Anadolu Agency takes part in photo festival

PERPIGNAN, France

Anadolu Agency is participating in the world's largest photojournalism festival for the second year running this week.

Visa Pour L'Image, held in the southern French city of Perpignan, is attended by internationally renowned news and photo agencies.

"We have noticed a significant increase in terms of brand awareness in just one year. Last year, we got questions like ‘How did you grow so fast?’, while this year they are asking how they can work with us," Visual News Editor-in-Chief Ahmet Sel said.

The festival, held between Aug. 31 and Sept. 6, is visited by around 150,000 people each year and this year Anadolu Agency will be promoting photographs taken in 2015 as well as anadoluimages.com and the Istanbul Photo Awards, which is Turkey's first international news photo contest run by the agency.

Sel said that he had the chance to review the portfolios of dozens of photographers from various countries who would like to work with AA, adding that the festival offered a great opportunity to expand the agency's global photographer network.

The agency produces more than 2,000 photographs a day and distributes them through international distribution agencies.

Talks were also held to expand AA's photo distribution channels, Sel said.

Corporate Communications Director Esra Kirecci noted the big interest shown in Anadolu Images and Istanbul Photo Awards, saying the steady increase in international recognition gained by Anadolu Agency was mostly due to the power of the AA's photos, and Istanbul Photo Awards, which was held for the first time last March.

Last year, Anadolu Agency became the first professional Turkish participant in the festival, which hosts other major news and photo agencies such as Getty Images, AFP, AP and SIPA.