As part of my ongoing 40th birthday celebrations (hey, I’ve stretched them out over a one month period!). I love to put photography books on my birthday and christmas list and this year received a copy of World Press Photo 08. Photographers from all over the world submit their finest work to be judged by a panel of industry luminaries. There are categories for single image, story, spot and general news, contemporary issues, daily life, sports, sports action, portraits, nature, arts and entertainment. Winning is a major achievement.
However, there is nothing like judging a photo competition to get photographers (usually avoiding doing any work) into a heated debate. This year’s World Press Photo of the Year went to Tim Hetherington for a photograph of a soldier in a bunker taken during an embed with his platoon in Afghanistan in 2007. I think it shows a war photograph does not have to include obvious action to illustrate the difficulties and terror of war. It is a personal moment between the subject and the Tim the photographer. The soldier has a look of fatigue, anxiety and stress. A quick look through the photography forums leads to a lively discussion on whether it should have won or not – with comments from it’s blurry, dark and another war photo to it’s a personal moment between the photographer and subject during a period of fighting for survival on remote hillside in one of the most dangerous places on earth.
The overall selection through the first half of the book seems to be dark and negative. The only truely vibrant section are the delighful closeups of marine life. Platon‘s portrait of Russian Prime Minister Putin is fantastic in it’s underlying menace.
The exhibition has already passed through London but you can see the whole set of winners on the World Press Photo website.
Tags: world press photo 2008 Category: Blog
Posted on Thursday, December 18th, 2008 at 10:04