Lubomir SCHMIDA AFIAP

PAINTED WITH LIGHT

from the cycle Elements of the Earth 1980 - 2013
?UBOMÍR SCHMIDA EFIAP,ESFIAP,MZSF , is living and working in Ružomberok since birth. In 1980 he became a member of the Photoclub of the Liptov Museum in Ružomberok and since 1982 he is also a member of the Association of Slovak photographers. In 1983 he prepared his first author’s exhibition in the minigallery of the Liptov Museum in Ružomberok. Three years later, he was first in the state competition Golden needle. He regularly participates in domestic and foreign exhibitions, works as lecturer at photographic seminars. Since 1995 he is the chairman of the Association of Slovak photographers seated in Ružomberok, where regular exhibitions of the ASP take place since 1968. He gained great success in 1997 when he won the state AMFO Diaphoto. One year later he received the title Author of the Association of Slovak photographers. He finished first also in other competitions like My Slovakia (2002), the international lounge STROM and the exhibition of the Association of Slovak photographers (both in 2004). In 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 he presented some photographs in the Slovak collection which won golden medals in the category photoclubs on the exhibition Trierenberg Super Circuit in Linz, Austria. He repeated his victory this year. In 2006, 2007 and 2011 he got three prizes for calendars Tatry, Nebo a zem (Tatras, Sky and earth), Krajina farieb (Country of colors) and KRIVÁ? – Slovensko (mountain Krivan – Slovakia) in the competition Most beautiful calendar. In 2001 and 2003 he presented author’s exhibitions in the Slovak institute in Rome, in 2002 at our embassy in Jakarta and together with Juraj ?ECH he organized the exhibition Sense of Life with 365 photographs in the Museum of Liptov. In 2005, to support the High Tatras, he presented his works Tatras in Trieste, Italy. In 2007 he held an author’s exhibition on the 12. international festival of photography in China in Li Shui and in Winnipeg (Canada), in 2008 in Rivne (Ukraine), 2011 in Kiev (Ukraine). He presented the 12. international festival of photography in Li Shui (China) as an author’s exhibition in the Gallery of ?. Fulla in Ružomberok named Seven days in China and afterwards its repetitions in Žilina, in Pieš?any and on an exhibition held with Marcel Koleštik in Bratislava called Dream about a dream. In 2009 he presented his work Elements of the Earth – Liptov – Tatras in Krakow, in Prague and in Košice. In 2004 and 2008 he was given the Prize of the mayor of town Ružomberok for contributing to photographic happenings in Slovakia. He is a co-author of publications Slovakia – country of colors and Saving to memory – Ružomberok. He lead the delegation which on the 28. World congress FIAP in China gained the right to organize the 29. World congress FIAP in Slovakia taking place in 2008. For the congress in China, he prepared a qualified multimedia presentation of Slovakia with representation materials. In the same year the International federation of photographic art titled him ESFIAP due to his organizing the 29. International congress FIAP in Slovakia. In 2009 he participated in the 13. international festival of photography in Li Shui (China), where he was honored for his photographic work. In 2011 he created a collection of the Photoclub of ASP, which won the first place in the map circle Nekázanka in Prague. In the international competition he gained the FSS BRONZE MEDAL - FOR ?H? FIRST INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION OF PHOTOGRAPHY “CACAK 2011. He won the first place on the 36. exhibition of art photography among ASP members. In the same year together with, Juraj Vohnout and Miroslav Brtka, he presented the beauty of our country in Bá?sky Petrovec, where they presented their photographs under the name Tatras.

It is no coincident that ?ubomír Schmida creates a wide range cycle of photographs Elements of the Earth for 31 years. He himself is an element. As an author and organizer of photographic life. His work is moving somewhere on the edge of higher principal of the universe. To clarify it more: There are things between heaven and earth which some do not see at all, some understand it partially and then there are those who know them better than others. ?ubomír belongs to this category. In the cycle Elements of the Earth he goes to the edge of esoteric feelings – I found in the dictionary of foreign words that these are feelings which should stay hidden, or should be reachable only for selected ones. Now choose! ?ubomír Schmida broke through in the domestic and foreign forums, he regularly contributes his photographs to competition collections of photoclubs representing Slovakia, where we've reached excellent results in the past few years. Let us mention Trierenberg Super Circuit where they faced big concurrence and won six times already.

?ubomír Schmida, however, does not only have markedly success as a creative photographer, he also leaves a significant milestone in the Slovak photographic field as an organizer. As the chairman of the Association of Slovak photographers he scientifically and systematically participated in preparing and organizing associated exhibitions, various seminars and lectures, where he passed along his rich experience as a lecturer. He as well organizes photographic seminars; he is a member of international committees FIAP, PSA and curator for various exhibitions here and abroad.

He participated in three world photographic festivals in Li Shui in China in 2007, 2009 and 2011, where he presented Slovak photographic works, as well as Liptov and Tatras through his author’s exhibition called ELEMENTS OF THE EARTH. He is also founder of the world association of photographic museums with 22 museums all around the world. In 2009, due to his works, he was included in the prestige publication The Best Photographers V. published in Prague. He published his works in several scientific magazines and in 2008 the Slovak Television channel made a medallion about his work. In 2010 he organized a representation collection of photographs by Photoclub ASP for the international biennale Interphotoclub Vsetín CR, which achieved a gold medal. Out of this winning collection a calendar was composed, which achieved 3. place in the competition for the most beautiful calendar in the category regional calendars and ?ubomír Schmida achieved 2. place in the category author calendars Krivá? – Slovakia. He won the first place on the 36. exhibition of art photography and the prize of the mayor of town Ružomberok on the international photographic lounge Photoforum 2011.

Ružomberok has a specific status in the history of Slovak photography. In 1968 the Association of Slovak photographers was founded in this town, as well two international photographic lounges under the auspices of FIAP – Photoforum and Strom are being organized here. Besides this, ?ubomír Schmida founded and organizationally prepared eight exhibitions of the European photofest of photoclubs. His care for the young generation is most praiseworthy; he organized already six very successful child photocamps in the town below ?ebra?. At the end of both events the best works were presented. They could be seen also by seminar participants from the Association of Slovak photographers, then on the 28. world congress FIAP in China and mainly on the 29. world congress FIAP in Slovakia, what showed a very positive reaction from the FIAP leadership as well as from the congress delegates. During the 5. general assembly he was again announced chairman of ASP. He hold international titles AFIAP,ESFIAP,MZSF. Since 2009 he is representative of the American photographic association PSA in Slovakia.

The exhibition of pictures PAINTED WITH LIGHT is the peak of long-year work, where image is worked based on classic photographic procedures on top material CIBA Chrome (Ilford Chrome) with five-hundred-year color stability.