Monday 21 September 2009

World Press Photo 09

The World Press Photo 09 exhibition is on at Wellington's Shed 11 until 4 October. It is a collection of pictures taken by international photojournalists is a range of categories, and the winners, runners up, and honourable mentions are on display.

Some of the photos are quite hard-hitting, and many will leave viewers emotionally charged. There is a competition in which you can enter to win a digital camera; simply choose the photo that means most to you and write a very short explanation why. This was an interesting process.

For me, the most poignant photo was one of a girl running barefoot along a street after a cyclone in Burma. All around her are books laid open on the ground to dry. As an educator, what struck me was the value that was placed on books and learning, even in the aftermath of what was the country's worst natural disaster in recorded history. (I am not sure whether this link will take you directly to the photo; if not, it is the picture on the bottom right corner of the grid.)

Two friends went to the exhibition with me. One is a soldier and nurse in the New Zealand Army. She is also a mum. This photo of a soldier carrying an injured child following an earthquake in China (bottom left corner if the link doesn't work directly) was her choice. Her partner, a father, was struck by the sheer terror in this boy's face as a policeman approaches his home in Nairobi amid ethnic violence following the elections in December 2007.

Even though there were many people at the exhibition, there was a strange sense of quiet as people walked around viewing the photos. Not all depicted doom and gloom. However, the mood was generally sombre; I'm imagining that, like myself and my friends, everyone approaches each image with their own lens and takes from it something which relates to their own lives or experiences. This certainly became evident as we discussed our individual choices for the photos that meant the most of us and we realised that, even though we could not relate to any of the situations directly, we chose images which depicted the things we valued. Well worth a visit.

5 comments:

Sab said...

Wow. Those images are just... wow. I also love the one you picked. I loved books as a girl and I remember when one of my journals fell into some water. My mom took it out and dried each page for me.

Anonymous said...

wow.
Hey before I forget...


Yields: 1 loaf


Total Time: 1 hr

Cook Time: 15 min


Oven Temp: 350
Ingredients
U.S. Metric Conversion chart

1 3/4 cup(s) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup(s) sugar
1 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/2 teaspoon(s) baking soda
1/2 teaspoon(s) salt
1 cup(s) (about 3 small) bananas, mashed, very ripe
1/3 cup(s) fruit-based fat replacement or unsweetened applesauce
2 large egg whites
1 large egg
1/4 cup(s) pecans, chopped

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 9" by 5" metal loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
In large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In medium bowl, with fork, mix mashed bananas, fruit-based fat replacement, egg whites, and egg.
Stir banana mixture into flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into loaf pan, sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Bake 40 to 45 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean with just a few moist crumbs attached. Cool loaf in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove loaf from pan, cool completely on wire rack.
Each slice: About 110 calories, 3 g protein, 22 g carbohydrate, 2 g total fat (0 g saturated), 13 mg cholesterol, 140 mg sodium.

Kellee said...

I love that each image you all chose fits most directly with your lives.

Caffeinated Weka said...

Thank you, dearest Donna - I will have a go at baking banana bread when my next bananas are ready. Using pecans looks absolutely delicious!! I really appreciate your sharing your recipe. :-)

~JarieLyn~ said...

Wow, these images are pretty profound. My choice is in the 3rd place winners, top left hand corner. (An old woman covering her face)