The 6th Yangon Photo Festival went underway on January 8 with a workshop for beginners, the first phase of the month-long event. Different technical topics such as camera and photography basics, photographer’s ethics and behaviour, and outdoor shooting and low light practice were discussed by Kyi Myint during the workshop, which went on until January 14. Another introductory workshop on documentary and street photography was held from January 20-25.
The third phase of the event, from January 29 to February 8, includes an advanced workshop on multimedia documentary photography designed by French photographers Christophe Loviny and Nicolas Havette. The free intensive eight-day workshop will teach participants how to create a narrative multimedia photo essay ready to be published on the web, in a journal or as an exhibit.
The best works will be shown to the public and prizes will be awarded by a jury presided by democracy icon Aung San Suu Kyi during the Yangon Photo Night on February 15.
Starting February 10, internationally acclaimed photography exhibitions and conferences on the theme will be held in the garden of Institut Français de Birmanie, the French institute said.
Visitors will have a chance to see a selection of some of the best photographs produced around the world. The theme of the 6th edition of the event is “Metta, the path to peace”.
Created in 2009 by the Institut Français de Birmanie, the Yangon Photo Festival is the first of this kind ever organised in the Southeast Asian country. The festival offers the best of international photography through exhibitions, lectures and screenings, but also amateur and professional training for the new generation of Myanmar photographers.
Under the patronage of National League for Democracy (NLD) chariperson Aung San Suu Kyi and in partnership with International Media Support (IMS), the Yangon Photo Festival has grown to be a huge annual event recently.
One of Yangon Photo Festival’s goals is training photographers for Myanmar’s burgeoning media as well as giving international recognition to the best of Myanmar photographers through a screening of the best photo essays produced in the country.
