FOCAL POINT by Maria Fenech

FOCALPOINT The Official MIPP Newsletter

October 2012

in this issue

featuring Trevor Sollars, The October Convention and much more.....

www.mipp-malta.com

Issue No. 23

I wantt tto start t t my editorial dit i l with ith several â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;thank yousâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;! First of all to Rosalie Spiteri for her service as an editor for the past 2 years. To Duncan Cauchi, the previous newsletter designer for his input and belief in me. To the MIPP Executive Committee who passed on the duty of Editor to me. I am thrilled and excited about all this, however this is one month to be excited about mainly due to the MIPP October Convention. We have been working at it for the past year, so you can imagine how many preparations we have gone through to offer you the best 3 days in this photographic year! So have you booked yet? Did you have a look at the lovely list of speakers? If not I urge you to visit our website (http:// convention.mipp-malta.com) which we prepared especially for you to make things easier! I am looking forward to all this and more! So see you all at the convention and good luck to all those sitting for a qualification! I will be there to cheer you on!

Newsletter Team Editor: Therese Debono Design: Therese Debono Articles: Various Contributers Editorial Advice: Kevin Casha

CONTENTS pg 3 pg 5 pg 7 pg 9 pg 13 pg 17 pg 22 pg 23 pg 25 pg 29 pg 31 pg 33 pg 34 pg 35 pg 36

cover artist

OCTOBER 2012

president’s viewpoint october convention sergio’s blog featured mipp photographer member’s article foreign photographer mipp notices sponsors vox pop image critique monthly event in pictures sponsors calendar & PTYA archives members’ gallery

A note from the President A few words about the upcoming convention The Battle between Static & Dynamic Trevor’s Utopia The Highs & Lows of Event Photography Atmospheric Dirk My Mentor Programme iLab - From Capture to Print Photojournalism Monthly Online Competition September Events DPP Seminar at Avantech October Events & PTYA Standings MIPP events images from the past The best images of the month

Charles Paul Azzopardi Charles Paul Azzopardi is a blood cancer doctor by profession and an insatiable craver for natural light the whole of the time, always seeking contrasts, tones and leading lines to paint in black & white, his photographic style of choice. He had his first contact with photography in 1993 whilst travelling, but it was re-kindled in 2009 after he decided to pursue photography on a more constant and serious note, always seeking to improve his photographic eye for monochrome subject matter and exploring new avenues whence to take his art. He is passionate about architectural and landscape photography, although no subject is immune from portrayal, as long as it is in black & white!

presidentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s viewpoint

hilst most were trying to escape the heat of the past months by going to the beach or abroad, the committee was really busy with what has turned out to really be another year of events and initiatives by the MIPP.

As you will notice in this edition of the newsletter, Therese Debono has been appointed as editor. She has now for quite some time been doing all our design work and her initiative on the newsletter is there for all to see.

Events have come thick and fast with the August seminar and exhibition, following hot on the heels of the March one done with the Societies, and now, this September, with the reciprocal visit by members of the Sicilian Photography club, Le Gru.

Our sincere thanks go to previous editor Rosalie Spiteri for her work and commitment as well as all the other members who are regularly giving a helping hand with the running and improvement of the MIPP. I would not like to mention anyone here as I do not want to inadvertently forget someone, but those who regularly attend meetings and events will know who these people are.

Naturally the October seminar and Qualifications are following right behind. We have also embarked on a more directed marketing strategy, aimed primarily at increasing public awareness of the MIPP as well as again giving our members a better service. As always, these things take up a lot of time and effort and need the willing dedication and sacrifice not only of the Committee, but also of all those willing to give a helping hand in the running of the MIPP. For this reason, I again would like to make an appeal for anyone who feels that he has passion and effort enough to help out to approach any member of the committee. There is work for everyone, and the more we try to run things professionally, the more it gets harder and harder.

Again, I would like to end with a further appeal to our members â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and this is to attend and participate in our events. Your attendance can make it all worthwhile for those who are dedicating their time and effort. See you all during what promises to again be a fantastic October convention with our friends from The Societies.

