The 42nd annual exhibit of the International Photographic Society (IPS) of the IMF and World Bank Group is on show in the HQ1 Gallery until June 8, featuring 112 photographs by 35 photographers.
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| Alex Hoffmaister-Metro Riding
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Alex Hoffmaister-Pom Bottle
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| Alex Hoffmaister-Walking in the Square |
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| Angela Lumanau-Scene from Kribi Beach, Cameroon |
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| Carmen Machicado-Route A8 |
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| Gerda de Corte-On Hold |
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| Gerda de Corte-Stars, stripes and a turban |
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| Jean Boyd-Petals And Sky |
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| Jean Boyd-Woodland |
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| Kemal Cakici – A Jewel in Colors |
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| Manorma Rani-Diagonal Lines |
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| Mary Wilson-OMG |
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| Michele Egan-Sad Captive in Miami Zoo |
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| Pritthijit (Raja) Kundu-Blue Vortex |
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| Stephan Eggli-Wrong Way |
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| Yuan Xiao-Zebra Portrait |
Taking first prize in this year’s exhibition is OED Administrative Assistant Gerde de Corte, for her work entitled “Stars, Stripes and a Turban.” The photograph shows a man in a turban against the background of an American flag taken outside a church in New York.
De Corte was among the 12 photographers who received awards at a reception held earlier this month. The jury consisted of three local photographers, including National Geographic magazine’s Sherry Brukbacher, who spoke briefly at the reception. The other two judges were Theo Adamstein, founder of FotoDC, and Ron Aira, a commercial photographer.
High praise
Praising the work of the IMF staff, Brukbacher said the judges “had walked a couple of miles” going around the exhibit several times to decide on the winners. The entries were so good that the jury decided to also give three special honorable mentions to photographs that they considered very close to the top three winners.
Outgoing IPS President Mary Wilson was among those winning an honorable mention for her picture of her father’s shocked expression after a ride on a roller coaster, while his grandsons roared with laughter. “He had no idea what he was getting into,” said Wilson. “I’m glad I was there with camera at the ready.”
Nature and animals loomed large as popular subjects of the prize-winning entries. Michele Egan’s “Sad Captive in Miami Zoo” is a haunting image of a gorilla, his sadness reflected in the faces of the young girls looking at him from the other side of the cage. In contrast Yuan Xiao’s “Zebra Portrait” presents a dignified zebra in the wild.
A winning combination
Founded in 1966 as the IMF Camera Club, the IPS is one of the oldest and most popular clubs of the IMF and World Bank Group. Veterans attribute its success to its combination of instruction, competition, and fun.
The format of the monthly meetings has remained much the same as in the early days. The group meets each month after work to socialize over wine and cheese and listen to a guest speaker. Then there is a friendly photo competition, with the guest speaker serving as the judge. Winning photographs from the monthly competitions are featured in the annual exhibition.
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Photography prize winners at the IPS reception. From left to right: Raja Kundu, Michele Egan,
Jean Boyd, Gerda de Corte, Mary Wilson (IPS President), Manorama Rani, Carmen Machicado,
Angela Lumanau, and Stephan Eggli (IPS Vice President). |
