FPPF 35 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE IN PHOTOGRAPHIC EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY SERVICE TOWARDS NEW NORMAL

 

By Domingo P. Herras
Manila
January 27, 2022
 



MANILA, Philippines – The Federation of Philippine Professional Photographers Foundation, Inc. (FPPF) for more than three  decades since its inception in 1987,  has left behind great historic landmark  trailblaizing excellence in photographic education and community service that had acclaimed  refutable distinction as one of the prestigious photographic educational Institution with exemplary record of Institutional achievements in the country. These unparalleled meritorius records of achievements had embedded an eternal footprints in the annals of Philippine photographic history.

          Professional photographers, press photographers, reporters and non-professionals alike had recorded stories and events using  digital and conventional films, photos  for the past decades  milestones in the lives of Filipinos, more particularly media and educational practitioners in the country.  

           Cognizant of the vital role and the significant contributions of Filipino photographers under our new normal pandemic Society, it is of vital importance that we captivate and draw the attention of our netizens about the essence and significance of photography’s contribution to our country’s national development towards new normal

          In 1987, with the pioneering efforts of the two 2 organization’s founding pillars and prime movers spearheaded by Mrs. Eduvegis “Edi” Y. Huang and Pablo “Ka Lito” Beltran, together with their Co-founders and fellow organizers the Federation of Philippine Photographer’s Foundation, Inc. (FPPF) was formed and organized centered-focus on its mission-vision - to promote photography, and to foster community spirit among photographers in the country and around the world. It also aimed to upgrade photography skills of practitioners and raise the level of appreciation for photographic arts in the country.

           The official premier recognition and formal foundation of the Federation all started in 1991, after the cataclysmic eruption of Mt. Pinatubo.  As a preliminary premier project, FPPF then created a photography workshop and conducted photography competition among the residents of  Zambales affected by the catastrophic eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo, upon consultations and all-out support of FPPF Co-founder and Mentor Professional photographer Mr. Ador Pamintuan, who is very instrumental in the FPPF foundation.  The successful competition was aimed to educate and create awareness on how to earn a living and put-up business to enable to help their families in times of crisis through the knowledge gleaned from the seminars.  Moreso, added to this the Federation also held a photo seminar among affected victims of typhoon Ondoy in the Visayan regions.

 

 

 

          The first Photoworld project dubbed “Photoworld Manila ‘95” was successfully organized and  initiated in 1995, ushering in a birth of a new dawn of longest history of Philippine photography, bringing together for the first time eight (8) foreign master photographers as Resource speakers joined by eighteen (18) Philippine professional photographers with different expertises. “All For the Love of Photography”, is the main theme with “Nayon Pilipino” serve as the overall theme park of the first international photographer’s convention participated in by  more than 600 foreign and local delegates held at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) as the main venue.

 

          For more than 35 years of serving the Filipino communities - those years became FPPF’s defining moments and its institutional driving force in achieving its ultimate goal - to be  one of the prestigious reputable and oldest recognized photographic educational Institution in the country and around the world that caters to the need of Philippine photographers, (both professionals, amateurs, and hobbyists) by providing an effective educational technical proficiency modules thru  mobile workshops and webinars reaching-out to the very grass roots of the Filipino communities.  Those challenging years can be attributed to the  indefatigable  and effective leadership of the entire  founding pillars and prime movers of the Federation.



 

          Today, the Federation under its dynamic leadership does not only represent the very core foundation of the Philippine photographers in the country, but  has become an official accredited government training and assessment center in Metro Manila – the Photoworld Manila Assessment Center (PMAC). The Center aims to evaluate thru proficiency exams and training wether a photographer applicant is qualified to perform his profession base on the TESDA competency standards. To date, the Federation has now total of 20 TESDA Competency graduates while a total of more than 8,000 photographers graduated from various live webinars via online ZOOM and actual workshops including webinars with continuous undetermined increment of enrollees and graduating students as it progresses every year.

 



 

          For over three decades  many recognized camera clubs, organizations and institutions with outstanding projects launched and introduced with the same uniformed mission-visions, however, their existence were shortlived due to the lack of good leadership, mismanagements, rivalry, misunderstandings, mishandling of funds and lack of membership support in the leadership causing downfall and  organization’s management failure of its existence. The Federation, currently had successfully organized a special  mobile Team composed FPPF Officers and Mentors/Lecturers/Instructors that will conduct series of seminar/workshops in the areas outside Metro Manila affected by calamities unreachable by transportation means upon invitations from the local government units (LGUs) and non-government units (NGOs).