Kevin Casha President

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OCTOBER 2012

CONVENTION 19TH 20TH 21ST

elcome to the 2012 MIPP International Convention. As with previous years, this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s convention is being brought to you in collaboration with The Societies, who once again have brought to us some very interesting speakers. A full programme packed with excellent personalities, that will certainly hold your interest throughout these three days, has been meticulously prepared. As always we try to improve and introduce some changes. One important change introduced this year is in the Saturday workshops. While in previous editions workshops were run by a team, this year only the respective lecturers will be directing them, better streamlining the workshops. Sunday evening as usual sees us concluding the convention with the awards dinner, during which, amongst others, we will be presenting certificates to our newly qualified members, and announcing the Photographer of the Year. The dinner is far from all-formal though, and it is the ideal time for our members to socialise and meet our lecturers. For a full detailed programme, bookings and general information kindly go to the following website which we set up especially for you to make things easier! http;//convention.mipp-malta.com

Image by Duncan Cauchi

Friday 19 October

sATurday 20 OCTOBER

SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER

0800 Registration

0900 Joe Zammit Lucia

0830 Podge Kelly

0900 Introductions

1000 Alan Carville

0930 Hilary Spiteri

0930 Christina Lee Lauder

1115 Photocall

1045 Break (free time)

1030 Dennis Orchard

1130 Break (free time)

1100 Dennis Orchard

1130 Coffee Break

1145Christina Lee Lauder

1300 Comfort Break

1200 Phil Jones

1245 Sergio Muscat

1430 SWPP Image Competition

1300 Buffet Lunch at Hotel

1345 Buffet Lunch at Hotel

1630 End

1415 Charles Mifsud

1500 Dennis Orchard

1930 Meet for Pre-dinner drinks

1515 Qualifications

1600 FORUM

2000 Awards Night

sergio’s blog

The Battle between

Static and Dynamic The dead and the living. The ever-thesame and the ever-changing. The static and the dynamic. Most battles are fought to fend off intruders, invaders into what is thought to be someone else’s space. It has always been so, and this battle is no different. This time, it’s not man against man, but man against earth. Because this place is not ours. It belongs to itself, and mankind has used it and abused it since the day some bright spark lit the first fire. I will not go into the controversy of what we’ve done wrong or right - that is not my intention. My focus is on the fact that this conflict does exist, and in which ways we can look at it. The premise is this - it is a battle we’re never going to win. If we look at what man “creates”, we see the static, the dead. I see a building today - same building tomorrow. By comparison, I see a blade of grass today - it’s a flower tomorrow. Nature is alive, dynamic and ever-changing. It is self-sustaining and self-healing, and this is it’s greatest weapon. We might not realise it, but we are just a speck in the history of the universe. A little bit like a flu or an itch we might have throughout our lifetime. This thought fascinates me. From our

point of view, nature’s healing process is irritating. We build, it destroys, we create, it disintegrates. If we look at it from the opposing point of view, however, it very much resembles the actions of parasites and antibodies. We destroy, it heals. As they say, it’s all a matter of relativity. What we see and what we believe depends entirely on our point of view. What we see as decomposition from our point of view is recomposition from nature’s point of view. I have always felt close to nature, and decay has always fascinated me. It has a visceral attractiveness - a stunning elegance under a veil of harshness. Since the day I grabbed a camera in hand I found myself photographing things that are falling apart. I find it interesting to observe and beautiful to look at. The “Recomposition” series is an ongoing effort to document and interpret the beauty of decay in all its shapes and forms. As with

all of my work, it is a collaborative effort - I will not stop at documentation, but rather use what I see as my starting point, building on it until I have uncovered the beauty I see in it for everyone else to enjoy. Featured image (used as artwork) & image below in this article by Sergio Muscat(FMIPP FSWPP) Follow Sergio here: www.sergiomuscat.com

featured mipp photographer

TREVOR’S UTOPIA Y

ou have all seen Trevor around and usually he is the organiser for the MIPP trips abroad. It’s no surprise that his favourite photographic genre is landscape photography. Whilst interviewing Trevor we took a trip down memory lane, way back when he was given his first camera as a gift, a Kodak 110 film camera. He smiled whilst recalling himself snapping away at family events, and parties at the tender age of 10. Even way back then he had tried his hand out at landscape photography however as a teenager he took up painting as a special subject at school, and photography lost its appeal. However life took a funny twist for Trevor, because soon after finishing his studies, even painting lost its glamour, and photography came back in his life, when he purchased another point and shoot camera. He found himself fascinated by the power of a moment in time. The thirst for knowledge in photography grew stronger every year. In 2009, after several attempts to upgrade, he purchased his first DSLR and since

