The idea to launch the Asia Photo Festival came about many years ago. The objective then and now somewhat has deviated a little. A few years ago, our thought was to use it as a platform to connect and bridge photographers from all over the world to share their works and at the same time, let everyone know more about Asia.

The objective now has gone beyond the sharing and knowing. It is about the sustainability and future of good photography using cameras, not just smartphone cameras, and the various social media platforms.

This is a very crucial message that needs to be addressed, and also the reason why we manage to bring together the many big organisations and clubs, to let everyone know more about the activities, the different recognition systems and possible learning path. Putting aside all differences, it is crucial that everyone effort is needed to make it possible to clear all doubts and misconceptions.

Progress in photography goes beyond the LIKEs in social media. There are yardsticks or assessments for photographers to be accredited and path in photography for them hone their skills. There are higher institutions which offer degree or masters in photography. These strike a balance between having a quantitative method to assess one’s progress in photography and creating one’s individual style.

No doubt that the convenience of smartphone has swinged the photography enthusiasts away from the more complicated mirrorless and DSLR, but it is sad if such are done away with for the sake of convenience. Serious amateurs will know the limitation of smartphone cameras. Photographers need to know what and why are they shooting before deciding to do away with the mirrorless or DSLR.

Major photographic organisations and photography clubs which have salons, honours or distinctions must continue to reinvent and stay relevant to the changing technology, trends and needs in photography. They remain critical to the progress and recognition process in photography which many photographers can tap on to further their journey. It is good to have diversity in the many organisations and clubs across the many different countries in the different continents with different culture, and all should work together, to co-exist and cooperate in this digital world.

We at APU serve the photography community from the bottom of our hearts. We are here to try to bring to the audience, the fun and joy of photography. This festival is made possible without any advertisers income. We hope to have sponsorship and advertisers to make the subsequent festivals even bigger and better. With everyone’s support, this, I believe, we can make it happen.

Let’s enjoy the festival of photography creations, welcome to Asia Photo Festival 2020.