Life under lenses: 9th Edition of the Brasilia Photo Show Opens on November 25, 2023 By Gabriella Collodetti Correio Braziliense, September 12, 2023

Museum of Art of Brasilia (MAB),

 

Life under lenses

The history of the Brasilia Photo Show (BPS) began with the idealization of photographer Eduardo Vergara, from his homonymous book of 2013, which featured photos of Brasilia. The goal was to offer tourists from the capital a complete portrait of the city for the 2014 World Cup, which was held in Brazil.

After that, during a trip to Hollywood, California, Vergara had the idea of producing the Oscar of photography in Brazil, with Brasilia as the host city of the first International Photography Festival, the Brasilia Photo Show, in 2015.

"One of the goals of BPS is to enable possibilities, open doors to new talents and professionals who want to show their looks through images, always linked to four principles: recognize talents each year, offer opportunity, grant visibility and enable an exchange of contacts," says Rodrigo Nimer, executive director and also founder of Brasilia Photo Show.

Considered one of the largest photography festivals in Latin America, the 2023 edition closes its registrations tomorrow (10). Each candidate can submit up to two photos for free, and participants can compete with up to 30 photos. Those interested should register online, through the website www.brasiliaphotoshow.com.br.

Open to all professional photographers or not, from Brazil or abroad, Brazilians or foreigners, the Brasilia Photo Show has already awarded three thousand photos among almost 100 thousand images that were received from participants from all over Brazil and from more than 60 countries. In the process, eight books were published with the winning photographs from all editions.

"This year, we will have the return of the in-person event after three years of doing it in the virtual model because of the pandemic. Already with a confirmed date for November 25, the awards event will mark the overexposure of the 400 winning photos of 2023 at the Museum of Art of Brasilia (MAB)", informs Nimer.

According to the executive director, the edition also has news of the categories presenting the Artificial Intelligence category, exclusive for creativity in the use of artificial intelligence; and the Selfie category, which requires the presence of the person's arm or tripod in the photo. In all, BPS has 20 award niches, promoting space for creative diversity and diverse photographic styles.

9th edition of the festival

This year, the Brasilia Photo Show will have one of the largest group exhibitions in Brazil, at the Museum of Art of Brasilia (MAB), located next to the Concha Acústica. From November 25, the federal capital will become the city of photography for four months. The 400 winning photos of the 2023 edition will be exhibited in physical form, and also in electronic format of the 3100 winning photos of the eight previous editions of the BPS and also around a thousand semifinalist photos that hit the beam in 2023.

"The MAB will also feature a Museum of Photography, with an exhibition of old equipment telling the history of photography from the days of analog cameras to the present day, dozens of meetings, chats on topics related to the art of photography and workshops for children on topics related to the art of photography," says Nimer.

Three questions for Rodrigo Nimer, executive director and founder of Brasília Photo Show (BPS):

How is the festival curated?

Our jury is formed exclusively by top people in the artistic (the main) and technical (photography) areas. This covers photographers and people linked to art who work in galleries in Brazil and abroad. This model of analysis was created to give confidence to those who could not reveal their work to a large audience passionate about photography and art.

Another important detail is that we use our own management system that the curator, when using the system to evaluate the photos, does not have access to the personal data of the photographer, being able to only view the photos and some information such as history, category and equipment. This ensures total impartiality in the decision of the photos. The final decision on the scoring and awarding of the photos will always be exclusive to the organization of the festival and not by popular vote.

Why has the festival become one of the largest in Latin America within the field of photography?

A camera in hand and the world gains the reading and the nuances captured by the photographer's gaze. Made with smartphone, pocket machine or professional equipment, BPS is for everyone regardless of the person's limitation.

Free registrations made anywhere and at any time, with the festival, the click can travel all over the planet, be viewed, liked, shared by thousands of people, because the BPS aims to give visibility to the participants and posts all the participating photos on the platform of public opinion and also those highlighted on our Facebook and Instagram pages. In almost 9 years of the project, the interactions reach more than 80 million.

Why encourage photography?

The photographic record has always enchanted the human being, it is raw material for the dialogues of a globalized world. Its strength has broken down geographical, cultural, ideological barriers and technology has allowed anyone with a photographic device to become a potential photographer.

Photography is, more than ever, in people's daily lives. Today billions of photos are posted annually on social networks. Why not do it within a festival and win awards and get recognition? Many BPS participants meet professionally and today make a living from photography. There are hundreds of success stories!

Life under lenses (correiobraziliense.com.br)

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