World press photos of the year

[Gollum1 0]

Quote[/b] ]

Jean-Marc Bouju, France, The Associated Press

Iraqi man comforts his son at a regroupment center for POWs, Najaf, Iraq, 31 March

World Press Photo

Image copyrighted by World Press Photo, hosted by me.

Click "2004 winners" for the categories. The runner-up was a powerful image of an Iranian man in Bam carrying two of his young sons to be buried after the earthquake.

I won't post it here because of forum rules.

So, do you think this photo was deserving of the prize?

[thirtyg 0]

Some very impressive pictures. I can see why that picture would win, it makes a much greater statement than some of the others. Personally i think the guy who took the photo that won 'spot news' should have won just for having the balls being were he was. Obviously can't post it cause of forum rules though.

this is also in interesting one.

[ran 0]

this is also in interesting one.

Africa has always been an excellent ground for war photograpy reports ...

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

Seriously when I see this african with his goddamn naive smile on his face I would like to beat the xxxx out of him. The picture is brilliant!

[Dauragon 0]

Seriously when I see this african with his goddamn naive smile on his face I would like to beat the xxxx out of him. The picture is brilliant!

it doesnt look like a smile to me, looks more like hes scared

[ran 0]

Seriously when I see this african with his goddamn naive smile on his face I would like to beat the xxxx out of him. The picture is brilliant!

it doesnt look like a smile to me, looks more like hes scared

he's high just like all of his men

[Balschoiw 0]

I don´t tell you something new ran if I tell you that militia leaders get their recruits on drugs on purpose most of the time. Free drugs and female kids for raping are provided to them also. Well cannibalism is no secret also.

It´s scary when you shoot at people and they come running towards you crazy lauging with missing limbs but still try to fight. Well, no good memory for me. It´s even scarier if they are kids    But well it´s like that. They have a weapon and shoot at oyu. They get killed after the ROE warnings.

[killagee 0]

Scary stuff Balshiow...

I think the biggest heroes I have heard of are the 12 Belgian UN troops who were killed in Rwanda when the massacre deadline was crossed. R.I.P.

I wont tell their story here ( i dont hink some people on this forum are adult enough to understand it) but you probably know it anyway...

[ran 0]

I don´t tell you something new ran if I tell you that militia leaders get their recruits on drugs on purpose most of the time. Free drugs and female kids for raping are provided to them also. Well cannibalism is no secret also.

It´s scary when you shoot at people and they come running towards you crazy lauging with missing limbs but still try to fight. Well, no good memory for me. It´s even scarier if they are kids But well it´s like that. They have a weapon and shoot at oyu. They get killed after the ROE warnings.

you can be sure that every rebel "warrior" in the region is high on drugs and alcohol.

the only ones who aren't are political leaders who tell them to kill eachother.

[mr burns 132]

i knew of the bad situation in monrovia but there´s no way i can imagine the cruelty there.

lil boy pointing his gun at the photographer

btw: the winner photo isn´t that impressive anyway...

something like an ex-dictator creeping out of his small dark hiding place would state more, imo.

[joltan 0]

Quote[/b] ]http://img.stern.de/_content/51/14/511408/ksteddybaer_400.jpg

And still a kid somehow - look at his 'teddybear' backpack...

A kid like that is marked for the rest of his life - and a guarantee for these countries not comming to a rest anytime soon.

[Gollum1 0]

Sounds bad, Balschoiw.

I didn't quite understand the 3rd place winner in the spot news section, of the militia with a smoking RPG. Pretty generic pic if you ask me, didn't see anything that really made a statement there. Lots of spent brass on the asphalt, though.

[Balschoiw 0]

Quote[/b] ]A kid like that is marked for the rest of his life

A very short life. Drugs, abuse, rivalty among the child soldiers, acts of cruelty from their leaders and at least AIDS will make sure he will hardly get 15 - 20 years old. Sad fact but fact.

It´s just another reality very far from that what we call life.

[ran 0]

Hey !!!! this kid is carrying a MAT49 .. at least he has some taste ....

[Pukko 0]

Well I can only feel sick and furious over the fact that this well monitored event only serves to widen the gap between the '1:st' world and the '3:rd' world.

How many 'bad' pictures can you find from the 1:st world? An overweight American, and maybe some more (how many dead or injured?)... is that in practice all the problems in the '1:st' world?

Since we dont see our 'own' problems, it all comes back to 'them' in the long run (to name very few: the invasion of Iraq, a number of aspetcs around the African povery etc.), often under the, at least temporary, name of 'success' and 'development'. This kind of bullshit mostly seves to strengthen stereotypes and "not so very valid difference-conceptions between 'different' humans"; serves to maintain 'us' and 'them'.

It is not an unimportant event I recon, since very many 1:st world people probably bake these images together to a greater image of the 'reality' here on planet Tellus. One can read on the first page:

"Our Mission: To encourage high professional standards in photojournalism and to promote a free and unrestricted exchange of information "

Well, take your professional journalism and show it up where it belongs, I say. I really must say that I was naive enough to believe that the ones organising this thougth longer than their ass reach...

Indeed it gives attention to '3:rd' world problems (and the Iraq images might serve a better purpose indeed- EDIT: since its based on such a new and concrete '1:st' world involvement), but how many of us do not already know that 'in Africa there lives primitive, lazy, crazy and violent brown beats'?

I wont participate in any longer discussion about this (in practice an neverending discussion - that of differences), since I have'nt got the time to spare, but I recon quite a few might disagree.

[IceFire 0]

Pukko, what are you trying to say?

That this sort of thing doesn't happen in Africa? That they live relatively normal lives?

