Azerbaijan Photographers Union is the public, creative, non-profit organization, based on the principles of open society, voluntariness and self-government.
It acts under the Constitution of the Azerbaijani Republic and Charter of the Union.
The Azerbaijan Photographers Union (APU) was registered in the Ministry of Justice of the Azerbaijan Republic on the 20 November 1998 by the certificate number 1073.
At the beginning of 1990 year, with the collapse the USSR, all working structures became worthless and it became apparent that there is a need of an organization in which experienced and novice photographers, professionals and amateurs, in a word all those who are devoted to photographic art would join together.
At that time a serious, uniting moment in our organization’s establishing became preparation and holding of the “Photographers of Azerbaijan” exhibition in France, Nantes city in November 1995, where 24 photographers’ creativity, 105 works, were presented. This exhibition’s success has exceeded all expectations – photographers have seen a keen interest in their creative work and profession, public conscience has changed and attention to this splendid profession increased.
Then, after the exhibition in France, there were 3 years of debates, the charter’s complying, getting over different obstacles, and the initiative group was formed which got this job done - registered the Union officially, although actually the Union already acted from 1994 on a voluntary basis, that is without legal status.
The main purposes and tasks of the APU are promotion to the national development of photo art, popularization of its achievements in the country and abroad, preservation and creative use of photographic heritage. With the purpose of promotion and development of photo art the Union organizes exhibitions, competitions, festivals, master classes, conferences and symposiums with the participation of the Azerbaijani and foreign photographers, as well as promotes the amateur movement.
At the present day the Azerbaijan Photographers Union starts the new stage of its development. There is a lot of thing to be done as in organizational aspect so in the forming of the organization’s image. Partnership relations with all interested parties should be established, as well as resource base and conditions for professional and creative activity of the Union’s talented members formed.
10 years passed from the APU’s establishment. During this period of time the members of the creative union have organized and taken part in more than 100 exhibitions, including more than 30 in foreign countries (USA, Great Britain, France, Turkey, Germany, Belgium, Ukraine, Greece, Russia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Georgia etc.).
Chairman of Board is Mirnaib Hasanoglu