Photojournalism in Black & White

With a lot of photojournalism, it's making sure your'e in the right place at the right time and making sure you don't miss it!. I don't know wether the photographer happened upon the scene and took a speculative shot from a passing car, or wether they were at the scene from the beginning, but they have managed to catch all the drama of the moment a suspect has been cornered by the police - guns drawn, and we even see a hand raised in response, from what we assume is the target vehicle(?) Maybe with a longer lens from a slightly different angle would bring the action right up closer to the viewer, but none-the less it's a well taken and very striking image of a dramatic incident, done in the best tradition of newspaper photojournalism. well done!

'In defence of my cattle' is a great title of this photograph. It's a wonderfully aesthetic depiction of the way of life of pastoralists in this part of the world, who's lives are centred around their cattle which are so important to their economy and way of life. The AK47 slung over the herder's shoulder tells us about how conflicts between these peoples can and often occur over ownership and grazing rights in an already volatile region. The subjects are well positioned within the frame, with the dust in this arid part of the Africa adding mood and atmosphere to the image. A wonderful photograph.

I like this image a lot. It's strong and dynamic even though it's illustrating people at a car boot sale. The photographer has framed it interestingly, to include a dramatic, foreboding sky; not showing us too much detail of what is going on other than a forest of car boots opening up into the sky, with a hint of merchandise that's being traded. The photographer has homed in on two interesting looking subjects, with strong expressions and faces - a women inspecting an old pair of sandals in the foreground, a person minding her "stall" in the middle ground, and punters filling the background. The photograph gives you an idea of the people and place in a subculture with a kind of dignity and drama that you would expect from the humane tradition of black and white social documentary photography from the mid twentieth century. Congratulations.

This is a wonderful image that captures a real mood. A line of people framed by the shelter, huddled against the cold damp grey, standing on the wet reflective surface of a train platform. And the chimney stack pumping out even greyer smoke behind them, completes the mood and moodiness of this photograph. You really feel the whole scene when you look at it. It seems to sum up the down-side of hum-drum daily life in northern Europe!. A perfect capture. Well done!

Here the photojournalistic qualities of the photograph are conveyed in the busy drama of a labour ward where we see both the action and the reaction. The nurses and doctors with and equipment surrounding and framing the central part of the image that your eyes are drawn to, which is what this photograph is all about - the very moment a mother sets eyes on her baby for the first time; having just given birth. The expression of wonder at her little baby, and the enormity of what she has just done is priceless. The emotion at the centre of the image, of mother and baby, framed by the anonymous activity all around them, makes this a great image. Congratulations!

The most powerful examples of photojournalism are images that verge on the iconic. Not just making sure that you are there- at the right place and at the right time to capture that decisive moment, but also capturing something visual in a timeless way, so that it resonates beyond the immediacy of what is happening. Here the photographer has covered the deployment of soldiers who are off to war; homing in on the natural drama of loved ones saying goodbye to each other, maybe for the last time. The photographer has gone in close to get the intimate embrace of one couple, not needing to show full faces but rather relying on visual metaphors like the barrel of a gun slung over his shoulder, the desperate grip on him from his partner; and most powerful of all - he has managed to capture the mascara-laden tear streaming down her cheek as she is kissing him goodbye. The emotion behind this image gives it such power; showing us the jeopardy that any family in any war has to face, not knowing what fate will await them. A great timeless image that not only informs, but says something about the bigger human themes. Congratulations -a worthy winner!

I really strong image. When a photographer maximises the essential element of composition in their work, it instantly elevates it. Often in photojournalism, it can just be about homing in on the action with the right lens, making sure to capture it at the right moment. but sometimes you have to think a bit more when illustrating an issue that doesn't provide high drama, such as the poor state of education in a society which is what this photograph aptly illustrates. The photographer has placed a frame within a frame and cleverly placed two subjects within each one, whilst at the same time showing us the battered walls of the abandoned school in which they are playing, (rather than learning in) that's covered in Grafitti, clearly left to rot. The texture of the wall is great, and whilst drawing our attention to the boy framed in the middle of the window frame, we can see the photographer has also waited until the other boy in the in the foreground has entered a clear space outside the inner frame, to one side. Such composition makes for a really strong image, even though not much is happening. Well done.

A dramatic photograph taken from an interesting angle. The photographer has taken the trouble to get to a position where he can get a good view of exactly whats happening - probably from a flight of stairs above the staircase where the action is happening. That way he comes up with something a bit different from what a picture editor might see from a typical arrest scenario. Well done!.

I love this image. So strong with it's perfect lighting and composition. The soft light from the top, outlining the forest of veils and cloaks; disappearing into darkness at the bottom. And the way the photographer has waited (or organised) for the subject in the middle to turn around to show us a bit more of these people shrouded in cloth - We see her painterly face with eyes shut; doing what i don't know.. I wish the photographer had given us more context behind what is going on in this very enigmatic and cinematic shot. Never the less, it's a wonderful image!

The photographer has combined al lot of the essential elements that make a memorable photograph - light, composition and moment. The way the mother wraps her son protectively in her arms as they seek shelter is both powerful and touching. Each subject looking in different directions into the distance adds to the poignancy of this image, plus we have the word 'love" nicely placed on the wall behind them conveying what this image is all about. The light hitting their faces and fading into a darker background completes all the aspects of what is a very good photograph. Congratulations!

The power of this image is distilled into the face of the subject. I can't take my eyes off the haunted, world-weary expression of the boy; his eyes looking deep into and way beyond the camera. A child that has grown up too quickly in the environment of conflict and hardship, illustrated In this well composed and subtly lit image, by AK 47s propped up against the textured background of a tree forming a very natural backdrop to this part of the world - South Sudan - which has seen more than it's fair share of poverty and conflict. A War that is also notorious for the recruitment of child soldiers. We are not sure the subject, wearing a tattered T-shirt here is a child soldier, but we know that he has grown up in an environment where conflict and poverty is the norm; where going to school is probably a luxury for him. A powerful image that is both informative and emotive; that wants to make us think about how war also means the loss of innocence. A powerful photograph perfectly composed and lit. Well done!

A dramatic image even though there is no action. The photographer has shot this in an interesting way, given that they cannot be up there on the ladder with the firemen to see the flames and destruction. I like the way the ladder starts at the bottom of the frame and leads up to two firemen tackling a blaze with that mountain of black and white smoke covering the top half of the picture. The figures look like they are about to enter Dante's inferno. The way the light hits the ladder, Firemen and smoke adds to the drama. A striking image.

I love the arrangement of the subjects in this photograph. Enigmatic figures dressed in black - foreground to background. I also love that the photographer has used a slow shutter speed to add to the feel of this image, allowing us just fleeting glimpses of anonymous faces as they walk across the frame; each subject isolated as they come to pay respects to the wailing wall. An artistic and intelligent depiction of a religious site, important to so many people.

This is exactly the kind of photograph you would take if you were tackling a subject like this one. Placing the subject in amongst all that wonderful detail scattered all around him; lit with all that soft natural light coming in through the window. And just letting him get on with it. I also like how the photographer has made everything pin sharp - all that wonderful detail, and the lighting is lovely. Well done.

One of those great photographs that can say a lot more than what it shows. The photographer has waited until he/she sees a young family walking into the middle of the frame, completely surrounded by urban development all around them, symbolised by piles of dug up earth behind them that seems to want to envelope them; with big machines perched precariously on top and a montage of half-built buildings strung along the top of the frame. A strong image that tells us about urbanisation and it's relationship with humans and how they live. Congratulations on a well crafted image.