The 8th PCP Professional Photography and Photojournalism Workshop
The Photojournalists Center of the Philippines held its 8th Professional Photography and Photojournalism Workshop last November 6- 10, 2013 at TREES Guesthouse. It brought together veteran documentary photographers, seasoned photojournalists and aspiring photographers in an information and skills sharing on the practice of photojournalism.
Participants from universities, government agencies, corporations and freelancers completed the 5-day intensive workshop, providing a deeper understanding of the history and trends in photography and photojournalism. The workshop included lectures, demos and practical exercises meant to enhance the participants’ visual storytelling capabilities as well as the aesthetic and ethical practice of the profession.
Anticipating the entry of Typhoon Yolanda, lectures on disaster and conflict coverage were given in preparation for such events. A mock newsroom was organized the night before the field shoot which provided a venue for trainers and participants to discuss possible scenarios, and things to prepare for or expect when covering typhoons.
The participants were provided an opportunity to work on their respective photo essays through fieldwork at a coastal village in Los Baños and Bayan ni Juan Relocation site in Calauan, Laguna. The finished works were then presented during the Solidarity night of the workshop where several mentors and guest photojournalists gave their assessments.
The first Gene Boyd Lumawag Award for Outstanding Photo Story was given to Rita T. Dela Cruz for her work “Doknoy.” A story on the struggle of a 9-year old boy left to take care of his grandmother who suffered a stroke.
Lecturers who shared their knowledge and skills included Raymond “Bogsi” Panaligan, on Language of the Image; veteran documentary photographer Sonny Yabao on Reading Images; Malacañang Photo Bureau photographer Gil Nartea on the History of Photojournalism; ABS-CBNnews.com’s Rem Zamora on trends in Photojournalism; Charlie Saceda on Covering Disaster and Conflict areas; documentary photographer Gigie Cruz-Sy on digital file management; Jes Aznar on Photo Essay Development; Precious Leaño on Copyright and Photography; Joe Torres, Editor of UCAN News, on writing skills for photojournalists; Jimmy Domingo of the Ateneo de Manila and De La Salle University on ethics in photojournalism; Fernando Sepe, Jr. photo editor of abs-cbnnews.com on editing of photos; and multimedia artist Luis Liwanag on multimedia journalism.
Other photojournalists and PCP members who participated in the mentoring and critiquing sessions were Alex Baluyut, Al Benavente, Ac Dimatatac, Vincent Go, Ernie Sarmiento, Candice Reyes, and Chris Quintana.
The 8th PCP Professional Photography and Photojournalism Workshop was organized with support from YKL-Fujifilm, Canon Philippines, abs-cbnnews.com and Quadro Los Baños, Laguna.