To promote the development of local cultural and creative industry, the Institute for Tourism Studies (IFT) has been offering a number of programmes in this area since 2011. Among them, there is the Commercial Photography course, inviting professional photographer Derry Sio to teach. The Institute hosts the exhibition of "Discovering Solid Ideas: Exhibition of Commercial Photographic Work by Derry Sio & His Students" from 6 November to 25 January 2015 to showcase the course outcome with the general public. The opening ceremony of the exhibition takes place at 1600 on 6 November and interested parties are welcome to pay a visit to the exhibition. Some 28 works by Derry Sio and a number of those created by his students are displayed in this exhibition, demonstrating the photographic skills taught in the course, fully showcasing the teacher's expertise and professionalism, as well as students' creative thinking. Derry Sio puts emphasis on strengthening students' basic photography techniques, and encourages them to be bold and creative. Through integration of people and objects and the usage of simple lighting sets, a number of professional commercial photos are created, giving life to otherwise ordinary people and objects. The photos displayed in this exhibition are the works produced by the students in Sio's, some of which were submitted as the students' graduation projects. Nowadays, taking photos is simple, but enhancing the value and artistry of the photos is the teaching objective of the Commercial Photography courses. Successful commercial photographs are derived from proper photographic techniques, ideas, attitudes and experiences. In addition to photographic skills, Sio shares his personal experiences with his students in the class, teaching them different skills from preparation, observation, creation and the desire for change. With the motto "There is no best, only better", Derry strives to create a work of perfection, guiding those interested in engaging in the cultural and creative industries through commercial photography. A professional photographer in Macao, Derry Sio has worked with a number of local telecommunications companies, banks, insurance companies, design companies and in the tourism industry for many years. He served as the official photographer for the 2009 Miss Macau Pageant and the collection album From Heaven brought the Craftsmanship of a Soul, a jewellery exhibition held in the Capital Museum in Beijing, as well as numerous other large-scale events. During his college years, he was inspired by his teachers to engage in the photography industry. Since 2011, he began to serve as the instructor of Commercial Photography courses in the Institute for Tourism Studies, applying his knowledge of photography to teaching. He hopes to pass the torch to the younger generation and cultivate more professional photographers in Macao. Derry now serves as the chief photographer and the director of Vision Macau. To further develop the career of creative industry professionals in Macao, IFT provides learning opportunities for them. Concerning the lacking creative art administrative management talents in Macao, IFT has been running an Art Administration Programme for the three consecutive years and invited renowned overseas professors to deliver lectures at IFT. Local culture and arts associations and industry talents are welcome to enroll in the course, in order to promote the cultural and arts development of Macao. IFT will continue to meet social needs and offer more diversified cultural and creative courses to the public and interested parties in the future.
