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Chinese photographer bags Dh100,000 in contest

Abu Dhabi - This year alone there were 35,000 entries from 4,800 photographers from 90 countries.

A series of photographs depicting rural Chinese people cooking in their traditional kitchens won Chengliang Liu the coveted Dh100,000 grand prize at the ninth Emirates Photography Competition (EPC).
Large dark, cold looking rooms with large wood burning stoves and bare concrete floors, cooking utensils hanging on ropes or on improvised shelves, all looking shockingly poor, the "Love on the Cooking Bench" series by Chinese photographer Liu caught the com-petition judges' eye for their documentary value, and for the photo-graphic technique used."They are very clever images. The dark, harsh even lighting and what appears to be a chaotic composition fit perfectly with this subject, creating the right mood for the viewer," explained Julian Mar-tin, a British professional photographer here.
Liu's portfolio of eight photos was selected among thousands of submissions this year, from all corners of the world. Being the world's most awarding photographic competition, with a total of Dh420,000 shared by 18 winners in several different categories, EPC has be-come hugely popular with amateur and professional photographers from all over the world.This year alone there were 35,000 entries from 4,800 photographers from 90 countries and the best 200 images are now exhibited at Manarat Al Saadiyat art gallery in Abu Dhabi until July 13.
Organised by the Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority in partnership with the International Federation of Photographic Art, EPC aims to improve the quality of photography particularly among Emiratis and particularly since photography is the nation's favourite form of visual expression."The judging panel was astound-ed by the quality, depth and diversity of submissions for this ninth edition, ultimately selecting a grand prize winner from the main 'Family Album' theme which we feel captures genuine moments of family life," said Bader Al Nomani, EPC director. As in previous years, the com-petition had a main theme and for this ninth edition the choice was Family Album, inspired by the first Arab photographer, Karimeh Abbud. She was born in 1894 in Nazareth into a Lebanese family and learned the photographic profession from an Armenian photographer in Jerusalem.Abbud started her photographic career in 1913, after receiving a camera from her father as a gift. She became obsessed with it, taking photos of cities, landscapes, historical monuments, as well as her family and friends, eventually opening a studio for women in Bethlehem, allowing conservative families an opportunity to photograph women in comfort.
Abbud played a major role in this profession, which at the time was perceived as strange to the eastern Arabic society. She died in the late 1960s and was buried in Bethlehem, leaving a legacy of hundreds of photos reflecting an important period of modern Palestinian history.
EPC's main theme, Family Al-bum, was inspired by Abbud's work, also recognising her leading contributions Arabic photography. This particular theme alone received 831 portfolio sub-missions.Winners of the category were Dimitrious Markoglou from Greece for 'Loneliness', a series of stunning portraits of mostly elderly people in harsh, lonely situations; Egyptian photographer Mohamed Nasr for his Soul port-folio of black and white family compositions; and Saudi photographer Abbas Al Khamis for his Indian Gypsies.
In addition to attracting entries from an international pool of talent, the competition also aims to promote photography in the UAE through the highly coveted Nour Ali Rashid Award for the Emirati Photographer and the Emirati Photo Award categories, which focus on the characteristic environmental and cultural aspects of the UAE.Other accolades awarded in-clude gold, silver and bronze prizes for the categories coloured digital photo, monochromatic digital photo, creative photographer, Future Image by Future Eyes for photographers under 16 years old, best photographer award and the photography clubs award, which was won by the Emirates Falcon Photography Club for their group participation.
All about EPC
> Emirates Photography Competition is the world's most awarding photographic competition
> 35,000 entries from 4,800 photographers from 90 countries participated
> Best 200 images will be exhibited at Manarat Al Saadiyat art gallery, Abu Dhabi until July 13
> EPC aims to improve the quality of photography particularly among Emiratis
> Photography is nation's favourite form of visual expression.
silvia@khaleejtimes.com