Imagine you are away from the only sound is coming from a str best and tries to portray in his happy!

then, photography became a very important part of Trevor’s life! He is mostly inspired by nature and landscapes, however he also enjoys sports and architecture. He loves to travel and likes to find peaceful spots because his main aim is to represent that peace in his landscapes. The images are distinctly rich in colour and he prefers to shoot them either at dusk or dawn when the light is most vivid.

“He found himself fascinated by the power of a moment in time...” His best photographic achievement to date is winning the best photo award at the “Malta Ford Show Photo Competition” organized in May 2010 by the Valletta Waterfront and the MIPP. He has also won a number of awards both locally and internationally. He has been a member of the MIPP since

e island of Malta, on a trip surrounded by mountains, greenery and the ream nearby and a few chirping birds.....this is what Trevor Sollars loves s landscape images...read on to find out what makes this photographer

2009 where he currently holds the post of Honorary Treasurer within the Executive Committee. He is also a member of the SWPP and the Institute of Maltese Journalists. Apart from all this he is also a freelance photojournalist and has been doing this for the past 2 years. Trevor loves taking pictures and he considers himself lucky in that he can also get paid to do that. For him it is the best job he could have found. He would have loved to get paid to drink beer, but sadly that possibility has not presented itself as yet! Turn over for a selection of Trevorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work Below: Bastion Falls are part of the tallest falls in the state of New York, the Kaaterskill Falls. It is no wonder that these falls have inspired various artists including painters and poets.

Left: The Obersee lake is a small lake which drains into lake Konigsee in Bavaria, Germany. These lakes are part of Berchtesgaden national Park.

Left: Taken from the shores of loch Lomond, this picture depicts Ben Lomond, a 974 metres high mountain in the Scottish Highlands.

Left: Trevor says â&#x20AC;&#x153;I was spellbound by this picturesque setting. A castle built on an islet on loch Laich setting against a backdrop of mountains in the north east part of Scotlandâ&#x20AC;?.

member’s article

THE HIGHS & LOWS OF

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHY P

hotography starts out as one big fascination and continues to be so for as long as you want it to be. In my case it’s still ongoing, but if you are a freelancer there might be a punch lacking when it comes to events. I am not talking about the concerts or being at MTV, the events I am talking about are the presentations, the dragging speeches, the endless award ceremonies, I guess you got my drift.

Now how do you get through them? For starters events are very interesting. You might think I am crazy to think this, but for the past 2 years I have worked during such events and have sometimes questioned myself the reason why I accepted such work, however by the end of the night, I always retake back my thoughts because

it would have turned out to be a great evening. By great I do not mean partyall-night-free-drinks type of great but rather the networking-learning-something-new type of great.

ten down in an email is better than sealing a deal on the phone. There is a wider margin of error in phone conversations rather than emails, so always reconfirm through email.

I have been at pharmaceutical conventions. I have taken photos of award nights, waited whilst people finished their dinner till it’s time to dance so it’s my turn to photograph them. So how do I do it? What does it entail? And most importantly how do I go through the endless images I end up with!?

Let’s talk about these one by one.

It is tricky, but this is how I work and how I manage my workflow during these dragging events. My job beings from the very start. You get the call or the email. Always make sure you get the facts correct. Repeat emails if it’s necessary. Having it writ-

Image: Being aware of where the event is going to be held is important because you have to dress accordingly. If you are at a hotel taking photos of a presentation than more often than not you have to dress smart. There is no need for a full suit for the gentlemen, nor for the ladies. However I find that a pair of black trousers and a smart (but not too tight shirt) is just right. I sometimes wear skirts or a dress during such events however I never wear short skirts, nor do I wear anything too tight. We need to move and

So you want to try your hand out at event photography? Read on as Therese Debono shares some tips about the highs and lows of this genre... and how to make it work to your advantage!

