Azerbaijan, Baku, May 12 / Trend, E.Mehdiyev /
Opening ceremony of the first International Youth Photography Festival & Exhibition was held in Baku on Sunday, following the Children`s Eyes On Earth International Youth Photography Contest held last summer.
The opening ceremony was attended by Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, Leyla Aliyeva.
The exhibition and festival, which will continue until May 14, will create an opportunity to view the best 100 images from the Contest, that aims to raise awareness of environmental issues through the photographs of young people.
The Children`s Eyes On Earth global initiative was organized by Leyla Aliyeva, Vice-President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and the founder of the non-governmental organization IDEA (International Dialogue for Environmental Action) and Reza Deghati, renowned photographer and founder of the non-governmental organization AINA World.
Leyla Aliyeva addressed the event.
"This exhibition is organized jointly with Reza Deghati Photography and the IDEA campaign, without whose efforts and valuable contributions, we could not have drawn such a huge international interest to the festival. I am happy that today we are launching first of its scale and kind environmental Youth Photography Festival & Exhibition here, in Baku," she said.
Aliyeva said that Azerbaijan is well known for its scenic nature and rich wildlife, and recently, much attention has been given to preservation of its biodiversity.
"A few decades ago, our country lacked solid environmental development plans, falling behind most countries of the region in environmental sustainability. To redress the mistakes of the past, we implemented a range of initiatives that have significantly improved our environmental performance and fostered cooperation among the neighboring states," she noted.
Aliyeva said that Children's Eyes on Earth global initiative is a platform, where young talents from all over the world can communicate important environmental issues to experts, decision makers and the international community at large.
She noted that a decision has been taken to organize and host this exhibition and festival annually.
"It will be an extension of our continued effort to raise awareness and help draw attention to important environmental issues. The exhibition will also unite children and youth from around the world for a common cause and inspire public to take action," Leyla Aliyeva underlined.
In my opinion nature photographers are, in a way, the eyes of the public, she said.
"One thing, I believe, needs to change is how photographers portray nature. Too often we see simply "pretty pictures" in social media, like those on Facebook or Instagram. As an artist myself, it is my belief that reducing nature photography to only that is not a good trend. Pictures we see today, selected from thousands of entries by young artists from over 90 countries, are quite different. Authors of these images, despite their young age, have demonstrated astonishing creativity in depicting the planet's social and environmental problems," Aliyeva underlined.
She said that nature photography will incentivize people to take action for preservation of our planet.
"It will expose environmental problems to the broader audience and will encourage us to take action. This Festival & Exhibition will provide young contestants with the unique opportunity to develop their photography skills through a series of events and workshops in Baku," Aliyeva underscored.
"These days we celebrate the 90th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the traditional Flower Festival will be a perfect avenue for young talents to see our capital in full blossom. We are also joined here today by the representatives of leading photography magazines and world-renown experts in the field of arts and culture. For most of them, it is their first visit to Azerbaijan," she said.
Aliyeva noted that Baku has always captured the hearts and minds of its guests, regardless of their backgrounds and preferences.
"This city has a hidden charm: it has something to offer for everyone. For those who love history, a leisurely stroll in narrow alleys of Old Town will take you back centuries to the times of great Kingdom of Shirvanshahs; Art-masters can visit countless museums, workshops and galleries of the town, where they can watch our skillful artisans create sublime pieces; Azerbaijani people celebrate every style of music, ranging from national mugham to jazz; those interested in the national cuisine are welcome to indulge in local flavors; and a breath of fresh Caspian breeze at the end of the day is all you need... In short, Baku will make you feel at home, away from home," she noted.
The International Festival & Exhibition, organized by the IDEA campaign in Baku, gave the Contest winners an opportunity to develop their photography skills through a series of events and workshops. Outdoor exhibition, film screenings, seminars and Awards Ceremony were held within the Festival.
Baku celebrating the 90th anniversary of National Leader Heydar Aliyev and the traditional Flowers Holiday became a perfect venue for young talents for unity of the ancient culture, exquisite architecture and memorable festivities, which are being held in the city.
Eight-year-old Anastasya Vorobko from Saint Petersburg was the winner of the Children`s Eyes On Earth Contest, with her "SOS!" image, showing an artistic maturity beyond her years. The photograph depicts a bird flying over the thick smog being emitted from a factory funnel and conveys her fear of the pollution which affects environment.
It should be noted that the International Youth Photography Contest received over 4,000 image submissions under the themes "I Love Nature" and "I Fear Pollution" from young people in over 90 countries around the world.
The 100 best images from them will be demonstrated at the Festival. The six winners of the Contest were awarded trophies at the Festival & Exhibition Awards Ceremony and will participate in different photography workshops with Reza. They will also receive several prizes.
The best 100 images and the six winning images were selected by an international jury, led by acclaimed photographer REZA and including Ayperi Ecer, Reuters Vice President of Picture Development, Alain Genestar, founder of Polka magazine, Chris Rainier, National Geographic photographer, Françoise Lemarchand, founder of Canopée, Nature & Découvertes magazine, Frédéric Chevance, Managing Director of Fox International, France, Sylvie Brieu, Senior Editor of National Geographic, France, Marco Pinna, journalist, Franck Meo, founder of PhotoCloser.com, Shahidul Alam, photographer and Santiago Lyon, Vice President of Associated Press. The judges selected the first, second and third-place winners and the special prize winner, whilst the public vote results determined the winner of the `Your Choice` Public Vote Prize.
On the first day of the Festival, the best images will be demonstrated, and the contest winners will be awarded trophies and several prizes. On the second day of the Festival, the participants will take part in different workshops on photographing with Reza.