From 7th-8th October, 2005, the Workshop on Visual Literacy `Focus on Photography Editors from Europe and Asia’ was held in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The World Press Photo Foundation, which has been ASEF’s partner for the Asia-Europe Forum for Young Photographers 2003 and 2004 series, approached ASEF to co-organise a workshop on visual literacy with art and photography editors from Europe and Asia. This event was considered as a pilot project since the usual focus had been more on young photojournalists.
Three main objectives identified by the organisers to articulate the workshop were:
1. To create a higher awareness of the visual and journalistic qualities of photojournalism
2. To offer a unique platform for young photojournalists to exchange experiences and establish new contacts
3. To stimulate the appreciation of and enthusiasm for photojournalism
In Amsterdam, eight selected photography editors shared their experiences through a one day forum, moderated by Edie Peter, a photography consultant from The Netherlands (www.photoq.nl). They also attended lectures and discussions with resource persons, Maria Mann (Corbis, France) and Stephan Mayes (Art + Commerce Anthology, United Kingdom). The workshop took place during the 50th World Press Photo anniversary, which allowed the participants to interact with up to 1,000 guests, including the prestigious award winners of the WPPF annual exhibition.
This first edition of the workshop, focused on photography editors, was a success based on the participants’ feedback. This may lead to similar events in the future to contribute to greater recognition of photojournalistic works in Asia and Europe.