FOCALPOINTThe Official MIPP Newsletter January 2015

www.mipp-malta.comIssue No. 47

Editor:Th erese Debono

Assistant Editor:Kerstin Arnemann

Design:Th erese Debono

Article Vetting:Vince DeBono

Articles:Various contributors

Editorial Advice:Kevin Casha

Contact:newsletter@mipp-malta.com

Newsletter Team

By the time you get this newsletter I am sure that you are not all done from all the mince pies, chocolates and drinks, so here I am writing to you all with a nice mince pie looking adoringly at me waiting to be nibbled at!

What a year this has been! So many events organised, and looking at the MIPP Calendar for the new year it promises to be jammed packed too!

I can’t thank you enough dear members for faithfully attending our events and supporting the hard work which the executive committee and other helpers do. It is truly fullfi lling to see that what we do is received with open arms!

I hope that most of you come up with some interesting

EDITORIAL If you want your photos featured on the newsletter’s front page just send the images to newsletter@mipp-malta.com. Your contributions are always welcome!

exhibitions and projects for this year, so that I can all feature you on our newsletter and share with other peers!

Meanwhile, I will get rid of all the mince pies at home and resolve to not touch any more till end of this year!

Happy 2015 to you all!

Th erese & Kerstin!

hibi iAssistant EditorKerstin Arnemann

Find us on:

CONTENTS

pg 2 President’s viewpoint January Viewpointpg 4 Featured MIPP member David Sammutpg 10 Travel Feature Right2Smile by Simon Attardpg 14 Out & About January Eventspg 18 MIPP Monthly Talk Sunlight by Albert de Marcopg 20 Calendar of Events Mark your Diaries!

JANUARY 2015

cover artist Keith Ellul

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Sirius“Th is was my fi rst take in astro-photography, it was not the ideal night for it but in this image the clouds added some interest, this is a shot of the star Sirius and the constellation of Orion (right). It was shot in Mtahleb at around midnight; unfortunately there was some light pollution but managed to get some interesting shots of the night sky. Out of 5 images I had taken that night this was my favourite, the glow around Sirius and the moving clouds are what made the image. I don’t like to be technical but the settings I used are ISO 1000 f/2.8 20/1 sec @ 24mm, focus set to infi nity; I wasn’t aft er trails so I decided to pump up the ISO a bit and shoot wide to get the stars as sharp as possible”.

HAPPY 2015!

VIEWPOINT

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Kevin Casha

Dear Members,Th is being the fi rst viewpoint for 2015, I would like to wish you and your loved ones the most successful and prosperous New Year. May we all manage to go through 2015 keeping our good health as well as our enthusiasm for life and all that we do. Th is time round, I wanted to share with you some personal thoughts. Last year, both top MIPP competitions, namely the Photographer of the Year and the International Online Competition, were won by the gentler sex. Furthermore, four of the members gaining Qualifi cations, (from a total of six panels), were also women! Was this a coincidence? I do not really think so and in fact I have long been feeling the growth and opportunity that women photographers have gained partly through Digital photography. Fift een years back, I distinctly remember the extremely low number of females who would apply to learn photography during my courses – they would invariably be outnumbered ten to one by the males! Yet, now the boot seems to have shift ed to the other foot. Take the clear example of my MCAST Higher National Diploma Photography fi rst year Class which consists of seven girls and one boy! Even the MIPP membership seems to be steadily increasing its female membership. So what are the reasons of this evident increase in women photography practitioners in what was, previously, rather a male dominated profession?

I feel that the main factor behind this is the facility that digital technology has undoubtedly given us. Th e barriers have surely been lowered. Th rough my previous experience, most females have seemingly shied away from technical aspects so, for most of them, it was rather daunting to get to grips with complicated equipment, f-stops and tricky photographic techniques. It is not because they are not capable of surmounting these obstacles but I feel that their temperament prefers concentrating on other things. Have you ever really met a girl who is a ‘techie’ or fi xated with photographic equipment and technology? One in a million, whilst on the other hand, many males are actually into photography because they are gadget freaks and love technique. Although I do not think that this is scientifi cally proven, this does seem to be a distinct trend between the two sexes. Th us, and again this is only my view coming from years of practical experience, when digital (and the camera monitor) nudged out conventional photography, females now do not really need any more to concentrate so much on technique but have plunged fully into

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viewpoint

the art of photography and creativity. Again, one can now feel another distinct trend – female photographers seem to be steaming ahead into the forefront when it comes to conceptual photography and many times, seem to be leaving males lagging behind.