lift our hands, and you can’t waste time tucking in your shirt. It’s not only a waste of time, but it also looks totally off trying to tuck your shirt in whilst awards are being given. Keep colours mellow, not too bright and always discreet. Remember photographers are not the highlight of the event. We are there to document the event’s highlights. Also hair; keep it tied back or on the side and preferably never let it hang loose around your face. Smartness is important. Stand tall and do not rest against walls even if the event is dragging and you are bored. Slouching or resting against a wall shows immediately that one is bored, which is surely not ideal to show to clients. If you are tired or your photography is not required for a while, its best to walk a bit around or to find a seat where you can sit and still see what’s happening. Try

not to wander off to other rooms away from the main events’ area; you never know when your services are needed. Attitude: This is of utmost importance. I do not need to remind you to be nice and not to be rude. Guess by now you all know the drill, however choice of words is important. When you have a group photo try to avoid saying ‘short people at the front’, alternatively try saying ‘the tallest people at the back’. This is just a change of wording which makes a difference, you won’t be undermining anyone and everyone is happy. Smiling gives you more smiles back. This is a tried and tested approach. Smile before asking to photograph others and they will smile and pose for you no problem. Do it nicely and they will oblige. I would never pose

Above: getting a little creative during an event

for anyone who comes up to me with a camera minus a smile. Smiles make others feel good, so ultimately you get what you want, more photos for the client. Editing: There is simply no time for editing when you do these events. The clients would usually be leaving the next day so more often than not

they would want to take the CD with images back with them personally. So knowing your camera and being confident with the use of flash and settings is of outmost importance. You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t tell someone to take the pose for the award presentation again because the settings on your camera were wrong. You simply have to take good shots immediately. You have to expose well and light up the image properly. Taking multiple shots is also important due to blinking. I usually use Adobe Lightroom to go through the images and flag the chosen ones, then simply tweak a bit some photos which might need lightening up or toning down (no filters, effects etc) and convert them to jpeg and burn on CD ready for clients. Professionalism: Take a stand on this and keep at it. If you want to go far, you need to be professional at all times, regardless of unfairness, delays etc. If you want to be taken seriously as a photographer and be engaged for other future events you have to show what you are made of. You have to speak

for yourself in a good and polite way, listen to the clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; requests and ultimately deliver what they are paying you for. If you think you cannot deliver, then its best to take a step back and suggest other photographers or get help, rather than saying you will deliver but fall short. If there is something which you do not agree on, then speak up clearly but also calmly. Smiles and politeness will take you further, than anger and raising of voices. Punctuality will also give you top points. No one wants to see a sweaty and panicky photographer arriving late for the event, so always arrive at the venue early. Look up the venue a day or two before if you have never been. Confirm through email with the organisers so you have it in writing. Arrive there 20 minutes before, so you have ample time to access the area, do any test shots, and check out any signs and logos which the client wants in some images. Also taking general shots of the setups is also very important. Usually clients, both foreign and lo-

cal would have spent time and money on making the venue look just as they had envisioned, so taking shots of the setups helps them for future events. It is of utter importance to know the people in charge of the event since they are your point of reference throughout the whole event. They will be the ones you need to ask questions to, the ones having the schedule of the whole evening, and they are the people who can best guide you throughout the whole event, so that you do not interrupt the client while he is entertaining his guests and enjoying the evening. There might be one person out of the 200 guests who absolutely wants no photos taken, or there might be a group of people within the group who are the VIPs, so they would be the people whom you have to concentrate the most on. Whatever it is they request, you are the photographer, you are there to give a great service, so listening is more important that talking in this case. Listening and observing discreetly have to come hand in hand to deliver a good service.

Ultimately at the end of your service, do not just pack and leave. Take time to say bye to the people who commissioned you and also to the client. It shows respect and approachability. Event photography is not about the photography only. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a package, which incorporates your image, your attitude, your professionalism and ultimately your photographic talent.

Above: some examples of setups which clients would surely want when shooting an event

featured foreign photographer

ATMOSPHERIC DIRK

Therese came across D interview with Dirk, w textures to his images.

