It is certainly seldom that there is focus on photojournalism in this country. A close-up on a subject that is an integral and sometimes decisive aspect of mass media - perhaps the print media in particular. And taking into account the times that we live in, the value of the photograph is intrinsically high.
Therefore, to a have had a thought provoking symposium in meaningful conjunction with a three-day exhibition of about 600 press photographs, is something that calls for attention. It was unique in more ways than one. The idea of having such an event needs to be appreciated, and one hopes that there will be forward movement in this direction. As Barrister Qazi Faez Isa stressed in his speech at the symposium, "photojournalism is the pursuit of justice."
The bond between justice and photojournalism is underlined so definitively. No wonder, the relationship between journalism and justice in society (including Pakistani society) is much talked about.
The organiser of this event (on 15th and 16th November) was the Pakistan Japan Cultural Association (PJCA) with the Pakistan Association of Press Photographers (PAPP), the Consulate General of Japan, Karachi, and the Information Department, Sindh, being the co-organisers.
Support also came from the Japan Foundation (Grant programme for Intellectual Exchange Conferences), South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA), the Japanese Newspapers Publishers and Editors Association, the All Pakistan Newspapers Society, the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture (where the photographic exhibition was held for three days, ending today, Wednesday) and the Cultural Centre of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Karachi.
And the symposium was held in the auditorium of the Japanese Cultural Centre, inside the Japanese Consulate General, Karachi. The event had a theme, said a brochure published on the occasion, which was "a tribute to photojournalists" and that mood, and that emphasis were very visible in the proceedings. The modest programme brochure had some congratulatory messages including one from the President Asif Ali Zardari.
In his message he hoped that: "this significant initiative will add colour and style to the field of journalism in Pakistan over the years to come. I really believe that it is imperative to attract as many people possible towards the field of journalism and photojournalism".
Messages emphasising the value of photojournalism in Pakistan also came from the Sindh Governor, Dr Ishratul Ibad Khan, the provincial Information Minister, Shazia Marri, the Japanese Consul General, Akinori Wada, Fatima Suraiya Bajya, President of the Pakistan Japan Cultural Association, Zahid Hussain, Chairman of the Picture Selection Committee, PAPP, and Mujeebur Rehman, Chairman of the Organising Committee.
Besides photographers from all over Pakistan, there was effective participation from Bangladesh, Afghanistan, India, Iran, Japan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. And in Pakistan they came from Chaman, Chitral, Dera Ismail Khan, Faisalabad, Gwadar, Hyderabad, and Islamabad. I wonder why there was no one from Lahore, Peshawar, Quetta, and some other places in the NWFP. Photojournalism from the NWFP at this point in time would have enriched the exhibition further still.
Many useful aspects of photojournalism were addressed and heard by a keen audience. Kenjiro Sato, a 38-year professional from Japan, who has moved for professional reasons from photojournalism to being a reporter, spoke exceptionally well on the main theme.
His particular points of attention were the current state of Japanese newspapers, the current state of freelancers, explaining why he became a reporter, concluding as follows: Traditionally photographers tend to respond to events. Shooting good pictures in response to events is fine, but not enough anymore. We need to dig out what readers want to know. Find the objects to shoot on our own, and provide our readers with original frames of reference to help them better connect with the world they live in."
This Japanese photojournalist spoke profoundly about a photograph that he took when he came here to cover the aftermath of the October 2005 earthquake that killed about 80000 people. In Muzaffarabad he took a picture of a refugee girl who had come to receive relief supplies. He said that "my picture doesn't show destroyed homes or dead bodies - any direct signs of devastation. It only shows the girl in front, calling out to out-of-frame relief workers on a supply truck, a middle aged man right behind her and other refugees in the back."
Kenjiro Sato left a deep impression when he said "Right after I shot the picture I checked it on my digital camera's screen and thought it was very good. I thought she was very beautiful. Her beauty more than anything else, conveyed the agony the victims had to go through. I don't know how I was able to capture that.
I don't think my words are enough to describe what happened ... the picture won one of the most prestigious journalism awards in Japan that year." He referred to what he believed was a good example of photojournalism. Artistic value is not enough to make a good picture.
He said "A picture can be very artistic, receive high praises and get blown up large and shown in a museum, but to me, it means little, if it fails to convey the true feelings of the people photographed - a good picture must have the power to shake the heart of the viewer and move him or her into action." I have referred to what Barrister Qazi Faez Isa said when he spoke on "Laws and Photojournalism".
A quote from his talk as reproduced in a news report is pertinent to mention here. He said, "We are living in extremely violent times and Karachi has seen its share of violence. May 12 has been etched in our memories. Photograph of a former chief justice, Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry, being manhandled, by what appear to be law-enforcing officials, was a watershed. That wrong has not been corrected to date."
From India came 35-year-old Himanshu Uyas, who is an award winning chief photographer of The Hindustan Times. He spoke about the state of photojournalism in his country and said that there were three kinds of photojournalists there today. He described them as the prized, the surprised and the compromised ones.
It was not only a matter of how talented and imaginative a photographer was but it was also a matter of the equipment that a photographer had, on which basis his status would be determined He showed the variety of the photographic canvass that India offered and used excellent photographs to depict the diversity of themes.
The exhibition of 600 black and white and coloured photographs that was held had a wonderful range on display - reflecting however, somewhat limited, glimpses of life. I would have imagined that there would be specific information available about each of the photographs exhibited. That would have enhanced the creative and thematic value of the exhibit. Or that the selection of photographs would have brought out the reality of the complex and chaotic South Asian experience.
But given the fact that this was a maiden effort of its kind I would like to believe that the quality of the effort and the results obtained would improve vastly in the years ahead. This focus on photojournalism was not only educative and informative but also an invaluable step forward.
But obviously there is much more that needs to be done, as photojournalism is likely to become far more powerful in the days ahead, as the media jungle thickens.
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