Up close and personal at press photo exhibition

Up close and personal at press photo exhibition

P.J. Leo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Photographers need both eyes wide open to work. Otherwise what
is portrayed would not be considered as the authentic view of the
photographer. Photographers indeed work with their eyes and the
with the aid of modern technology.

A camera is not just a tool but becomes a very important part
of the photographers' eyes. Without eyes and camera, a
photographer will be blind as the camera enables them to achieve
an aesthetic view.

These thoughts were part of the background to Story of the
Eyes, the World Press Photo 2001 exhibition, as expressed by
journalist Seno Gumira Ajidarma who opened the exhibition at
Erasmus Huis, Jl. Rasuna Said, South Jakarta on Sept. 25.

The best photos taken by photographers around the world will
be on display until Oct. 7. The same exhibition then moves to the
Vredeburg Fort in Yogyakarta from Oct. 11 to Oct. 19.

Story of the Eyes illustrates how photographers around the
world work with their eyes open and come to an event early. Being
late means missing good photos.

World Press Photo Foundation is an independent nonprofit
organization, founded in the Netherlands in 1955. Its aim is to
support and promote the works of professional press photographers
internationally.

Over the years, World Press Photo has evolved into an
independent platform for photojournalism and free exchange of
information. Beside managing the extensive exhibition program,
the organization also runs a number of educational projects.

This year, 42,321 photos by 3,938 photographers from 121
countries were submitted. The international jury for the 44th
annual World Press Photo has selected Lara Jo Regan's work, a
freelancer in the United States, as the best picture.

Her work depicts an immigrant family from Mexico in their new
home in Texas. The color photograph was also awarded First Prize
in the category Daily Life Singles and for the Children's Award
2001.

The jury also awarded Stephan Vanfleteren, the Belgian
photographer for the Swiss Lookat Agency, the Children's Award.
His black and white picture shows an Afghan boy who lost a leg
after stepping on a land mine. The boy was recruited as a soldier
by the Taliban in their conflict against the Mujaheedin.

Compared to entries of previous years, this year's winning
photographs captured lighter moments and were, therefore, less
dramatic.

Looking at Regan's photograph -- a mother surrounded by three
children preparing food in a kitchen -- we notice the house is in
a slum area. The bare light-bulb highlights the glaring absence
of home appliances that consumer society normally offers.

World Press Photo 2001 for Portraits category did not show
photographs of international public figures. Instead, the jury
opted to select portrait photographs of common people.

American Bill Phelps, winner of the First Prize Singles in
this category, blurred his photo. He only focused on the face of
the eight-year-old girl, a victim of Crigler-Najjar syndrome.

Hien Lam-Duc of France, First Prize Stories winner, also did
the same. He walked the streets in and around Baghdad for hours
on end and came face to face with a wide range of the city's
inhabitants.

There are several photos in the exhibition that contain
artistic aspects. Trent Parke and Narelle Autio of Australia, who
won the First Prize Stories in the Nature and Environment
category, used graphic arts to illustrate how Australia's native
animals are killed annually on the expanding network of roads
crossing the outback.

The other categories for World Press Photo 2001 are not unlike
previous contests namely demonstrations, refugees and sports,
which were dominated by track and field.

The board of the World Press Photo Foundation invites press
photographers and photojournalists throughout the world to
participate in the 45th annual contest.

This competition accepts press photographs taken during 2001
and intended for publication. The deadline for submission of
entries is Jan. 17, 2002 and this deadline will be strictly
observed.