Dirk hasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t been a photographer for a long time. He studied and got his mas-

ters in Cultural Anthropology and his job was that of a Risk Manager, however 2 years ago he switched careers and now he is an artistic photographer. So basically he got into photography in 2005 when he bought a small digicam. That was the moment when taking pictures started to become a serious pastime for Dirk. Before that he was never really into photography much and used to take photos only when on holiday.

Dirk WĂźstenhagenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work from Flickr. Here is an exclusive where he tells us how he gets inspired and why he applies .....Read on! So it was at the time when photography became a serious affair that he slowly began post-processing his work, because the pictures he got never represented his impressions and feelings of the real situation. In early 2006 a friend introduced him to Flickr. He was deeply impressed by the quality and variety of photos and since then he has developed his photographic and post-processing skills further and further.

When asked how he would describe his work he replied “hard question...” He has developed an identifiable style that became a characteristic of almost all his pictures. He loves diversity and he thinks this is something one can find in his work. He adds that he is also a very curious person, so he is always trying out new things. “A lot of my pictures are moody and atmospheric. Sometimes I tend to romanticise, other times I like the surreal.” When I first came along Dirk’s work on Flickr I immediately realised that the use of textures was what he was mainly famous for. He began adding textures sometime in the middle of 2007. He noticed some other photographers on Flickr were adding them and he was fascinated and really liked what they came up with. It took

him quite some time to get the technique right, because he hadn`t figured out working with layers in Adobe Photoshop yet, but eventually he mastered the obstacles. ”There is a variety of things one can achieve with textures. You can add interest to certain areas of your photo, make parts look more natural, change the light, give your picture a vintage touch and a lot more things. I keep a blog where I write about my use of textures and also offer tutorials & tips” Dirk is mainly inspired by nature in general. The changing light, weather conditions - such as fog, snow, a sunny morning - forests, landscapes, skies/clouds. Often it is the atmosphere of a location that grabs him. He says that he can soak it all up while taking photos and later at home – often weeks later - he tries to translate the whole mix of feelings and impressions into his picture(s).

Dirk says

“Textures should always support a good photo to make it better. Never take a bad shot and try to make it better by applying a texture. Try to avoid overpowering a photo with the texture (although that isn’t as easy as it seems...)”

you can follow Dirk here: Dirk Wüstenhagen Imagery www.wuestenhagen-imagery.photoshelter.com

mipp notices

MY MENTOR PROGRAMME

Primarily our objective at the MIPP is to promote professional photography. This aim can only be achieved by continuously tutoring and mentoring our members, thus giving them the assistance and support they require. To further sustain and maintain the quality and level of our members’ achievements, the MIPP will be embarking on a new initiative called ‘My Mentor’. The aim of this project is to provide a new customised mentoring service to members. A member who enrols in this programme will be provided with a personal qualified mentor of his/her choice for a period of 6 months. Members can enrol to several sessions repeatedly. The available mentors at this time are Kevin Casha and Sergio Muscat. Each month the enrolled members will submit two emails with five images each, to their chosen mentor; the latter will provide the necessary feedback on submitted photographs via email. ‘My Mentor’ is not a replacement of the mentoring service already provided to those members who submit a panel for the MIPP qualifications; the panel mentoring is still an ongoing service. Our aim is to have this project working alongside the existing monitoring service and consequently working hand in hand; this will supply our members with an additional facility to further enhance their abilities. All members should benefit from this project, especially those who are new to photography and all those who wish to start aspiring to acquire any of our qualifications. Payment for this service will be €60, payable in advance.

