World Press Photo ’11

Overview

Sometimes the cheesy photos that grace a lot of the fodder news stories in our daily newspapers make me cringe. Nah, I take that back. They always make me cringe. Too-carefully-composed images make the pages of an apparently prestigious paper look like the print version of A Current Affair. Is the art of photojournalism dead?

Certainly not. Want proof? Find it at World Press Photo ’11. It’s the world’s leading international competition in press photography, which last year attracted over 108, 059 entries from 5, 961 photographers. The jury whittled the entries down and awarded prizes to 54 photographers, including three Australians (phew! There’s still hope for us yet).

Look out for World Press Photo of the Year – awarded to South African photographer Jodi Bieber for her portrait of 18 year-old Afghani woman Bibi Aisha. After fleeing her husband’s house complaining of violent treatment, the Taliban found Aisha and brought her back to her husband’s family for punishment. Bieber’s won eight World Press Photo awards previously – local photographers, this is a Bieber you’ll want to look up to.

The World Press Photo exhibition contains images that may offend – it’s recommended for patrons 15 years and older.

Image credit: ‘The Flying Cholitas, Bolivia’ by Daniele Tamagni, via Brisbane Powerhouse