Int’l Salon of Photography sees rise in participants

Hoi Yan Fong

Kai Lon Tang

The 19th Macao International Salon of Photography 2017 was inaugurated yesterday at Lou Lim Ieoc Garden, awarding 50 photographers from around the globe.

Organized by the Photographic Society of Macao (PSM), the biennial event provides a platform for photographers to exchange photographic experiences and techniques.

This year, the organizers received 4,597 entries from 343 contestants in 43 countries and regions.

According to the vice president of the Photographic Society of Macao, Angus Fong, there was a significant growth in the number of photographers who participated in its 19th edition, compared to two years ago.

He said that there were approximately 100 participants in 2015.

Fong attributed the increase of participants to the easier access in acquiring high-quality photographs, adding that there were even photos taken by smartphones.

“The government supports this industry a lot so you can see there are a lot of events for photographers,” Fong told the Times.

“In Macau, the love for photography is growing,” he added.

Wining photographs of the 19th edition of the competition were approved by the Photographic Society of America (PSA) and the International Federation of Photographic Art (FIAP).

According to Fong, the association has evaluated the standards of the two federations in a bid to raise its standards in judging the photographs.

One of the judges of the competition Alex Fung also stressed that the photographs they have received have changed in terms of their subjects.

“The subjects of the photos have changed. Many years ago it was different. For example, now we see photos [of] the northern lights but during the last few years, we didn’t see these submissions,” said Fung.

According to him, selecting photographs for this year’s edition was ‘difficult.’

The competition is divided into four categories; namely, Color Digital Image Section, Monochrome Digital Image Selection, Nature Digital Image Section and Travel Digital Image Section.

The winner of the FIAP Silver Medal in the Nature Digital Image Section, Hoi Yan Fong, who joined the competition for the second time said that being a photographer in today’s era is much easier than it was previously as taking photos have become a common activity.

The Hong Kong part-time photographer also praised the organizers for conducting a platform for photographers that ‘gets better and better.’

Another local photographer, Kai Lon Tang, was awarded the Best Set of Entries award in the Color Digital Image Sections; and an Honorable Mention Ribbon by PSM.

“The technology I’ve used to enhance the photos have changed a lot compared to 10 years ago,” said Tang.

“I think not only technology has advanced but the idea of a photograph has been enhanced,” Kai, who has been a photographer for 10 years, added.

The 19th Macao International Salon of Photography 2017, supported by Henry Fok Foundation, Cultural Affairs Bureau, Macau Foundation and the Macau Government Tourism Office, will run until July 28.

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