sponsors

FROM CAPTURE TO PRINT

Photographic Respect for the artist and the craft by Ramon Sammut

A year has passed after re-branding one of the biggest photographic labs on the island with more than 40 years of passion and a complete dedication to the craft; pushing into a different era when photography started as technology, changed into a science and now it’s a lifestyle. The Lab always printed..... now it’s time to move on ............ In a year ILab pushed its limits, from 1 hr printing into Fine - art, from album binding into artisan quality bespoke photographic books, fine-art exhibits, mural printing, contemporary artistic photographic illustrations and bespoke framing ; Helping photographers achieve goals and make money from the craft, earning respect through exhibitions and quality photographic panels, sponsoring events and the local photographic institutions showing how and teaching the trade through its professional personnel. Now it’s time to move on embracing digital through software, ILab introduced free bookbinding software on its website. Download the software, register (completely free) and start using the amazing program; once completed, upload and pick it up in 48hrs (please phone for more information). ILab also re introduced the legendary lighting company Bowens. Our aim is to push the business create more quality photographers, show the craft, not only by selling the product at a very good price but by helping photographers how to use it, make money from it and enjoying this beautiful passion that stops time, respects it by enhancing the moment and sharing it with others. ILab introduced a policy “we sell the product, we help the client using it, we push forward in seeing the client achieve goals. Sell the product, Teach for free! Respect photographers and the craft. ILab also introduced its 1st Bowens Free Sessions (free for Bowens customers).

iLAB Classical Lighting Learning the basics is a must, we all started crawling before we started walking! Observing the light, looking at the shadow. One can create a beautiful portrait by understanding the client/model. A portrait photographer should understand the face of the client, the mood, the feeling, the energy of the person and make it all happen. Stopping time has its responsibility, one has to stop it and record it perfectly!

Model: Rachel Cassar - Heads and Shoulders, Classical Loop Lighting. Equipment: Bowens Gemini 1000 Pro (Key Light with Octobank 90), Bowens Gemini 500Pro with barn doors for background Light , Gemini 500 Pro with 200cm Bowens wafer as fill Light. Settings: Time 125 - Aperture F11 - Lens 100 mm.

VOX POP

This time round we asked a few selected members who work in photojournalism to give us some info about their work. Read on to get a taste of what it really is all about to work in this industry! REUBEN PISCOPO How long have you been in photojournalism & where do you work? I’ve been doing photojournalism for 3 years and I work for DOI Do you agree with the media’s approach in photojournalism? It all depends on the situation. Sometimes when there isn’t the need to push yourself in hard to get the shot because it is not that important then it gets annoying for other surrounding journalists if too much pushing happens, On the other hand it can be quite tricky to get the right shot when all you are given is just a few minutes. But that is the media and one has to go along with the flow and try to get the right shots! Where in the world would you like to have the opportunity to cover (as photojournalists)? If I had to mention my dream list to cover it would be a never ending list but to mention a few: Serengeti (Africa) would be such an amazing place to cover as well as aboard an anti-whaling vessel would be exciting too. Mention an assignment which you really enjoyed covering and say why? Recently I was assigned to join an AFM patrol boat on an irregular immigrants rescue mission. First of all when knowing you’re going to face such a thing in close proximity your adrenaline starts pumping and all you want to do is to get the right shots for the people out there to really show how sensitive such work is for our soldiers and what a dangerous situation it is for the irregular immigrants involved. One has to really be careful on similar assignment and you have to keep emotions in check so you try and get the expressions on the irregular immigrants faces which will ultimately say the whole story behind their experience. If you had a choice....would you save a person’s life or shoot the scene to be recorded in history? If I’d have the time I would surely do them both but the honest truth is that I would never trade a person’s life with a shot. A person’s life comes before getting the right exposure and composition and it’s natural for me to do so. I wouldn’t want to live the rest of my life with guilt for not saving a person’s life when I had the chance of doing so.

IVAN CONSIGLIO How long have you been in photojournalism & where do you work? Have been involved in different manners in photojournalism since November, 2006. In July 2012 I have completed 25 years of service in the Armed Forces of Malta, & on my retirement am right now employed as a Senior Executive TV-News Producer with an agency in Rome, Italy. Do you agree with the media’s approach in photojournalism? Not always, as there are always two extremes in this business, with one extreme’s rotten apples casting a bad shadow on the rest. The industry is fast, cut-throat and near real-time with the several new technologies and their ongoing developments. Added to the traditional roles of photojournalists, today anybody can create User Generated Content (UGC) with their mobile handheld devices and catch the moment of the ideal topical shot at anytime, and anywhere. Its broadest dissemination is additionally guaranteed with wireless and internet connectivity. Where in the world would you like to have the opportunity to cover (as photojournalist)? It was always my wish to cover a story or two in a zone of conflict. Offers ocasionally surfaced, but local employment contraints never were conducively understanding, given local audiences aren’t really bothered much on what there is beyond their parish boundaries, even visually speaking. Mention an assignment which you really enjoyed covering and say why? Last year, right after the Libyan Crisis down south (and its own set of related photocoverages locally!!), was invited to Milan to cover the Milan FC’s soccer-league win’s celebrations at their Piazza Del Duomo, and on the eve of their city’s Mayoral elections. Outside the army uniform, it was truly enjoyable with a steep learning curve as it was the first time in a purely civilian capacity that I was rubbing shoulders and competing with several others from the top Italian mainland’s newsrooms. If you had a choice,would you save a person’s life or shoot the scene to be recorded in history? Both!! As I might even try to throw them my compact rig or spare DSLR, so they can snap the pics of themselves being rescued! Nothing that hasn’t been done before, believe me . . .

