Yangon Photo Festival – time to apply for masterclasses
The dates have been set for the next Yangon Photo Festival which showcases the best of aspiring photographers in Myanmar. The seventh edition of the festival with the theme of “love” takes place from 9 – 14 February 2015
Under the patronage of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, the Yangon Photo Festival’s purpose is to exhibit in Yangon a selection of the best works produced around the world and to nurture a new generation of Myanmar photographers.
The festivities during that week will include 15 exhibitions (Institut Français & other venues), screenings and discussions, masterclasses with visiting international artists and a show involving underpriviledged teenagers using the arts of photography, storytelling juggling and dance. The festival will culminate on February 14 during Valentine’s Day, for the Yangon Photo Night. The best photo-essays will be screened in front of the public and jury presided by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and prizes such as Canon Cameras and trips to France to study photography will be awarded.
Advanced documentary photography masterclasses (in English & Burmese)
Designed by French photographer Christophe Loviny for those who already have technical skills, these free intensive 8-day masterclasses teach how to create a narrative photo-essay ready to be published on the web, in a journal or as an exhibit. Loviny is assisted by French photographer Nicolas Havette and Myanmar photographers Mayco Naing and Pyay Kyaw Myint.
The best works produced during the workshops will be shown to the public and a jury presided by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi on February 14 during the 7th Yangon Photo Night. Prizes such as Canon cameras, training at Les Rencontres d’Arles Festival (France) and an artistic residency at National School of Photography in Arles (France) will be awarded.
Dates for free masterclasses:
Mandalay: 8 – 17 December, 2014 – French Center, Naga Gehar, 80th street, 24th/25th streets
Kengtung: 20 – 27 December, 2014 (venue to be determined soon)
Myeik: 3 – 10 January, 2015 (venue to be determined soon)
Dawei: 12 – 20 January, 2015 (venue to be determined soon)
Yangon: 24- 31 January, 2015 – Institut Français de Birmanie, 340 Pyay Road, Sanchaung Tsp)
Contact Pyay Kyaw Myint for registration: pyaykyawmyint@gmail.com. Candidates for the Yangon workshop will be selected on 23 January, based on their motivation and ideas for the photo-essays (bring your portfolio on a memory stick). If you don’t have a portfolio, people should try their luck anyway. Each year some participants are selected despite a very limited experience in photography. Everyone should try their luck.
Selection & Content of the masters-classes
The participants will be selected on the following criteria:
1. Strong professional motivation.
2. Subjects they would like to work on during the workshop.
3. The ability to tell stories.
4. Technical level in photography, according to the portfolio.
Schedule:
Day 1
The first hours are dedicated to a lecture by Christophe Loviny about narrative storytelling with multimedia and photography in particular. All aspects and kinds of multimedia storytelling and photo-journalism will be raised throughout the screening of a selection of 30 high quality picture-stories made by famous photojournalists, Christophe Loviny or former Myanmar participants to Yangon Photo Festival.
After a quick lunch, five hours are spent discussing collectively the subject of each participant – the right story, the right angle. Each one has to write a storyboard. The reality of the reportage will be different but it helps a lot for the preparation to articulate on paper all possible aspects of the story.
During previous workshops, most of the subjects chosen by participants were feature stories with a social issue as a background. At the end of the first day, each participant has to choose a relevant subject and develop a storyboard.
Day 2-8
The following six days will be dedicated to shooting. The trainers will accompany some photographers on the field the first two days but, most importantly, they will have daily meetings which each of the students to look at the photos, edit them, discuss the difficulties of the story and plan the following steps.
The completion of a successful photographic work is the outcome of a series of choices, from the concept of the shot itself to the final post production of the chosen image, in order to produce meaning or a point of view. To choose is also to eliminate, which is often difficult and painful for the photographer. However, it is essential. Emphasis is done on the principles, the criteria, and the consequences of these choices.
After 5 days of picture shooting and editing, the last two days of the workshops will be mostly dedicated to edit the final multimedia to be shown to the public in the evening of the final day. To be in real professional conditions, it is very important to have strict deadline and to be confronted with a public screening. The best works will also be shown on the Yangon Photo Night on February 14th in front of the public and a jury presided by Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and participants will have a chance to win prizes such as Canon cameras, and trainings in France.
Free introductory documentary workshop (Burmese) January 16 – 22, 2015
Designed by photojournalists and documentary photographers of Myanmar Image Makers (Aung Pyae, Minzayar, Pyay Kyaw Myint and Tuntun Aye) for all those who are fond of photography but need to learn technical skills. The best participants will be able to attend the following advanced workshop.
Date & venue: Institut Français de Birmanie, 340, Pyay Road, Sanchaung Tsp
Register with Pyay Kyaw Myint: pyaykyawmyint@gmail.com
Tel : 095 019 239
Website: www.yangonphoto.com
Facebook page: Yangon Photo Festival
Contacts: melanie.agron@gmail.com, tel: 09252360795 (English), pyaykyawmyint@gmail.com tel: 095019239 (Burmese)