 

           The Federation eversince then, have been successful and continuously conducted photography workshops and webinars held regularly at the two Art Chambers at Fort Santiago in Intramuros and other areas outside Metro Manila. FPPF have also successfully launched series of  multifarious projects  with the main aim and mission to provide continuous education and create a source of income for photographers. These includes photography seminars, workshops, photographic competitions and business exhibits beneficial  among camera clubs, government and non-government institutions and the photographic business industries.

 

          The Federation, for more than 35 years, have been continuously launching every year and  holds the biggest and longest running photography event in in the Philippines and in Southeast Asia  dubbed as the  Photo World Asia trade and photo exhibitions and international  photographers convention projects to enable foreign and local delegates to be connected and abreast and share the latest trend in digital photographic technology.

         Last year 2021, as the Institution navigates focusing into new directions and in meeting new challenges towards observance of the pandemic new  normal in the country, the Federation had successfully implemented the first-ever recently-concluded streamelined hybrid virtual photographer’s international conference dubbed “VIRTUAL PHOTO WORLD ASIA 2021,  held at the Digi-PARC Foundation virtual studio in San Juan, Metro Manila.  The event was viewed by over some 8,000-10,000 Facebook viewers and participated by more than 200 virtual delegates in the country and from around the world.  The virtual meeting was considered one of the outstanding Institutional achievement of the Federation jointly spearheaded by FPPF Overall Chairwoman Ms. Eduvegis “Edi” Y. Huang and PHOTO WORLD ASIA 2021 Chairman Ms. Cynthia “Cha” Pagdilao and hosted by Moderators/Host FPPF Lecturer/Mentor Joe Galian and Ms. Jam Ramos.

 In celebration of the Federation’s 35^th Anniversary this year 2022, the FPPF organizers successfully launched its 36^th Edition of the “PHOTO WORLD ASIA 2022” Virtual International Conference via online ZOOM conferencing connecting to all delegates worldwide and throughout the country. The Federation had successfully invited a powerhouse line-up of 9 foreign expert Photographers as Resource Speakers coming from 3 continents and to be joined by 5 Philippine professionals with different expertises in photography.







 

Among the many outstanding achievements of the Federation, both as an educational Institution and a TESDA Acredited Training and Assessment Center that have been successfully accomplished over the years that have  benefited the Filipino Photographer’s Foundation as a whole and the Filipino community in general, were: -

1. AIM Basic Photography Workshop in Makati

2. Photoworld AsiaEstablishment and Approval of PMAC - TESDA Competency Accredited Assessment Center

3. Photo World Asia 2015

4. Photo World Asia 2016

5. Photoworld Asia 2017

6. Photoworld Asia 2018

7. Photoworld Asia 2019

8. Photoworld Manila ‘95

9. Photoworld Asia 2020

10. Photo World Asia 2021

11. “Panagbenga Flower Festival”- FPPF Photography Contest – Baguio City

12. “Tuloy-Tuloy ang Pasko” – FPPF Photo Contest –Dec. 2021

13. Production and Publications of – FPPF Coffee Table Book  “INSPIRE/EMPLOWER,”     and “SULTADA”

14. Boracay Wedding Photography Workshop

15. FPPF/PMAC Continuing Photoworkshops in Intramuros FPPF/PMAC-  Cruise Photography Workshop

16. FPPF Fort Santiago/Intramuros Continuing Webinars and Live Actual workshops on: -

        1 .Digital Comprehensive Photography;  2 . Wedding Photography;  3 . Lighting Essentials Photography Workshop;    

       4 . Basic Videography Workshop;    5 . Photoshop for Photographers Workshop;     

       6 . Video Blogging/Vlogging     

       Workshop;    7. Smartphone Videograph

17.  A Joint Project on “Financial Literacy Program for Photographers”

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SOURCES: FPPF Photoworldasia.com Infos.

                    FPPF FACEBOOK Page projects/activities

                    FPPF Project Director’s Announcements/Posts

                    FPPF Photo World Asia 2021 News/Infos

                   Continuing Personal Research on FPPF Files/Activities on GOOGLE International

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As Freelance Writer and Press Photojournalist, he writes and contributes news and feature articles in the various local and foreign dailys and broadsheets newspapers, including online international news magazines abroad. He is currently active member of the Federation of Philippine Professional Photographers, Inc. (FPPF). He is also an active regular member of the Press Photographers of the Philippines. He had recently completed the REUTERS Digital Training Course and Awarded a Certificate of Completion by the REUTERS Journalism Foundation, Inc.