Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2006/02/12

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Subject: [Leica] OT: world press winners 2006
From: nathan.wajsman at planet.nl (Nathan Wajsman)
Date: Sun Feb 12 02:08:22 2006
References: <am3qu15e0khbfraaqimv1kc3foefrqmlmd@4ax.com> <2AAA3644-4ABF-4AAE-9FA1-620CDD037340@pandora.be> <000e01c62ea0$8b791090$2ee76c18@ted> <8DA3B05F-F82C-456E-92F4-AC887E6D1E35@pandora.be> <43EE094B.3070606@planet.nl> <007701c62f38$48262010$2ee76c18@ted> <44FE2C66-8C77-4E91-98BE-653D8EBC480F@mindspring.com>

Ric,

Yes, I did look at the pictures, and I go to the exhibition every year. 
I am not saying that the winning image is bad, but I AM saying that it 
is not the best of the images on show and that the winners of this 
competition are selected based on the committee's desire to highlight 
certain issues as much as on the photography.

Let me put it in another way: if a Martian looked at the winning entries 
of World Press Photo over the years, he would invariably conclude that 
life on earth is an unending misery of wars, famines and natural 
disasters. Of course I understand how the media work and that these 
tragedies generate lots of news and lots of coverage, but surely that is 
not all that life is about?

I remember a few years ago the award was won by a Danish photographer 
with a headshot of a wounded man in Kosovo (or Bosnia, I don't remember 
exactly). While I was happy to see a Dane win, I must honestly say that 
I found the image to be quite ordinary compared to many other images in 
that year's exhibition. There was no doubt in my mind that it had won 
because the committee wished to focus on that war. In other years it has 
been equally clear that a political agenda rather than photographic 
merit is often the determining factor.

When I go to the exhibition, I invariably find images that are superior 
to the winners but did not win because they did not fit that agenda.

Nathan

Ric Carter wrote:
> http://www.worldpressphoto.nl/index.php? 
> option=com_photogallery&task=blogsection&id=16&Itemid=137&bandwidth=high
> 
> I'm sorry guys, but did you look at the pictures? To infer that they  
> are the result of finding a disaster and flailing away with a motor  
> drive is unfair. No, I don't like every frame, but there are some  VERY 
> strong images here. Did you actually look through all of them?
> 
> One can perhaps debate that the sports photos are stronger  technically 
> (though I'd question that), but alongside the others they  pale to 
> triviality in their content.
> 
> Everyone here strives to technical excellence, but no one would argue  
> that sharpness, depth of field and exposure trumps content.
> 
> I'd have been DAMN proud to produce almost any of them.
> 
> Do I weary of disaster photos? Yes, but emphasis on disaster and  death 
> in news is another question for another day.
> 
> Ric Carter
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/Passing-Fancies
> 

-- 
Nathan Wajsman
Almere, The Netherlands

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Replies: Reply from ricc at mindspring.com (Ric Carter) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Reply from lug at steveunsworth.co.uk (Steve Unsworth) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
In reply to: Message from ericm at pobox.com (Eric) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Message from philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Message from philippe.orlent at pandora.be (Philippe Orlent) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Message from nathan.wajsman at planet.nl (Nathan Wajsman) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Message from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)
Message from ricc at mindspring.com (Ric Carter) ([Leica] OT: world press winners 2006)