Page 71 - Libro 2

WORLD AFFILIATE WORLD AFFILIATE

New FIAP Distinctions for Slovene Photographers

Article by Vasja Doberlet, MFIAP, HonEFIAP
FIAP Liaison Officer and
Hon. President of Janez Puhar Photo Society Kranj
Event photos by: Tine Založnik

At the November 2022 FIAP Directory Board meeting, the Board issued a guideline to all
Operational Members that new FIAP distinctions are to be presented to successful applicants at an
official FIAP event in the country. I commented to myself “This is normal for us that it must be a FIAP
event. We always do it at the opening ceremony of a salon with FIAP patronage”. For me, the case was
closed and I forgot about it. Then, from the FIAP News, August edition last year, we discovered that in
Mr. Riccardo Busi shows Bulgaria they formally present their Distinction Certificates with an exhibition of photographs taken
his pictures by the recipients of new FIAP distinctions. This made us rethink.

We concluded it would be a very good idea to organize an event dedicated to just the new
FIAP Distinction recipients. At the opening of FIAP salons there is always a focus on the salon, and
its themes, and of course there is a focus on granted awards at the salon. The new Distinctions
recipients were a secondary part of these events, and this was not fair. The FIAP Distinctions, the
most desired distinctions for achievements in photography, are the result of systematic work over
a long time and not a result of a single salon. The recipients of FIAP Distinctions deserve to have a
whole event dedicated to their achievement.
The Photographic Association of
Slovenia delegated the organization
of the event to the Janez Puhar
World Affiliate Zurab Oshkhneli (Director of the Photo Society Kranj. It is one of the World Affiliate

most active clubs in Slovenia and, in
the city of Kranj, has a reputation as
Nino Mghebrishvili (FIAP LO),
a good organizer of photographic
events. The club has a good
Media and TV Art College),
Riccardo Busi (FIAP president)
Kranj, so it was normal to have such
and Kakha Pkhakadze relationship with the Music School of
(APG chairman) an event organized in the concert
hall of the music school and the
program for the Presentation event
also included musical and ballet
performances. Žana Vidmar, a student of the music school, was dancing
to music by Adolf Adam

Riccardo Busi and Zurba Oshkhneli
during interview Petra Puhar, a relative of the first
Slovenian photographer
Janez Puhar, led the event

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