The Annual Photography
Competition and Exhibition is promoted by the Jamaica Cultural
Development Commission through its National Photography
Committee, for the encouragement and development of
photography as an art-form.
The first exhibition mounted in
1963 was organized jointly by the then Festival Commission,
the Professional Photographers Association and the Jamaica
Camera Club. P.C. Whitbourne and H.M. 'Quito' Bryan-the first
two chairmen of the Photography Committee-were instrumental in
drafting the guidelines for the programme. Since then several
revisions have taken place, with the assistance of members
from groups such as the University of the West Indies Camera
Club and Colour Photography Club of Jamaica.
Early objectives of the
Photography Committee included procurement of proper equipment
to facilitate the mounting of exhibitions of international
standard, encouragement of camera clubs in schools, the
establishment of a travelling exhibition, and the acquisition
of a permanent venue for the exhibition. Success has not been
achieved in all areas but the Committee takes great pride in
the strides that have been made.
In 1997 a new category
"manipulated prints" was added, recognising the
impact that technology is having on photography by allowing
the manipulation of original photographic images by computer.
Also for the first time, the winning entries were exhibited in
New York, USA, courtesy of the Jamaica Consulate and Air
Jamaica. Since this time all successful entries in the
National Photography Exhibition are framed.
This year the Photography 2000
Exhibition will also be available as a "virtual"
exhibition on the internet, to Jamaicans and others worldwide.
Jamaican Photography is
internationally competitive, and it represents a resource with
limitless potential for the future development of the nation. |
