Azernews.Az

By Sara Rajabova

"Photoman-2013", the final exhibition of an international Eastern Partnership photo contest opened at the Baku Creative Center on March 5.

As a partner country, the event was organized in Azerbaijan by the Azerbaijan Photographers Union and Baku Creative Center, AzerTag state news agency reported.

Amateur photographers from Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Belarus, and Armenia are taking part at the contest within the EU-funded project "SAY CHEESE!"

Speaking at the event, head of the Azerbaijani Photographers Union Mirnaib Hasanoglu spoke about the photo contest, saying that for two months contestants from six countries have been challenged to show off their skills in producing interesting photos. After four challenges, six winners were identified, one from each participating country. Also, 15 participants from each Eastern Partnership country will be awarded with certificates for a free pilot course at the new Eastern Partnership online photography school.

"Photoman-2013" is an international photo contest aimed at encouraging young amateur and advanced photographers in Eastern Partnership countries.

The Facebook-based contest and reality show is a dynamic and exciting contest full of interesting challenges, and based on tough competition. The contest addresses talented, ambitious and daring amateur photographers who would like to know what it feels like to be a professional photographer and face new challenges almost every single day.

The contest is conducted in four stages; the topic for the challenge is only announced at the beginning of each stage, so the contestants do not know in advance what topic they will have to work on.

Once the challenge is announced, contestants have several days to complete the challenge before the given deadline. Everything is just like in real life, where professional photographers need to conduct a photo shoot and come up with high-quality outputs within a rigid deadline specified in a contract. It is not easy to work this way, but it is very exciting, because such a schedule is as close to reality as it can get.

It is under such working conditions that actual capacities, resourcefulness, wit, and professional skills of young photographers are best revealed. But the most exciting thing is that the result of the contest does not depend on a decision taken by several people. The works of the contestants are evaluated by Facebook users.

The 'SAY CHEESE!' project is aimed at boosting the capacities of EaP photographers` associations and encouraging their networking with each other. The project aims to enhance the abilities of local professional and amateur photographers in the EaP region to create and sell high quality thematic EaP photos; finally, the project wants to promote thematic EaP photography within the EaP and the EU, and at international level.