Recognising photographic achievements

I refer to the articles by Marika Azzopardi and Charles Mifsud (The Sunday Times, October 22). My congratulations go to Christine Muscat Azzopardi for taking up the task of representing us in China. A word of praise should also go to Ms Azzopardi and The Sunday Times for giving the photographer well-deserved coverage.

It is of great moral support to our ambassadors in all various fields, to receive this kind of exposure. I must also acknowledge the ongoing work and encouragement by the Malta Photographic Society to up and coming and established photographers alike.

Regrettably I cannot write the same about the other article by Mr Mifsud as I found it to be misleading. The article started about our good friend and MIPP president Kevin Casha and midway diverted to the MIPP seminar that is being held in early November as part of the institute's 10th anniversary.

Of course I do understand that you cannot mention Mr Casha without mentioning MIPP and vice versa, but I feel that the page should have been dedicated to Mr Casha and a separate article should have been dedicated to the MIPP 10th anniversary events, so that more information would have been provided.

For example, there are three not two Maltese speakers at the seminar: Mr Casha; Joe Smith and Martin Abela. Mr Abela was not mentioned at all. A very hardworking man within the MIPP, none other than Stephen Busuttil, who deserves to be recognised for his personal sacrifices for the institute's benefit, was not mentioned. One must not forget that the institute will soon publish a book about Maltese photographers as part of the 10th anniversary celebrations. From experience I can say that the publication took much effort and time to produce.

Thanks to the MIPP, Maltese photographers will have many activities to indulge in, and such activities need to be given exposure. I am also very proud that the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) is taking part in this seminar.

Last year I introduced SWPP and MIPP to each other and to date I am still the official ambassador to the SWPP. So it will be good for me to see some of my very good old friends in this seminar. I met Martin Graham Dunn and Trevor and Fay Yurbury about nine years ago in Eastbourne and Coventry while contesting the International Master Photographer of the Year - I won the title in 1998.

Malta has some really great photographers; I have seen work here that I have not seen anywhere else. The level of creativity is impeccable and the variation of technique mastered by various Maltese photographers is exceptional considering we are such a small country. This is in spite of the hefty investment needed to practise this beautiful art and the fact that photography itself is not recognised as a skill on its own and not included in our education system.