Not in Kansas anymore

Looking over the landscape of photography today, the famous line from the 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz comes to mind. “I have a feeling,” Dorothy tells her dog, “we’re not in Kansas anymore.” In that shot the movie transitions from black-and-white to color, transporting the audience to a different world.

Used to be, photographers—lay, hobbyist, and pro—printed photos and hung them on walls or put them in wallets. With the prevalence of cellphones, photographers (especially lay) stopped printing photos. Then we found ourselves in the land of Oz: still photos stepped out of their frames and started moving, talking, telling stories.

Telling stories with motion and sound. Even clueless laymen and women who never held a still or video camera in their hands are posting videos online. It’s a global trend. A lifestyle, as normal as eating and walking.

And that’s the world we present at Photoworld Asia 2026. We used to call movies motion pictures; photos today we can call living pictures.

Photoworld Asia 2026 runs from January 29 to February 1, 2026, at Glorietta Activity Center in Makati.