© Bas de Meijer
World Press Photo is pleased to announce the names of the 12 young photographers who have been selected to come together with a group of masters for the 19th annual World Press Photo Joop Swart Masterclass to be held from 11 to 15 November 2012 in Amsterdam. During the five-day masterclass meeting, the participating photographers will interact with six prominent experts, discussing technical, journalistic and ethical aspects of their work.
The following 12 photographers - six men and six women of 12 different nationalities - will participate in the 2012 Joop Swart Masterclass:
Cemil Batur Gökçeer, Turkey
Maja Daniels, Sweden
Bieke Depoorter, Belgium
Ilkin Huseynov, Azerbaijan
Tatiana Ilina, Russia
Jia DaiTengFei, China
Hajime Kimura, Japan
Sofie Amalie Klougart, Denmark
Dhruv Malhotra, India
Muhammed Muheisen, Jordan
llvy Njiokiktjien, The Netherlands
Anastasia Rudenko, Russia
Acceptance to the masterclass is exclusively by nomination and selection. This year’s 12 participants were chosen among 165 candidates from 56 countries, who had submitted their portfolios after having been nominated earlier by World Press Photo’s 18 international committees around the world. Yesterday, an independent selection committee met in Amsterdam to make the final selection of participants. The final committee consisted of : Alex Majoli (Italy), photographer Magnum Photos, Dana Lixenberg (The Netherlands), photographer, Maria Mann (USA), director for international relations European Pressphoto Agency, Patrick Witty (USA), international picture editor Time, and Silvia Omedes (Spain), curator and founder of Photographic Social Vision.
The committee commented on their task: “You’re looking for photography that is not something that a lot of other people can do, but for work that transcends this. It’s not enough just to like someone’s aesthetic; there must also be something surprising about it. We’re looking for another layer. We want to be moved, surprised, excited…there must be some tension, the sense that someone is taking a chance.” Also: “You don’t want to see repeated formulae, but photographers who are being themselves.” And: “We’re looking for someone who will be open to the dynamic of the whole process…who is curious about where they are going, who can perhaps take their work to another level during the masterclass.”
In preparation for the masterclass meeting in November, the participants will execute a photo essay on a theme, which for this year is “trust”. The essays will be discussed with the masters and edited into a publication, Next #02, co-published with Schilt Publishing.
Since 1994, the Joop Swart Masterclass has brought together some of the finest young photographers from around world, and leading professionals in the fields of documentary photography and photojournalism. It offers a focused, intimate and reflective learning experience to young photographers, aiming to foster their intellectual, artistic and professional growth. The Joop Swart Masterclass holds prime position among the seminars, debates and other educational programs regularly organized within the World Press Photo Academy. It is named after the foundation’s late chairman, who was a passionate supporter of young photographic talent.
Lundi 23 avril 2012
Image : © Bas de Meijer.