Photographic art should stick to life, experts say

HÀ NỘI — Vietnamese photography has developed dynamically raising both opportunities and challenges for photographers.

That was the message that came into focus in Hà Nội yesterday as professional and amateur snappers gathered to to discuss industry problems and promote creativity in the art.

Entitled Photographic Art – Current Problems, the seminar also created a chance for photographers to enhance mutual understanding and exchange experiences.

Đặng Đình An, chairman of the Hà Nội Association of Photographic Artists, said the profession has been diversified with various types of cameras and technology.

But it stressed some younger photographers are ditching digital and moving back to film.

“Between new and old things, photographic art still requires much effort and talent from photographers,” he said.

He pointed out that some photo contests bring controversy due to the quality of photos, the transparency of the jury and professional ability of participants.

“The most popular problem is the photographers use Photoshop application to retouch the photos,” he said.

“While the genre of press photos requires the truthfulness, in the genre of artistic photos, photographers can retouch their work to have the better structure and light as well as cropping ‘rubbish’ in their photos. But they certainly have to respect the moment they capture the photos.”

An said artistic photos should have a long vitality in term of space and time. “Particularly, when I choose a photo to hang up in my office, I can contemplate it everyday through years but not feel tired.”

“In the recent years, I realised that the photos which are simple, modest but close to the life, often linger longer to the people’s taste,” An added.

Photographer Nguyễn Xuân Chính said authors should be stricter to themselves to create better works.

“The number of photographers has increased rapidly leading to the larger number of photos created, audience have too many things to contemplate, so they become more demanding.”

“Photographers don’t have to just convince their audience but their colleagues as well.”

Chính suggested photographers should travel and discover new ways to take pictures.

“Photographic art should be stick life and the photographers should understand clearly the life and culture they are trying to reflect.” — VNS