Saturday, February 11, 2012

World Press Photo 2012

The World Press Photo Awards have come to be one of the most important and well recognized Photographic Awards all over the World, and the most prestigious Photojournalism Award.

A group of 19 internationally recognized professionals in the field of photojournalism and documentary photography have convened in Amsterdam from 28 January until 9 February 2012 to judge the entries. 

This jury of the 55th annual World Press Photo Contest has selected a picture by Samuel Aranda from Spain (Cataluña, to be more precise) as the World Press Photo of the Year 2011. The picture shows a woman holding a wounded relative in her arms, inside a mosque used as a field hospital by demonstrators against the rule of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, during clashes in Sanaa, Yemen on 15 October 2011. Samuel Aranda was working in Yemen on assignment for The New York Times.

In my opinion, it is such a powerful image as it shows the (most common) role of Arab women in the modern non-sense wars. And, even though you can barely see the nose of this woman, you can tell by her body language she is suffering while holding her loved one in her arms.

Also, I really like that it is an image that says a lot and is very strong, without the need of showing any blood or actual wounded body parts or anything like that, as it has been shown in previous years winner's photographs. This photo tells you so much in such simplicity, it's just as inspiring as discouraging at the same time.

57 photographers were awarded this year and, sometime around September, people in Mexico City will be able to assist to the World Press Photo exhibition, which takes place every year at the Franz Mayer Museum, as a part of the Photo-Septiembre Activities Program.



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