User:Gino Galea/sandbox

Gino Galea ARPS AMPA  LBIPP  AMPS  AMIPP  DipPP  ASWPP Master Photographer

Gino Galea is an accomplished professional Maltese photographer who made his first steps in photography through his passion for aviation. A qualified draughtsman, Gino combined his artistic flair to his geometric training to establish himself as one of the leading photographers in Malta.

Gino has served as the official photographer of the national airline Air Malta plc and its group of companies from 1979 till 2013, having regularly contributed images to the l airline's local/overseas publications, fairs, portals and publicity material. This is in addition to the Malta Tourism Authority’s publicity images promoting the islands abroad over the years. Many consider such beautiful images as the initial inspiration to most of the prospective tourists to visit the Maltese islands.

Gino Galea bills as a ‘photo artist’ which explains his highly creative approach to photography. His accolades, awards and qualifications are many and have seen him make the news for his skills regularly. Reportedly taking his inspiration from the beauty of the Maltese Islands, Gino takes a new and passionate perspective on all his photographic endeavours but one that he also applies lovingly to wedding photography. His unobtrusive style ensures he catches moments of real emotion between a bride and groom, their friends and families. His state of the art equipment makes a sturdy vessel through which he can create his cherished masterpieces. Joining the Malta Photographic Society in 1989, Gino went on to win a number of international awards as he developed greater confidence with the photographic art form, including the Mazda Photo Contest in 1992 and again in 1994. By then, his photos had appeared in Time and National Geographic magazines. Concurrently, Gino received his Associateship from the Royal Photographic Society. Always wishing to take his art to a higher level, Gino was awarded his Associateship of the Master Photographers Association (AMPA) while qualifying as a Master Photographer. Another prestigious accolade, namely a Licentiate of the British Institute of Professional Photography ( LBIPP) came in 1996. In 2000, Gino Galea became the very first Maltese photographer to attain a local distinction in his Associateship of the Malta Institute for Professional Photography (AMIPP), of which he is a founder member. He achieved a further Distinction in his Associateship of the Malta Photographic Society (AMPS). Further international recognition came in 2001, with an accolade of major awards, most notably the best picture in the Press and PR photography (Overseas category) in the Master Photographer of the Year Awards, at Coventry, UK, for a picture of an ailing Pope John Paul II, during his second visit to Malta. The photo captured the Pope's humanity, courage and determination in face of his failing health.

Gino Galea has been directly commissioned by the British High Commission in Malta to be the exclusive photographer during H.M. Queen Elizabeth II ( year 2005), HRH Princess Ann and Prime Minister Tony Blair's visits to Malta. Gino's lens has also captured a number of other dignitaries and celebrities, including a number of sportsmen, royals, popstars and other high profile personalities. This has further raised his international profile. The list includes Sir Alex Ferguson, David Beckham, Ryan Giggs, Engelbert Humperdinck, Robin Gibb, Peter Andre and the rest.

Gino holds a prestigious collection of high profile personalities and international celebrities that he photographed over the past three decades! This unique collection of dignitaries who visited Malta is a first of its type on the island going back to the year 1980. This collection includes celebrities that were photographed during other commissions abroad. He also held numerous solo exhibitions outside Maltese shores, in Casablanca, Istanbul, Catania, Ragusa, Athens and more recently Brussels.

To this day, Gino remains committed to the camera as his art form, finding time to seek new approaches and interpretations to immortalise an image. His commercial Mosta studio is highly reputed for the artistic approach to portraiture and high profile wedding photography. Furthermore, he has been active on Radio Malta and RTK Radio's phone-ins where he is on air to this very day, providing listeners with an insight into the art of digital photography while improving the understanding and appreciation of the photograph as a work of art. Gino Galea mentored many prospective and emerging photographers together with many university students in their photographic projects and first steps into their career.

With the birth of the new millennium, Gino set up a family-run commercial studio in Mosta branded as ‘Gino Galea Photo Artist’. It is highly popular with stage directors for the portraiture of many local actors and high profile personalities. The studio is directed and administered by his daughter Alison and son Clifford. Gino is still very much active in the artistic output coming out from the studio particularly in the field of wedding photography. In the year 2011 Gino has been entrusted with the official photography of the “Sovereign Order of St John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta”. He was also assigned by the European Commission for the coverage of events in Malta.

Gino Galea’s popular TV spots related to his photo shoots with models, weddings and personalities on programs such as ‘Cinderella’ and lately ‘Looks TV Show’, have given a new momentum to fashion photography on the island. His consistent educational spots in the local media served as an inspiration, particularly to many emerging new generation of photographers. This commenced just before the inception of the digital era during the last years of the outgoing millennium, to this very day.