World Press Photo winners announced

the winner would not have been my choice either. I like it, but do not think it anywhere near as accomplished as some of the other images, either pictorially or in terms of circumstantial difficulty. I still like it though.
 
i think there are factors behind a lot of these photos that perhaps are missed. overseas work in countries like Iran and Somalia etc. are VERY, VERY dicey endeavors these days. most of these folks are literally on their own and it takes an individual of serious nerve and conviction to work anywhere in Somalia. the $ is not the same and extraction insurance is bloody expensive. most rely on their respected embassy's watch commander which can be a two day response time at best. most of the countries in question don't issue entry visa's to journalists and often sneaking in on a T visa is the only way in (or some other fabrication).

i am not attempting to strong arm anyone into liking any of it. just consider what goes into producing images from a country who's security apparatus has been know to kill journalists. the criterium goes beyond the image at hand and rightfully so.
 
What a dull photo...ugh

Wasnt there one last year or the year before of a police officer just walking around in a building?
 
Krzys said:
What a dull photo...ugh

Wasnt there one last year or the year before of a police officer just walking around in a building?
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Don't forget the gun, he was carrying a gun acting all cowboy. Horrible picture, I'm telling you I could have taken the exact same.

martin
 
JSU said:
I base my position/opinion not on the exception, which from time to time there will be, but on the greater context of most PJ contests observed by me for more than 30 years.

If any contest moves away from the predictable trends it is World Press. I offer in support of my statement the NPPA monthly clip contest, the Pictures of the Year competition (University of Missouri), the now POYi and the BoP (Best of Photojournalism.) Further, I have judged numerous regional NPPA monthly clip contests and sat in for the judging of many more. I think Ernst Haas said it best, as quoted above. And one need only consider his work "The Creation" to understand that he preferred the road less travelled.

I offer my views not in volatile argument but merely to share my views.

--Steve Ueckert (Houston, Texas)
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the NPPA contests and such are totally different ball games. i am an active member on the canuck side of the border NPAC and understand them very well. operating in the conditions and regions where a lot of these photographs come out of is a million miles away from the wire or dailies and the competition takes this into account.

the only way to stay afloat these days doing what the bulk of the entries do involves contests and awards whether you like it or not. grants fill the void where sales fall short and it is a combination of the two that keep more of the folks we admire going than you would believe (check out past winners of Alexia and Pulitzer etc). in short, you need them and in order to get em' you need a CV that reads of exposure. folks like Adam Ferguson know exactly what they are up to and i am sure this fits well into the plan. if you look close one of the entries was actually working on a Pulitzer grant.

knowing the mechanisms behind the work these folks do is key to understanding the World Press Awards. i personally salute each and every one.

I respect Ernst Hass and what he has accomplished but to avoid the award circuit these days basically means you better be into flippin' burgers in your down time.
 
martin s said:
Don't forget the gun, he was carrying a gun acting all cowboy. Horrible picture, I'm telling you I could have taken the exact same.

martin
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It was probably taken with a Holga, you know those things shine in competitions for some reason.
 
martin s said:
Don't forget the gun, he was carrying a gun acting all cowboy. Horrible picture, I'm telling you I could have taken the exact same.

martin
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Yeah, that picture was SOOOO lame! I saw a movie once that totally blew it away. When will the journalists learn what makes a good picture? (see examples of AWESOME pictures below!) :)

0603_Equilibrium.jpg

dabboo2_400.jpg
 
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Did you guys see this, from the nytimes blog? Malick Sidibe won for arts and entertainment for a fashion spread in the nytimes.

Malick Sidibé

Mr. Sidibé, now in his mid-70s, is a well established figure in Mali and renowned worldwide. Andreas Kokkino, the fashion editor who conceived and styled the spread, has said about working with Mr. Sidibé: “Instead of the usual hundreds and hundreds of frames per shot that I had become accustomed to in this era of digital photography, Sidibé took only two or three frames for every shot. When the shoot was over, he had only shot 22 frames on his Rolleiflex!”
And one of them was judged to be among the best in the world.
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Regardless of what prize it got, I think the Worldpress photo of the year (the rooftop picture) is extraordinary and very poetic. Instead of the usual mixture of blood, fire and bullets, the photographer has taken a tangential and IMO unique view. It is unique for me, because this is the first time I see a picture where people do what is shown here.

Think yourself into being an Iranian National guard, roaming the streets of Tehran and you hear cries from above the rooftops, cries which defy the regime you're trying to protect, yet you aren't exactly sure where they're coming from, you can't point your gun anywhere. This is what really makes the picture work for me.

There are further questions that arise: were these women protesting on the streets during the day and are they now continuing the protest at night? If yes, man...that is what I would call determination. Aren't they afraid of "suspect" neighbours? The twilight hour, the window lights, the women (who - being women - add another layer to the story), all add to this feeling of insecurity.

It's a great picture and I can only congratulate the jury!
 
"Dude I could've totally taken this picture myself!!!

Just put me next to the photographer and give me the same camera and his experience!!!"

or

"What camera did he use? I want to take pictures like that"

Wow, some people don't have any respect. Watch "War Photographer".
 
i don't think it is a lack of respect per say. i would hazard a guess that it's more a lack of understanding of what goes into getting these photos.
 
As usual the woe is me Palestinians and not a peep of the destruction they lay on Israel. They always have a political agenda.
 
I'm glad there was this dicusssion of the photos. It made me think about what the "world press awards" reference, vs. "good photo prize," independent of context. I'd say press awards ought to consider context and difficulty of taking and exporting rather than just the merits of the images themselves. Otherwise they'd be "Pretty Picture Prize" No. 10034.
 
no reason for this photo to win except political. usa is trying hard to brainwash whole world about human rights in iran-especially women rights... but if we pay attention a bit we see that in iran we have more women in art than in any other country - for example movie directors. in reality western world is more repressing than other parts but they do everything in gloves...
 
I'm not one for contests but I usually think the photos from World Press are both interesting and, at times, banal. I'd be a horrible judge because the world, through my eyes, is a bit brighter and less tragic (not that I'm not aware of tragedy, sadness, human suffering, death, war, pestilence, famine, etc. etc. etc. etc.). I guess I just feel that displaying something that can maybe make someone smile a bit goes a long way these days...

Anyway, I would have to thank JSU for posting the Haas quote. That is brilliant to me and applies so much to what I end up photographing the most, that is, weddings.

Cheers,
Dave
 
There's some controversy surrounding the third place photo of a fatally wounded Marine in Iraq.

Here's the photo: http://www.worldpressphoto.org/inde...y&task=view&id=1719&Itemid=257&bandwidth=high

Tom White's comments on the controversy on his blog: http://photographylot.blogspot.com/2010/02/world-press-photo-awards-julie-jacobson.html

Interesting that AP asked the family for permission to publish the photo and then ignored the family's request that the photo not be published. I tend to agree with Mr. White that AP either shouldn't have asked in the first place or should have respected the family's wishes.
 
Wow, some of those images are hardcore. I usually enjoy the Honorable Mentions more than the winners. I've seem allot of things in my travels but never a stoning. I think I'd rather be shot.
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That surprises me, pachuco dude. I figured you for someone who'd rather be stoned!
 
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