Diyandi Festival 2023 Digitized Photobook: Insights to Photography
This Diyandi Festival 2023 Digitized Photobook is a collation of selected photographs during the month-long celebration.
Photography isn’t just a preservation of beautiful and ugly moments but also of meaningful expression of diverse culture of peoples embodying varied faiths, distinct systems of beliefs, and customary practices. This document showcased skills, abilities, and identities melting into the festive experiential narrative revealed in every photo.
Photography facilitates cultural exchange and understanding by allowing us some glimpse into the lives and traditions of people. It promotes empathy, tolerance, and appreciation for diversity, fostering a more interconnected community.
Other photography experts share the purview that photography serves as a form of self-expression and emotional release. Through the lens, people can convey their thoughts, emotions, and experiences.
As a mental health advocate, photography can also be therapeutic, aiding in healing and personal growth. It is a valuable tool for documenting cultural evolution and changes over time. As societies transform due to technological advancements, globalization, or other factors, photographs capture these shifts, providing a historical context for future generations.
Diyandi Festival is an annual celebration of the feast of Saint Michael, the patron saint of Iliganons. It is celebrated by the Diocese of Iligan and with the Iligan City Government in collaboration with the City Tourism Office, the business sectors, and the constituents. The feast is highlighted with processional rite of Saint Michael and with varied contests from culinary, cooking lechon to sports;
from traditional dances to modern dance track; from photography, arts, to tartanilla painting; from joyous street dancing to participatory civic parade, search for Diyandi Queen or for Miss Iligan, fashion shows, cheering competition, and many other enriching activities.
The selection of photographs and their arrangements in this e-photobook were not in any way influenced by whether they have won or lost; famous or shy; or whether they’re charming or conservative. They were chosen by the photographer based on their aesthetic values. The persons in these images are not personally known to the photographer; neither was she introduced to them. Both actors and the camera person are situated in a perfect disarray of anonymity inside a venue or under the scorching sun, scented by the frailty of human sweats, but all were shamelessly harnessing creativity, commitment, and participation in the festivity. Their visuals left a strong imprint of story only the photograph-- captured in a second, could unravel.
Thus, there was no strict criterion enforced here. Sometimes, it's about the uniformity, or of the movement, the diversity of colors, the crooked lines of costumes, the exhaustion, or style, textiles, including the chaos of a crowd and muted noise.
As one of the many photographers of the festivity, I have a strong belief that photography transforms perceptions, provokes thought, mobilizes action, preserves memories, fosters understanding, aid healing, inspires creativity, and documents the world around us. It’s a versatile medium that continuously shapes our perception and experience of life and cultures. A well-composed photograph can reveal beauty in the ordinary, challenge stereotypes, and evoke empathy by presenting diverse experiences.
Photographs provided a visual record of a culture’s unique attributes; helped preserve and share these aspects with a broader audience. Understanding cultural norms and traditions is vital to ensure that the representation is accurate and considerate. Cultural background, personal experiences, and societal influences shape how a photographer sees and portrays a culture. Recognizing perspectives and striving for objective and empathetic representation is essential.
In anthropology and related fields, photography is a vital tool for documenting and studying different cultures. Photographs can also aid in ethnographic research, allowing for a visual record of practices, rituals, clothing, and artifacts.
When this photographer will have some luck, she may as well publish in print this photobook for coffee tables. From what has been preserved in digital camera, sublimated by memory, and bared in this select collation, the images are now returned to the public for your views and diligent care. Check the e-photobook here.
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