Face it Pukko, they have been living under war for so many years now. People can't walk around without being scared of rebel attacks. That is life in many parts of Africa.

You are in denial about all this. Saying that people should not see this will not make it go away. I have met very many Africans myself who will confirm all this killing and bloodshed.

Maybe you should take your blindfold off and realise that Africa indeed is a very bad situation instead of living in a pretend world.

[Pukko 0]

Not at all, those problems are very present indeed. In fact so present that I recon about 99.9% of '1:st' world people are in some degree aware of them - that is that they at least have seen pictures of starving/fighting Africans.

Do you really think these pictures serve any real purpose in educating people (almost only from the '1:st' world) who sees them? Dont you think there are thounsands of just as good pictures of 'not so very popular'/taboo/'not really considered as problems' sides of our own society? - that further more could be signs of good journalism by bringing up something more relevant than old the stereotypes shown in those pictures?

There are many ideas as to why the situation is like it is in Africa (and the rest of the 3:rd world)... Most commonly probably the rather rasistic/ethical/'us and them' ones, quickly explaining how they have put themselves in their position. I'm not going into why that might be here, but one cannot really claim that they have put themselves there all by their own, the '1:st' world is in many ways (concrete and abstract) resposible for their situation - and in several (more abstrect indeed) ways makes sure that they stay there. To be a little more controversal - do you think that there would be any rich/sucessful world without an poor/mediocre world? If you want 'us' to remain 'us', you got to make sure that 'they' remain 'them'.

Tell me, can you find any dead - or even injured - '1:st' world people on those pictures? How come? Dont you think there is any awardwinning pictures of dead/injured/wild/deprived '1:st' world people around??

[Frisbee 0]

Pukko, what are you trying to say?

I think he's saying that,even though there are countless problems in the 1st world countries,these pictures are mostly from 3rd world problems,and that there should be a focus on the 1st world problems for a change,which isn't covered as well as the 3rd world's problems.

Maybe you should take your blindfold off and realise that Africa ....

=>

but how many of us do not already know that 'in Africa there lives primitive, lazy, crazy and violent brown beats'?

[killagee 0]

...should be a focus on the 1st world problems for a change,which isn't covered as well as the 3rd world's problems.

Your not serious are you? !

People dont realise that all the starving children and wars people are now bored of seeing on TV are directly caused by the ignorance of 1st world citizens who have no idea of the process involved in the gas they run their cars with... The mass of subsidised food in their supermarket... the diamonds around their neck... the leather on their shoes... the companies they purchase everyday products from who also sell the weapons... etc etc etc

[Frisbee 0]

I think he's saying that,

The pictures by themselves are the thing the first world gets to see,but they often don't get the full story behind it,the story how often the 1st world is responsible for these things.

Sorry for the blurry posts,I very well know that the 1st world is largely responsible for the problems in the 3rd world,and fully responsible of letting it stay that way.

The 1st world does sometimes concentrate on the problems 'over there' with these kinds of pictures,with a pointing fingers instead of explaining.

But turn to Pukko,I'm just rephrasing the points he raised,which are imho valid points.

[Pukko 0]

I'm of to bed, but first I will present my candidate for:

The Picture of the Year 2003:

Now thats what I call a problem!

Ps. credits to Ralphviggum for posting it in the Iraq thread  

[killagee 0]

LOL! "do we have to work with this guy..." Great pic!

[Albert Schweitzer 10]

hwo the hell in the our rich world looks at the misery in africa. Noone, and a realy realy sick picture can only do us good. Are you talking about overweight as a PROBLEM OF THE 1st WORLD. Man that is sick. Maybe I should put those 2 pictures together and you tell me who realy deserves our sympathy.

And then you have a silly american/australian artist who starves in London in 30 meter height in a glass box for several days. After a few days teens stand at the ground and cheer for the hero in the sky. That realy is sick! When I saw that I wanted to cut that rope on which the box was hanging. Starvation is not art, it is reality for some. Some cannot exit their box and get a fresh 4 course meal again. Some of them would be happy with the daily portion we give our dogs. And the worst is that we look at those pictures, pitty the misery, feel bad for a few seconds. And the finally we feel good again cause we know by having felt bad we showed being good humans.

I have taken my decision. Whenever I see someone collecting money I give 5 Euro (may it be the poor guy in the streets or the Red Cross). And strangely enough I dont loose much money! It is not much but more than I gave before.

[Pukko 0]

hwo the hell in the our rich world looks at the misery in africa. Noone, and a realy realy sick picture can only do us good. Are you talking about overweight as a PROBLEM OF THE 1st WORLD. Man that is sick.

Not sure if that's  a question directed at me, for pointing out the only '1st' world 'problem' (at least probably meant to be concieved as a problem) I could find among those pictures (the overweight person (probably kid) with the caption "Generation XL in USA"). And indeed I think that is a problem, those kids have'nt got a very 'normal' life for sure - and probably not a very long one either. Like, and in contrast to, the starving '3rd' world kids on other pictures. But my rant is about that there surely are other kinds of problems in the 1st world caught on awardwinning pictures...

About stereotyping impressions about 'their' problems - seemingly hopeless to solve, and reinforcing diverse ideas of why they are in the situation they are. Well, maybe it's a symbol of the '1st' world (maybe) going downhill to the extent that the journalists participating don't think that we can face anymore 'internal' problems.

Otherwise I think you sum up the point I was trying to make here:

Quote[/b] ]And the worst is that we look at those pictures, pitty the misery, feel bad for a few seconds. And the finally we feel good again cause we know by having felt bad we showed being good humans.

And good luck to you in making a difference   Personally I dont give much money, partly because I dont have very much - but maybe I should... At present I try to make a difference in other ways however, but maybe............