon, the company was looking for a truly innovative way to showcase the extraordinary exhibitions planned.

The two photographers at the exhibition.

Shareable Apps integrates Catchoom’s Image Recognition for a phygital experience

Shareable Apps provided Canon with a special app, EventConnect™, powered by Catchoom’s Image Recognition (IR) technology. The app allowed visitors to snap the images in the collection with their phones and access different kinds of information. By downloading the app and taking a picture of a specific photo, they can directly retrieve information about the pictures. For example, they can access information on where they were taken (exact place, dimensions, camera used, altitude, etc.). Additional, they are directed to purchase links (snaptoshop) to acquire large-format copies of the works, reproduced in high detail.

The exhibition app that allows to scan the pictures.

Immersing the visitor into the photographer’s world

This innovative mobile feature can also help exhibitions track the adoption and engagement using the analytics provided. According to a Canon spokesperson, “the response from visitors has been very impressive”.

The tool has made the exhibition far more immersive. Moreover, it has served as an omnichannel path for visitors to access Canon website and purchase copies of the collection.

Catchoom’s superior Image Recognition capabilities

Catchoom’s Image and Object Recognition solution has a 98% accuracy. It is optimized for different lighting conditions, and different angles and distances. With a 20% higher accuracy than most competitors, this visual search solution can be integrated in native and web apps. It can endure high traffic and supports collections of all sizes, even millions of images.