World Press Photo of the Year 2015 winner only uses 5DMk.II & 3 primes!

[LDS]

The winner get a 1DX Mark II - not yet up for sale. What are you on about?

I mean that if Canon had been using the contest sponsorhip to promote its own products, it would have been promoting actual cameras, not an old one. Thereby I don't believe the winner has been selected because he uses Canon.

Then Canon can afford to give away to the winner of such a contest the greatest and the latest (to promote it, sure, why not?) - or should it have given him a Sony?

 

[zim]

Could have been a shot straight out of WW2, my how the human race has advanced

 

[gsealy]

First of all, let's give credit to the man for being out there on location in a highly volatile situation and doing the best he can. The man was working it. Second, he was using tools that he knew well and and that were part of his work flow. And then there was the recognition factor and his sense of place and time. While it was dark he understood the human turmoil going on and he was able to capture that moment and perhaps, many others. I can understand why the photograph won as it was about the point of transition from one country to another, from no life to maybe a new one, and a single, innocent human being passed from one person to another. We instantly know and understand the story. It is powerful.

 

[ritholtz]

DPR slowly turning into a zero hedge of photography.

 

[Phenix205]

When you don't have the dramatic content, you have to win by fancy gears and/or crazy post processing.

People can tell striking stories by sketches.

 

[livingunique]

I was trying to explain to a friend the other day why I was considering the 6D for a back up camera. He was going on about how it only has one card slot, the simplistic AF system and other stuff I can't even remember. I told him it was just a backup camera and I only need 1 focus point to take a photo, so what's the big deal?

We've been using the old "focus and recompose" trick for about 40 years now. It didn't suddenly vanish because Sony has 399 AF points on their cameras.

Kudos to him.

 

[Alastair Norcross]

I just looked at the pic. The story told overal, is good, very emotional. That said, I find it quite bad to be honest in quality. Focus is somewhere on the barb wire, all blurred. Grainy as hell. Could have been an iphone shot. And this is the world press photo? In the past I could agree a lot more with that descision...

Hilarious. A classic case of someone who knows nothing about the art of photography. As for the focus being on the barbed wire, did it ever occur to you that perhaps that was intentional?

 

[pedro]

It's probably black and white due to noise and banding but still a very emotive shot which the grittiness suits. I'm sure he'll upgrade to a better camera but maybe not so soon. My guess is he'll get the 5dmkiv when it releases. Once you get familiar with the controls and the way the metering is you instinctively know what settings to use and a new camera takes time to learn.

I am not sure if you are right. I couldn't see this photograph being in color, it is a classic pj b/w candid. Talking about banding and noise, go and look up Robert Frank's "The Americans". It is one of about three photobooks I have on my shelf. And Frank's 60+ years old iconic work enabled by a getty foundation grant set the mark for my understanding of candid b/w photography. Since then, I did every type of lowlight despite of the modern day banding/noise discussions and never looked back.
This is photography at its purest and most authentic level. I don't know about you, but I started photography about 35 years ago. Back then we used to push a Kodak Tri-X 400 or 800 to ISO 3200 and called it a day. So, whatever type of banding occures in camera bodies of these last ten years is nothing in comparison to what we saw back in the day 8) Regards, Peter in Switzerland.

 

[EOBeav]

Wait a minute, somebody on this forum recently referred to this camera as 'abysmal'. I guess we forgot to tell this photographer.

 

[Besisika]

I just looked at the pic. The story told overal, is good, very emotional. That said, I find it quite bad to be honest in quality. Focus is somewhere on the barb wire, all blurred. Grainy as hell. Could have been an iphone shot. And this is the world press photo? In the past I could agree a lot more with that descision...

Hilarious. A classic case of someone who knows nothing about the art of photography. As for the focus being on the barbed wire, did it ever occur to you that perhaps that was intentional?

I am not so sure about him being someone who knows nothing about the art of photography.
Photojournalism is not the only genre of photography that matters - you better remember that when you are asked to take a portrait of the miss universe.

 

[mrzero]

But if he doesn't believe in monster cameras and lenses what is he to do with a 1DX II ? Will he keep it or sell it?

