Limkokwing University welcomed renowned professional documentary photographer Manu Mart to share his knowledge on street photography for an Industry Talk on 17 March 2017.
The Industry Talk themed “Street Photography as Documentary Photography Genre” introduced students to street photography while emphasising its value as a documentary photography genre. The talk presented by Manu Mart provided a comprehensive review which offered greater insights into the development of the genre as well as the overuse of the term ‘street photography’.
Manu Mart is a Spanish professional photographer who began his career by working with advertising agencies. When he moved to Barcelona, he decided to focus on documentary and street photography. He then began to experiment with Barcelona’s city lights, which later enabled him to work on his first projects using the street as a main focus of his images.
His work emphasises the use of full colours, deep shadows and uncanny compositions to portray daily moments in various extraordinary images. The styles he utilised has enabled him to become a member of the APF International Collective and Calle 35, a Spanish street photography collective. He is also a member of the Photographic Social Vision foundation, a group based in Barcelona that focuses on enhancing the value of photojournalism and documentary photography.
Manu Mart was selected by Leica Fotografie International in 2015 as a collaborator through its LFI loan pool. This enabled him to produce his next series of work, “IndoChine” (2015) and “Who’s Johnny Lim?”, a chronicles from Straits of Malacca” which was recently featured in an exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
During his travels around Asia, he has collaborated with several non-profit organisations including Doctors Without Borders in Cambodia, Vava International in Vietnam, Empowering Lives Asia in the Philippines and Streets of India.
This Industry Talk was aimed to students from the University’s Faculty of Communication, Media & Broadcasting, Faculty of Multimedia Creativity, Faculty of Fashion & Lifestyle as well as the Faculty of Design and Innovation.
“When it comes to street photography, you need to shoot with intention and a message to send,” stressed Manu Mart during the Industry Talk.
He also emphasised the importance of an open mind, which is a useful skill that will benefit students in a globalised environment. At the same time, Manu Mart also mentioned that street photography has enabled him to travel to different countries and grow as a person.
Manu Mart highlighted the three key ingredients towards a successful career in the photography profession, namely hard work, passion and humility.
“I learned that being patient is one of the most important aspects of this field,” said Iranian student Amirata Ashkiani who is studying Bachelor in Animation. “When we want to capture the right photo, we have to wait for the right moment to capture it.”
Malaysian student Che Engku Azalea, who is studying Bachelor in Broadcasting and Journalism, found that the talk would improve her skills to become a better photojournalist.
“Photography is an important part of journalism,” she said. “From this industry talk, we could learn to use correct composition and tell a good story with just a single image.”
Limkokwing University features renowned and experienced industry professionals to share their experiences at the University’s industry talks. This enables graduates to gain an added advantage to compete in a globalised and multicultural environment.