For your eyes only
Nasroul Hizam
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Sunday, September 7, 2008
FOLLOWING the great success and enthusiastic participation from photographers both expert and amateur from students to full grown adults for the Photographic Competition 2008 in conjunction with His Majesty Sultan Hj Hassanal Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam's 62nd birthday celebrations, it cannot be denied that the hobby has found a firm place in the hearts of Bruneians hungry for the opportunity to show the public what they are made of.
All four judges unanimously said that the final 20 entries for each of the four themes were “impressive”.
Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) Acting Chairman Dato Paduka Timothy Ong was amazed at the amount of colour that photographers caught in the “Cultural Heritage” and “Environment” themes while he was drawn to the faces and expressions of individuals in the “Celebrations” and “People” themes.
Through the judging, he admitted that he became more aware of the diversity and beauty of Brunei Darussalam. From the perspective of someone who enjoys the aesthetic value of pictures and photographs, he told The Brunei Times that the standard of Bruneian photographers is “very good”.
Particularly impressed with the creativity and quality of the photographs, High Court Judge Datin Paduka Hjh Hayati Pehin Orang Kaya Shahbandar Dato Seri Paduka Hj Mohd Salleh expressed how happy she was to learn that even students were involved in the competition and one managed to snag the third prize in the “Environment” theme.
She also added that the themes in the competition are appropriate and rave clearly shown integral parts of Brunei Darussalam with its multitude of cultures, personalities and the countries embracing the spirit of celebrating His Majesty's birthday.
She admitted that she never would have imagined the images, facial expressions and colours expressed so well in the photographs. She said that being present as a judge has been an eye-opener as to how beautiful Brunei is.
The exhibition showcasing the top 20 photographs for each category would also create more awareness and love for the country, its people and its heritage. She pointed out that there should be a long-term channel for people to get together and further develop the interest in photography.
Standard Chartered Bank Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Ms Tiew Siew Chuen was very pleased to see that all the winners were Bruneians, evidence of local talents that are all of very high standards. She noticed that the images were similar to the types that one would normally see in magazines and television programmes, expressing how proud she was of the participants. She said, ``It was worth the great effort they put in''.
The Chairman of Jurutera Tempatan, Dato Paduka Hj Noordin Mohd Yusof said that the photographs were all impressive technically and were of high standards, reflecting the respective themes accurately. According to him, the quality of the photographs could very easily compete in the international arena.
The Brunei Times
Click here to view the winners.
