World Press Photo of the Year

[DigitalFreak]

http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=blogsection&id=7&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high

Great photos!

[Martin]

There really are some excellent shots! Thanks for sharing. :D

[mark589]

Here's a question:
What is it about these photos - even particular ones - that gives you pause? What quality makes an "excellent shot" in your mind vs. just another of the tens of thousands of photos taken by photojournalists every hour of every day?

Clearly someone thought these were something special. What qualities make them special to YOU?

[Martin]

In my opinion, for a photo to be excellent, or even just good, they need to invoke an emotion - any emotion - and they need to be technically good.

It doesn't need to be profound, I like a photo to promote some kind of mental reaction. Be it happiness, sadness, anger, pleasure, etc. Take this photo of the man with his mouth and eyes stitched up (http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=258&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high). This is not only technically very good, with the shallow DOF allowing us to focus on the stitched lips first, then as we move into the photo, up his face, we see that his slightly blurred eyes are also stitched. This man feels so strongly about his cause that he is willing to deface himself and put himself through pain and discomfort. This comes across in the photo and evokes in me sadness and curiosity as to what he is protesting about.

Take this photo of the looter (http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=269&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high) with fear and desperation so apparent in his so very young eyes. Again, sadness and empathy erupt within me. Technically this photo is good because the boy is ever so slightly blurred, giving the effect of movement, yet the pan-focus style DOF allows us to see the debris in the background with numerous people trying to rebuild their lives. This kind of photo again provokes strong emotions and is technically good.

I could go on in this style, but these are nothing more than my opinions. To close, other favourites of mine are:


This, because it fills me with admiration for the swimmer (http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=252&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high)
This, because it provokes fear (http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=212&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high).
This, because it provokes sadness, pity, and anger towards whoever did this. (http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=216&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high).
This, because it makes me smile... (http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=217&Itemid=87&bandwidth=low2high)

[oostermeijer]

A fine site indeed, although most images make me disapointed in the human race, 90% of the images are about suffering brought on by other humans. Maybe the portraying of such pain,sadness and death is a silent witness and I hope and pray that we all learn from this and that these images will be a thing from the past. The sooner the better :(

[mark589]

Well - photojournalism is, by definition, about documenting what is there. And the photos which have the greatest impact are the ones which evoke emotion in the viewer.

It is far easier (in imagery) to evoke negative emotion than positive ones, so the photos that get people's attention tend to be the ones you are commenting on.

On the other hand, I can think of many images which give the viewer a sense of love, of comfort, happiness, excitement, fun, etc. But are they "news?"

Wedding photographs - the ones which document what is happening vs the ones where the photographer orchestrates the scene - are pretty good examples. I have one I took as the reception was winding down. It was on a boat, the boat was heading back in. The bride's father (who spoke only Japanese) was leaning against the rail with a "whew" look of contentment on his face. It has always been one of my favorites.

[kevinrstruck]

Well - photojournalism is, by definition, about documenting what is there. And the photos which have the greatest impact are the ones which evoke emotion in the viewer.

It is far easier (in imagery) to evoke negative emotion than positive ones, so the photos that get people's attention tend to be the ones you are commenting on.

On the other hand, I can think of many images which give the viewer a sense of love, of comfort, happiness, excitement, fun, etc. But are they "news?"

Wedding photographs - the ones which document what is happening vs the ones where the photographer orchestrates the scene - are pretty good examples. I have one I took as the reception was winding down. It was on a boat, the boat was heading back in. The bride's father (who spoke only Japanese) was leaning against the rail with a "whew" look of contentment on his face. It has always been one of my favorites.



Let's see it...

[oostermeijer]

[QUOTE=mark589]Well - photojournalism is, by definition, about documenting what is there. And the photos which have the greatest impact are the ones which evoke emotion in the viewer.

It is far easier (in imagery) to evoke negative emotion than positive ones, so the photos that get people's attention tend to be the ones you are commenting on.

On the other hand, I can think of many images which give the viewer a sense of love, of comfort, happiness, excitement, fun, etc. But are they "news?"

The one thing I can say about this "news" you see that's the way most people have been conditioned that only bad things are "news", unless we all set our own norms and values and not just blindly accept those others dictate we will never change things for the better. Don't be a sheep, be an individual!! :rolleyes:

[mark589]

Let's see it...

The photograph captures a private moment in a space where the person had a reasonable expectation of privacy. Out of respect for the individual, I would not put it into public space without his permission to do so.

[mark589]

The one thing I can say about this "news" you see that's the way most people have been conditioned that only bad things are "news", unless we all set our own norms and values and not just blindly accept those others dictate we will never change things for the better. Don't be a sheep, be an individual!! :rolleyes:

I agree. Though I haven't personally verified that he actually said it, Walter Cronkite is quoted as saying (a long time ago) "Reporting the good news is reporting how many cats were not stolen last night."

And maybe that is the issue. People's day-to-day routine isn't news. Yet it is in that day-to-day existence where their overall level of fullfillment is set - not in the peak highs or lows. People all over the world, no matter what their living conditions, can offer up a friendly smile.. and usually do.. unless they are in physical or mental pain at the moment.

So perhaps we should be working to capture those moments of routine happiness which, on a percentage basis, overwhelm the "newsworthy" images. Perhaps we overlook them because they are part of everyday existence and fade into the background. Find a way to pull them out!

[oostermeijer]

I agree. Though I haven't personally verified that he actually said it, Walter Cronkite is quoted as saying (a long time ago) "Reporting the good news is reporting how many cats were not stolen last night."

And maybe that is the issue. People's day-to-day routine isn't news. Yet it is in that day-to-day existence where their overall level of fullfillment is set - not in the peak highs or lows. People all over the world, no matter what their living conditions, can offer up a friendly smile.. and usually do.. unless they are in physical or mental pain at the moment.

So perhaps we should be working to capture those moments of routine happiness which, on a percentage basis, overwhelm the "newsworthy" images. Perhaps we overlook them because they are part of everyday existence and fade into the background. Find a way to pull them out!

Sounds good, maybe we can start a competition about good news photographs !