Wendy Turner

After months of preparation our competition has finally got off the ground, with some wonderful judges and prizes, we now just need lots of entries to make it a great success.  My aim was to raise the profile of Amantani Uk and the plight of the young people in Ccora Peru and to raise some much needed funds in a fun way.  That’s how the competition began…..

Please pass on to anyone who loves photography and would be interested in supporting our charity.

Meet My world is a unique competition offering both amateur and professional photographers the opportunity to have their work exhibited along side the work of impoverished children from the Southern Andes in Peru, as part of a High profile photography exhibition to be held at Norton Rose in Central London. The ‘Meet My World’ photography competition was inspired by Amantani UK, which uses photography to help the children express themselves and share things from their communities, which makes them proud to be Quechua! We want all photographers from amateur to professional, to follow in Amantani’s footsteps, and show us your world through the lens of your camera. Maybe a serene English country landscape, an active urban community, an engaging or surreal portrait, travel…anything that inspires you.
Prizes

Many fabulous photography prizes up for grabs, with the main winner being first up to choose their prize from:

A behind the scenes tour of Tate Photography studios with David Clarke, Director of Photography

A choice of any one-day photography course from Aspire Photography Training

London Photography Course – ‘Better Travel Photography’

Light Blue photography software license

Signed and framed photograph by Steve Davey

Signed and framed photograph by David Noton
Judges
David Clarke – Director of Photography at the Tate
Steve Davey – published BBC books
David Noton – published travel photographer
John Beatty – published travel photographer
Signed copy of David Noton’s latest book –
‘Full Frame’ and DVD ‘Photography in the Raw’

All winners will receive VIP invitations to the exclusive launch of Amantani UK’s London exhibition at the prestigious Norton Rose office on 15th of March 2012, where winners will have their images displayed. This is Your chance to have your worked judged by the country’s leading photographers; have your work exhibited in a prestigious venue in central London. Submit your entry by November the 31st you will also be entered into our prize draw, five winners to have their porfolio’s critiqued by David Clarke, Director of Photography at the Tate.

All entry fees go directly to Amantani UK to support impoverished Peruvian children…….
HOW TO ENTER – Opens 16th September 2011 Closes 2nd January 2012
For more information, and to enter now, go to: http://www.amantani.org.uk/meetmyworld
Follow us on twitter @meet_my_world
Tel: 07799402531

What an extraordinary past two months.  I have found my place working for Amantani UK.  My role was to help set up a London multi media/photographic exhibition for March 2012. I decided it would be a great Idea to have an international photographic competition to help publicise the exhibition.

Laura and Fred

Fred, Chris and Laura in the Exeter office

laura, Chris and Fred

I am enjoying every minute of it, and am going to carry on when my paid eight weeks is up.

Here are some photos of the Exeter team, Fred Branson, Chris Palfreyman, and Laura Dugmore                 ( another winner) in the office plotting their next moves.  I had a great few days with them all.

I’ve learnt to blog and tweet, so here is my twitter name @Meet_My_World

‘Meet My World’

Tim Allen, BBC Human Planet Photographer has given us this inspirational theme for an exciting photographic competition.

“With a single click you can capture the world around you. That instant is not just anyone’s, it is exclusively yours. A unique moment in a string of many, which make up your world; a world we want to meet! Just remember, whether it is a portrait, a landscape or urban street life, it’s yours!”

Spent the week researching for inspiration for our competition theme  and came across a lovely quote,  ”Meet Your World” on Tim Allen’s web site and thought it was just perfect for our competition.  It links in beautifully with our exhibition “Andean Windows”  about the lives of people in the Andes.  I got permission off Tim to use the quote so now need to spend the next few weeks setting up a web site page with links etc… sorting out Terms and Conditions etc etc…. seemed an easy thing to organise at the beginning!  But I am loving every minute of it, I’m learning so much and meeting more like minded people along the way who want to help.

Another successful day.  New London based PR company Dynamo http://dynamopr.com have agreed to help with PR and marketing next year so have become one of our sponsors alongside Ipswich’s award winning Evening Star newspaper  www.eveningstar.co.uk . Also fellow WOD winner Laura Dugmore who is helping Amantani with Marketing and PR has been brilliant in helping me write some promotional material to travel companies, so a big thank you to Laura.  Tomorrow I’m hoping to secure some more sponsors….

After the last two weeks I now feel as if I have researched all the possible galleries, studios, workshop, exhibition, office spaces in central London… I’m sure there are thousands more spaces to look at, however, I have now got down to three possible sites, in three very different locations.  Mile End, Battersea and Southwark. Fred, Chris and I will be going to London this week to have a look around and get a feel for the venues.  The venue has to be just the right size and right location for the whole event to work. We need a space big enough for our launch evening and within our budget.  So fingers crossed for Friday.

I have also been doing some research for the photo competition, so I hope to start on that in the next couple of weeks.

Keep following the blog to find out where our exhibition will be……

A great day today as another photographer has agreed to be a judge and donate a prize in my proposed photo competition.  I now have Tim Allen ( BBC’s Human Planet) Steve Davey, both travel photographers and  David Noton and John Beatty travel and landscape photographers.   I’m slowly getting a shortlist together for possible venues to visit so feel I’m making a little progress.

Another quote from Chris’s email home….

“We then had a festival in one of the boarding schools, where we met our new boys for the first time. They are a bundle of joy and seem to have fitted in straight away. Here the girls and boys performed poems, songs, letters, dances and all sorts. It was fantastic to see these ’ninos’ wanted to show off what they have learned and how happy they were to share all this with us. Fred and I were then put on the spot as the troops all asked us to perform something for them. Now put yourselves in our ‘Ojotas’ (sandals) and try and think what you could sing with your best friend on the spot in front 50 awaiting Peruvians…..Yes we did sing ’God save the Queen’ whilst everyone was clapping along. A very strange moment in our lives! “

My task for the next two months is to prepare a photographic/multimedia exhibition in London next year.  This will be a major fundraiser and a big thank you to all the Amantani supporters.  I have spent the last week and I think at least the next two weeks will be spent hunting for a suitable venue which is big enough for a launch night and to take all our beautiful photographs and last but not least the right price or FREE.  It has been like looking for a needle in a haystack as there are so many different venues in London.  I have got a few on my shortlist but still have a way to go.  I am really enjoying doing this and most people I’ve spoken to have been really friendly and helpful.  The two directors of Amantani UK Fred Branson and Chris Palfreyman have just returned from Peru having visited the children and the project.  They are so full of passion for the charity and the children it is really inspiring to work with them and for them.  Here is a quote from Chris’s email home to his family,

“We were welcomed like ‘kings’, it brought tears to my eyes to see how at home Fred instantly was when he had the girls in his arms. I admit I was a little naive to how much Fred is in love with the project and with the amazing girls. This was an unforgettable moment and seeing this is sure to be a memory concreted in my mind for the rest of my life! The girls welcomed us by screaming and shouting and showering us in flower petals”

Thank you Vodafone for giving me the chance to work with these amazing young men and to have the chance to help improve the lives of the young people of Ccorca.

Hi there,
I’m really excited to be taking part in Vodafone’s World of Difference programme and looking forward to sharing my stories. Check back soon to see what I’ve been up to in my first weeks.