He said his next project is in the Arctic. I'm guessing he'll keep it.

 

[NancyP]

Classic photojournalism, would have been fine with an even older camera.

 

[NancyP]

This also highlights the utility of just picking a prime or two and going with it, in PJ situations where one is trying to get "up close". Yes, the cordoned-off hostage situation needs a 70-200 or 300. But, if you are in the thick of things, a single wide angle prime is going to be pretty versatile, and will allow you to keep your wits about you and thinking only about anticipating a good photo situation. You aren't going to have a lot of time on your hands to change lenses. If you like to work close, 24mm is a good choice.

 

[dolina]

I never owned a 5d mark iii. I have the mark 2 and those 3 lenses he mentioned.

Throw away your latest equipment, you gadget-collecting dilettantes!

On the winning image, he commented: “The refugee story was fast moving all the time; you had to be in the zone and there was no let up. I just had a straight 24mm lens on my EOS 5D Mark II and I used my body as a tripod as it was so dark and the shutter speed (1/5sec) was so low. I only use three primes: a 14mm, 24mm and a 40mm. That’s it. I don't believe in taking monster cameras and lenses on assignment. I need to move with the subject; that’s how I work.”

Australian freelance photojournalist Warren Richardson has won the World Press Photo of the Year 2015 for a poignant image of two migrants passing a child through a barbed wire fence, as they crossed the border from Serbia into Hungary.

Full Story: http://cpn.canon-europe.com/content/news/world_press_photo_2015_winners_revealed.do

 

[Etienne]

Sure, the shot won for its emotional impact, but the technical quality of the photo is pretty poor. If he had been using the 1DXII the picture would have been significantly better in a technical sense.

No ... he would have missed the shot by about 1 year.

 

[Etienne]

I just looked at the pic. The story told overal, is good, very emotional. That said, I find it quite bad to be honest in quality. Focus is somewhere on the barb wire, all blurred. Grainy as hell. Could have been an iphone shot. And this is the world press photo? In the past I could agree a lot more with that descision...

Seriously? You can't see why this would win? Hint: It's a photojournalism, not a brick-wall-test award. An iPhone would have generated a near-black splotch on a black background.

 

[dcsimages]

I wish brides would see and understand this. They're being told by wedding sites and wedding forum members to to ask what cameras will be used and reject photographers that don't have the latest and greatest. I've lost work because I hadn't upgraded quickly enough.

 

[Alastair Norcross]

I just looked at the pic. The story told overal, is good, very emotional. That said, I find it quite bad to be honest in quality. Focus is somewhere on the barb wire, all blurred. Grainy as hell. Could have been an iphone shot. And this is the world press photo? In the past I could agree a lot more with that descision...

Hilarious. A classic case of someone who knows nothing about the art of photography. As for the focus being on the barbed wire, did it ever occur to you that perhaps that was intentional?

I am not so sure about him being someone who knows nothing about the art of photography.
Photojournalism is not the only genre of photography that matters - you better remember that when you are asked to take a portrait of the miss universe.

I have no doubt that the winner of this contest could take a fine portrait of Miss Universe. It's a lot less likely that those who make their living taking posed portraits with all kinds of lights and reflectors could ever take this powerful shot. As for me, I have absolutely no interest in taking a portrait of Miss Universe. And yes, it's clear that the person who made the idiotic comment about the noise and the focus in this winning shot knows nothing about the art of photography. You don't have to be an expert in photojournalism to realize that what is called for in that genre is not the same as in other genres. Perhaps the poster I was replying to could produce a perfectly proficient, and no doubt horribly dull, portrait. The science of photography is different from the art of photography.

 

[hubie]

Ey yo, wtf? With a 5D mk II? That is insane. That's a shitty camera - in fact it's already more than 1 year old. How can you take good photos with it? Can't get it into my mind.

 

[pedro]

Sure, the shot won for its emotional impact, but the technical quality of the photo is pretty poor. If he had been using the 1DXII the picture would have been significantly better in a technical sense.

No ... he would have missed the shot by about 1 year.

Dear Etienne, I guess you are about to miss the point...