The Festival’s First-ever Smartphone Photo Exhibition Presents a Collection of Professional Works and Outstanding VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards Entries
- vivo VISION+ has partnered with Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival to present the “Our Moments, Create Together” smartphone photography exhibition.
- As the first smartphone photography exhibition at Jimei x Arles, “Our Moments” showcases smartphone photographs taken by Martin Parr, Xiao Quan, and other photographers, as well as outstanding works from VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards 2021.
- The works on display demonstrate the portability and instantaneous nature of using smartphones as a photography tool and convey the imaging value of vivo, celebrating everyday life and focusing on the present moment.
The 7th Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival opened today in Xiamen. This year, vivo VISION+ Project made its debut, collaborating with Jimei x Arles to present the “Our Moments, Create Together” exhibition. The exhibits include photos taken with vivo smartphones by internationally acclaimed photographers and judges of vivo VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards 2021 (VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards), such as Martin Parr and Xiao Quan, as well as a selection of excellent VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards entries.
All exhibits brought by vivo have been shot between 2020 and 2021 on a smartphone. These include photographs created by famous photographers, who attempted to use a smartphone for professional work for the first time; everyday scenarios shot by VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards contestants, and images depicting today’s society. These works celebrate life and show how a single image can convey powerful meaning, all while demonstrating the unique portability and instantaneous nature of smartphones as a photography tool. The exhibition themed “Our Moments” also implies that everyone has a chance to become a creator when the smartphone becomes a camera.
The vivo VISION+ exhibition is the first smartphone photo exhibition at the Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival. The successful debut of this exhibition indicates the growing attention of the professional photography community towards “mobile photography”. The collaboration between professional photography institutions and mobile imaging technology developers will help harness the possibilities of the smartphone as a new medium of photography.
“The Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival is an exceptional and influential international photography event. The works brought by vivo document an extraordinary time for the world.” said Spark Ni, Senior Vice President and CMO of vivo. “Smartphone images splice fragments of life captured by amateur and celebrated photographers in a lighter form, depicting a human-centered view of the world. By virtue of the depth of expression within these images, we can finally reconnect with people from different regions of the world. vivo will continue to collaborate with renowned brands like ZEISS to provide more human-centered photography experience and enable more people to experience joy through creation.”
A number of international expert photographers turned to the smartphone camera to interpret vivo’s “Joy of Humanity”
The works from expert photographers at this exhibition were captured using vivo smartphones, reflecting their different interpretations of the creative values vivo stands for– focus on the present moment, document life fragments, and appreciate everyday life.
Documentary photographer Martin Parr turned his mobile lens towards the coast of his hometown, Cornwall, U.K., and photographed people sunbathing on the beach. He walked down the beach and immersed himself in the scene as if invisible, documenting the scene on his smartphone. “The great thing about shooting with a smartphone camera is that you maintain the quality of a DSLR, but you become almost invisible because everyone has a smartphone, and no one notices you,” Martin Parr commented on his works.
Chinese Portrait Photographer Xiao Quan used his smartphone to shoot craftsmen in his hometown of Chengdu. He documented their work and everyday life as a past memory of the fast-changing city, so that more people can feel the humanizing aspect of Chengdu.
Documentary Photographer Jonas Bendiksen focused his lens on time spent with his family and friends. In this first attempt at creation with a smartphone, he captured a family outing in autumn with vivo X70 Pro+.
Portrait Photographer Michael Halsband has taken photographs of his close friends throughout his life. Accustomed to shoot with an 8×10 large format film camera, he tried to capture their lively and vivid portraits using a smartphone camera, the vivo X70 Pro+, for the first time. The lightweight smartphone alleviates the weight of professional photography equipment and naturally captures his friends in a more relaxed way.
National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita boarded a helicopter with his smartphone to wait for the sunrise in New York. After travelling around the world, he returned to the city where he was born with renewed aspirations and reproduced the beauty of Manhattan through his lens.
Recapping “Our 2021” with photos, and feeling the creative spirit of smartphone photography
In addition to the above-mentioned works by expert photographers, the Jimei x Arles exhibition also features excellent photos selected among 384,878 images from vivo VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards 2021. Our 2021 collection combines visual aesthetics with emotions, showcasing wonderful and warm moments of everyday life. This collection displays memories of people around the world, including life during the pandemic, international sports events, disaster relief efforts, aerospace achievements, and celebrations of historic heritage.
vivo officially unveiled the winners of vivo VISION+ Mobile PhotoAwards 2021 last November. The jury composed of Xiao Quan, Martin Parr, Jonas Bendiksen, and other expert photographers appraised submissions from over 40 countries and regions, and selected 30 winning creations. These photos depict human interactions, personal stories, and public events across different countries and regions. vivo believes that good photos should showcase the beauty of everyday life. They should pay attention to the present moment and portray genuine emotions. Smartphone cameras capture touching moments of everyday life and turn our devices into a lasting private collection of our most cherished memories. This is also the original purpose of the cooperation between vivo and Jimei x Arles International Photo Festival in hosting the “Our Moments, Create Together” photo exhibition.
vivo believes that technology serves to connect people around the world. The future of smartphone photography is determined by both technology innovators and photographers themselves. As a technology company with more than 400 million users worldwide, vivo will continue to join hands with partners like ZEISS to explore more human-centered professional photography while upgrading the VISION+ Project. Thus, everyday individuals can explore their photographic passion and enjoy the “Joy of Humanity” empowered by vivo technologies.
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