Valerie Chetcuti writes:

It is with regret that we heard of the sad loss of Joe Sammut, a photographer through whose initiative, vision, sheer hard work and persistence, the Malta Photographic Society was established in June 1961.

As a keen photographer, he loved to take photos of the Maltese landscape and of national events in order to illustrate the different aspects of the Maltese islands. His very first camera was a very simple cardboard 127 film that had no indication for parallax correction.

As film and camera equipment became more available after World War II, Joe, through his striving business, obtained a twin lens camera, and later on, a 35mm camera.

Eventually he started importing these cameras and became the agent for Ansco Colour film.

Joe made it his goal to see that the Society would eventually become well established on the international scene. This goal, it must be said, has been achieved and the Society is still a highly active and thriving NGO, well established through the successful participation of its photographer members in various photographic competitions and exhibitions that are held locally and abroad.