OMAR CAMILLERI How long have you been in photojournalism & where do you work? I have been involved in photojournalism for the last 10 years Do you agree with the media’s approach in photojournalism? The media is very powerful so it is very important to be responsible in its approach Where in the world would you like to have the opportunity to cover (as photojournalists)? I would like to have the opportunity to cover certain aspects of India. Mention an assignment which you really enjoyed covering and say why? I really enjoyed covering Chogm in Uganda as I had the opportunity to come face to face with the hurdles these people have to overcome everyday such as poverty. If you had a choice....would you save a person’s life or shoot the scene to be recorded in history? Definitely I would save the person I wouldn’t be able to cope with the guilt feelings of letting someone die for my selfish pride.

MARTIN AGIUS How long have you been in photojournalism & where do you work? I have been in Photojournalism since 2009 and I work as Freelance Photographer with Media Link Communications Ltd Do you agree with the media’s approach in photojournalism? Here in Malta it is not too strong. I say it is moderate, could be better. Where in the world would you like to have the opportunity to cover (as photojournalists)? Asia would be interesting to cover and in Africa there are a lot of opportunities too. Mention an assignment which you really enjoyed covering and say why? The Arab Uprising was very interesting. I enjoyed it mostly because it was my first big thing to cover. It was really hitting Malta and us Maltese with all the people fleeing from Libya and especially how the Maltese Government and people handled all kind of situations. If you had a choice....would you save a person’s life or shoot the scene to be recorded in history? If I get a chance to do both in the same time I would do both, but that is near impossible so if I had to choose I would save the person’s life. Afterwards I will still have a lot to talk and document about.

image critique

MONTHLY ONLINE COMPETITION

Sergio Muscat’s critique on the September Monthly Online Competition Photos! Gold - Joseph Vassallo (left) Fantastic image which mixes aspects of the classical with modern portraiture. Very interesting duality between the subject and the mural, reminding me of Michelangelo’s Sistine chapel. Some improvement could be achieved through cleaning of the major distracting items on the wall, while leaving the generic feel of abandonment. Also a slight in-

Silver - Simon Attard (right) A great image which could have benefitted from better composition. The space to the right doesn’t seem to be needed. A short of the entire image to the right, with more of the lower building showing and the higher building touching the right edge would have created a much more dynamic and tense image. Failure to remove elements at the bottom of the image also dropped the score.

Bronze - Matthew Cutajar (above) A lovely image which could have achieved much better if there was more sky at the top of the image. The exact crop at the top is claustrophobic and keeps the viewer wanting more space. There are also some slight imprecisions in the symmetry (in the bottom section in particular) which indicate that the photographer needed to take one or two steps to the right. B&W conversion also lacks some punch and could have benefitted from some more localized contrasts and brighter highlights.

Unclassified While the capture is good, the image is highly over-processed, showing an overall softness which one cannot be sure is due to misfocus or photoshop. The sharpening of the buggy is not precise and appears artificial, which detracts significantly from the natural look of the image. There are also some distracting items (particularly on the floor) which could easily be removed.

SEPTEMBER EVENTS IN PICTURES Some images taken during the last PTYA Session! Winner will be announced during the Awards Dinner Night on 21st October, at the MIPP October Convention

Alexei Sammut & Ian Sicluna taking po

The audience

Judges taking a closer look

Judges Joe Smith, Charles Calleja & John Ambrogio

oints

Judges taking a closer look

Judge Joe Smith giving his critique