I do feel that both sexes can learn from each other. How fantastic would it be that photographers who are obsessed with technique would start adding context and message in their photographs and how ideal would it be if those employing context and message could supplement their work with the right technique and quality? I feel that this is another benefi t, albeit not very recognized, that Digital photography has granted us. It has got everyone in ‘on the act’ and this undoubtedly gives photographic art a much wider breadth and dimension.

So males beware – we all need to further improve our game if we are to provide an adequate challenge to the fairer sex!

IS BEING A PHOTOGRAPHER EQUAL TO BEING AN ARTIST? David Sammut

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featured member

Surely, the concept of photography falls un-der the realm of one of the Arts, but can you strictly label someone an artist based on their job or hobby?

Photographers are everywhere nowadays. Be-yond the thousands upon thousands of pho-tographers who have a business and make a living taking pictures, there are also all the families with cameras and anyone who half-way knows how to use a camera phone. Every one of you who calls himself a photographer has the opportunity in my opinion, to call himself an artist.

Th e term artist has a powerful meaning that is non-discriminatory. You, as an artist have the distinct ability to take something and make it your own. But for me, I don’t consider myself an artist. It’s not a name I give myself because I feel that it is too strong for how I look at my own photos.

What do I do? In one world I am a parent, in another world I have a full time job at the Uni-versity of Malta, and in another world I am a bubbly person with photography as my hob-by. I only fi nd myself in true harmony when shooting architecture or a sunrise session with my friends.

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Today’s world throws at us hectic moments and it’s hard to manage everything. Photography really re-laxes me and I do my best to keep it that way. When I was a kid I was always attracted to photography but I couldn’t aff ord a camera till I met a good friend of mine. He used to work in the Fire Section at the Malta Airport and I saw thousands of slides and photographs taken during fi re drills. I was hooked and aft er I got my fi rst job, I bought my fi rst camera with my fi rst pay cheque.

Aircraft and horses were my fi rst subjects and I took reels upon reels of the expensive colour fi lms not to mention developing them. In the Army I learned how to develop black & white pictures and slide fi lms. Th is pulled me deeper into the pho-tographic medium. Th en came the switch to digital photography. At fi rst I held back in purchasing a digital photography because I had other fi -nancial priorities; in those days digi-tal cameras weren’t cheap.

When I had my fi rst new born I got one as a present and I continued to enjoy photography again. Training plays a very important role when having such a hobby. Th is is an ongo-ing learning process that never ends. Th ere is always something new to

learn. Techniques need to be refi ned and kept updated. Keeping updated is not that hard with all the courses, seminars and workshops available es-pecially the ones MIPP off ers.

Inspiration is not that hard either; you only need to look around you. Seeking things to inspire you and take the opportunity to capture the moment. An image that may either be discarded or wow the onlookers.

Our generation doesn’t need much to pick up and learn how to take great photos, it’s not like you need a dark-room, chemicals and to constantly be purchasing fi lm. With just a good smart phone you can yield some amazing good quality photos. Th is has opened the world of photography and the arts to a lot more people.

Being a photographer can be just as much about having technical skill and experience, as it is about hav-ing a vision. In order to make pho-tographs you need to have a mix of both. Whichever type of photo you’re trying to capture, chances are you won’t have all the time in the world to check every setting available on your camera. Today, where just about eve-ry photo is being retouched to some degree, editing is also a technical skill that allows you to create your style in your photos. Th is involves more

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Left : Enthusiastic Member David Sammut.

Page 4: Shades of OrangePage 7: KahlaPage 9: Red Stairs

Images & Article by David Sammut

sharpening of our techniques.

In our own personal photos, are we weighing skill and vision equally? Are we work-ing enough to improve both of them and not just one?

In my opinion there is no mold in photography. We don’t have to fi t all in any par-ticular style. Everybody needs to fi nd his own style and explore it from every angle possible. Everybody can get the media they want to capture [vision] and over time we develop our own styles through skills and experience.

Joining MIPP was a good investment for me not just for the information and expe-rience gathered but also for the friendships I made.

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Simon AttardRIGHT2SMILE!

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travel feature

During my trip to India in November 2013 I was contacted by a person on Facebook who had asked my permission to share the pho-tos I was uploading on my Facebook page whilst travelling there. He was the founder of an NGO called Right2Smile. Th is NGO organises trips for its members to help out in their projects with less fortu-nate children in India and Kenya. Th e contact was made and the seed planted...

I travelled to Kenya on 1st August 2014 with a Group of 10 other volunteers. We fl ew to Istanbul then to Nairobi. Two hour taxi ride to Nngong then a bumpy ride on a pickup truck to our fi nal destina-tion: Olasiti. A very remote village in the Maasai Tribe territory. Th e group members were allocated to 4 diff erent Maasai families and we shared their very humble abode for the next 3 weeks. No electricity, no water, no mobile but much peace and serenity.

