Nagaland Photography Festival begins in Dimapur

Our Reporter
Dimapur, Aug. 19 (EMN): Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Investment and Development Authority of Nagaland (IDAN), Alemtemshi Jamir inaugurated the first ‘Nagaland Photography Festival’ organised by Photography Club Dimapur (PCD) at Mandeville Garden, Dimapur, on Friday.

The two-day festival will feature events photography exhibitions, entertainment, kids corner, photography workshops, stalls and food court, cosplay competition, photography competition, and seminars.

Speaking during the opening ceremony of the event, Jamir said photography opens up so many things, freezes time and connects people.

However, he cautioned the gathering that to be ready and keep in touch with the changing times as 3D photography and holograms are gaining grounds with advancement in technology and digitisation.

While urging the gathering to bring technology to the core to keep their photography dreams alive, he said the government could step in to support if the club come up with some concepts on introducing technology to the profession.

Maintaining that photography is meant for documentation and to keep the moment alive, Jamir said the club can help preserve the great tradition, culture, and history of the Nagas through documentation, while lamenting that people talk about the unique history of the Nagas but it is not documented.

He said photography can play a big role in documentation and historical preservation, while citing about 6000 Naga artifacts being kept at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, England. He added that photographers can convert the present analogue photographs into digital, 3D or holographs in the future.

While interacting with the media, President of PCD, Letminthnag Kipgen said the event was organised with an aim to take Nagaland to the world photography map and to open opportunities and viable careers for the youths by building connection and interaction with photography communities all over the world.

In regard to the photography scenario in the state, Kipgen said that it is a good time for the profession as the world and especially Nagaland is opening up with people, including Nagas wanting to explore the world.

Maintaining that anyone with a mobile phone is also a photographer, he said, from a professional perspective, photography as a career has bigger scope today as people can easily connect through social media and other forms of technology.

However, Kipgen stated that one needs to work very hard to reach international level, while expressing that the humble beginning would make it possible.

He also informed that the two-day event will have three workshops from Nikon India and Lumix India, which is free of cost, while the workshop by PCD is a paid event. Anyone who wants to learn photography can attend the workshop, he added.

The first day of the festival featured performances from several artistes, including Trionic Studio, Dimapur; School Band (Maple Tree Band and CHSS Choir); Meribeni Patton; K L Pamei; Hongkongla Oungh; and Dreamz Unlimited.