Antalya to welcome world’s best photojournalists

ANTALYA

Photo by Ümit Turpcu

The best-known names in both global and Turkish photojournalism will come together in the southern province of Antalya during the Photo Antalya International Press Photo Days.

Footage from Turkey’s pioneering photojournalist, Ferit İbrahim, as well as photos taken by Turkey’s young talents, will be displayed at the event to be held for the first time between April 1 and 5.

The theme of the event will be “witness,” according to Turkish Photojournalists Association (TFMD) Chairman Rıza Özel.

Nearly 60 photography artists, including Turkish masters Ara Güler; Coşkun Ara; National Geographic Iranian photographer Reza; one of the world’s most successful photojournalists, Jodi Bieber; and New York Times photo editor Gaia Tripoli will attend the event to be held in various parts of the city.

Organized by the Antalya Chamber of Commerce (ATSO) in collaboration with the Turkish Photo Journalists Association, the event will start at the Antalya Glass Pyramid Fair and Congress with a talk by Reza.

Photos by Turkish newspaper and agency photographers, as well as special collections from the Directorate General of Press and Information and the TFMD, will be presented at Photo Antalya.

There will also be a special selection in memoriam of world-renowned sports photojournalist Kerim Ökten, who died last year after his motorbike was hit by lightning.

The results of the 30th Press Photos of the Year Awards, organized by the TFMD and considered one of the most important media awards in Turkey, will be announced as part of the event. The jury members, which consist of famous photo journalists and editors of globally recognized media organs, will select the winners.

As part of the event, there will also be an Instagram photo competition. A jury that includes Mustafa Seven, who has more than a million followers on Instagram, will select the best photos uploaded to Instagram under the hashtag #PhotoAntalya. Contestants have until March 29 to upload their photos, with the winners set to receive 6,000 Turkish Liras in prize money.

First event in the field

Stating that it would be one of the most colorful promotional events organized in Antalya, the capital of Turkish tourism, ATSO Chairman Davut Çetin said: “As a nongovernmental organization, we are making great steps toward Antalya’s promotion and also organizing social responsibility projects. Turkey’s and the world’s most important eyes will be on the city for five days. The Photo Days began to be talked about in social media in many countries from Japan to South Africa before they have even started. It shows the power of this event.”

Özel said it was the first time such a big event was being organized in the field of Turkish press photography.

“The frames taken by photojournalists are sometimes a national joy and sometimes the pain of a nation. Millions of people unite thanks to a photo. The pain and the joy reflected in our photos are visual witnesses in history. The term ‘witnesses of history’ is used for photojournalists. This is why PhotoAntalya is organized around this theme,” he said.