Obviously I took my photography equipment.... not much, as I do not have much but enough to serve my purposes. One thing I must state is that during this trip I fi nally fell in love with my mirrorless Fujifi lm camera. Aft er a yearlong relationship we have started to know and understand each other and it seems that we are into this until death do us part.

Th e environs of the village where mainly savannah at the foot of a range of mountains, windy, arid, covered with thorn bushes and fl at top acacia trees. Th e “wealthier” families grazed their sheep and cows in the vicinity and a 10 minute walk would take you very close to a wild herd of giraff es. Other wild animals like hyenas and dik dik roamed nearby too.

Most of our days were spent at the schools which Right2Smile have built there. We interacted and played with the children. We organised fun activities and outings. We met the Maasai elders of the village and had educational workshops about local issues in Nairobi. Most of all we tried to exchange cultures. Ours and theirs.

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We lived in the same places and conditions as they do. Ate and slept just like they do. We walked long distances to fetch our water. We travelled for an hour to charge our mobile phones. We where in bed by 8.30pm and up on our feet at 6.00am. Th ey have very little but have the greatest smile I have ever seen. We also managed to fi t in a 3 day safari during our stay. We travelled by car to the Maasai Mara safari park. We had the opportunity to experience the ani-mals in their natural habitat from very close range. Animals were many: lions, elephants, giraff es, wildebeest, gazelles, baboons and the list goes on. I was lucky as the weather was cloudy and managed to capture some great shots of the animals and the landscape.

To sum it all up, it was one amazing ex-perience. Th e country, the people, the animals, the culture, the reggae music, the new friends and the photographic opportunities. But most importantly it was a great lesson in life. An eye open-er. .

Money and possessions does not make you a better person. It might make your life easier but happiness and serenity cannot be bought. As a photographer I asked a lot of persons to smile for the camera. I did not need to do that with these people and children. It came nat-urally to them. Th ey are poor in mate-rial belongings but very rich emotion-ally and they have every Right2Smile!

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January EventsOUT AND ABOUTSince art is not only about photography, Kerstin came up with the bril-liant idea of selecting a few monthly events and pointing them out to our members so that you visit these interesting exhibitions/installations/book launches and be inspired! Enjoy!

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MIPP member Darrin Zammit Lupi will be holding an interesting artist’s talk on his current exhibition, ISLE LANDERS. You are all invited to turn up at ST JAMES CAVALIER. It will be the last opportunity to view the exhibition as it is its last show day. Hope to see you there so we can also personally pass on our New Year’s wishes!

Date: Sunday 4th JanuaryTime: 19:30hrsVenue: St James Cavalier

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On Sunday 4th Janaury, we invite you to join us for this live session at Th e Villa Malta as part of the series Christmassy Sundays at Th e Villa Hosted by Get it.

Th e setup features Joe Debono (piano), Oliver Degabriele (double bass) and Carlo Muscat (saxophone).

Looking forward to seeing you there!

--Music by TOG SoundHosted by GET it

Flying Sculptures - an exhibition by ELKA

Dates: 16th January - 15th February

Venue: Upper Galleries

Since May 2014, Elka Duo have been involved in a project of nomadic creation and life, experimenting with production as mobile artists. Th e materials are light-weight and small, leading to new methods of creation. “Flying Sculptures” serves as a refl ection on sculpture and photography, questioning the concept of ecology and travel. No cutting, no uprootal... and no trace: those are the rules of “Flying Sculptures”.

ELKA is a French-Belgian duo formed by Elodie Laurent and Stéphane Kiszak.

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SUNLIGHT

More oft en we perceive our harsh sunlight as a disadvantage due to the fact that harsh light = harsh shadows. Unfortunately sometimes

we fail to take advantage of the patterns created by shade and shadows.

Harsh shadows can be seen as helpful in architecture photography but what about in other fi elds of our skill? Th is is the question we shall be

trying to answer during this talk entitled Sunlight

Albert de Marco

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CALENDAR

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6th JanaurySunlight - Talk by Albert de Marco19:30hrs, Le Meridien

13th JanuaryInt Online Comp - Judging Session 1

19:30hrs, Le Meridien

27th JanuaryDebate Night - an informal forum19:30hrs, Le Meridien

3rd FebruaryAGM

19:30hrs, Le Meridien

11th FebruaryPTYA - Contemporary Portraiture19:30hrs, Le Meridien

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