Attached Link: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_750656.html?menu=

Not to be polemic... but my opinion is that... first of all you have to judge the subject... and if you read the subject of the photo you'll understand why that was kept in consideration... watch their expression, of everybody, not only the child... men that lost all their energy in front of that disgrace... but they have to work... watch their faces... the photographer catched the moment... carpe diem. The SUBJECT, first of all. THEN... the light, the focus, the blur... the "art" effects. IMHO, obviously.

hhhmmmmmm.... yes, agreed, the subject does play a massive amount in the first one...... but the rather open-mouthed gorillas/baboons (whatever!)?, the girl on the train? the monkeys hand on the bar? They couldn't find better pictures to go with the stories, whatever they were? Saying that, I think the photographer for our local paper only has about 3 stock poses for anyone in the local news....lol Anyways, this is already starting to turn into a debate, so I'm gonna shut up before I get caned..... (",)

Too late, you had to shutup BEFORE ;) Try bring me a photo of those 3 monkeys' smile or better (in example a shot of an inside panther mouth open) and you'll understand why those subjects are there... The girl on bus... ANOTHER CARPE DIEM! Find an identical situation and shot it! THEN talk! ;)

.....I lied. Pay me what these guys earn, give me their equipment and let me have 7 days. You'll get your photo of a panthers mouth, and you'll be able to count his fillings..... Guaranteed. (",)

You have to EARN it... make it with your own force and MAYBE you'll get their place :D

Trust me, you don't want to be in these folks shoes. But after a 25 year career in photojournalism maybe I'm of a negative bias. -jay

I wish they had posted the background on the other images. The second one I can't tell if she is in orgasmic bliss, dead or wasted and abused. Magick Michael

They are all very strong images. I would be quite happy to call any of them my own.

Place your mouse cursor over the photo and it tells you waht it is. The woman is a "female hostage of Moscow theater seige." Hey Jordy, could have been worse...could have been three smiling cats. :) hehehe Run! Run!! -=>Donald

Thanks Donald. Only works in IE not Netscape 6.2. MM

I never thought that pros makes the better images, they just have to make a
living out of selling them.
On the contrary, if you just shot for fun, it's much easier (though still hard enough)
to find an own style and to make great pictures and great art.

As for the pictures,
the first one is really outstanding, a precise description of the situation in just one shot.

The rest is great, I would give them still 3 thumbs at PSig, but nothing that
would move me for a long time, certainly it's just me but they "don't talk to me".

cheers

I dunno, Jordy. I feel I can't beat them to a pulp. And I'm nowhere near pro OR amateur. :-(*

Sorry Jordy but you cant not be serious here. The competition is for photojournalism Its not pictorial, I have viewed these images and they all capture the emotions of the moment. To say they would be pulled apart is wrong they all have great composition and are technically superb the gymnasts hand on the bar is a great bit of photography and would fit alongside a sports report and on any gallery wall. I guess you are winding us up, as I know you are not that blind, Full marks you hit the button with me. LOL :0 )

Nope, not winding up........ IMO, the first one is not something that would need to be snapped in just a few seconds as would be the case with many journalistic shots.... in my experience people around a graveside don't go rushing around; therefore the photographer must have had at least a minute (a long time in photography when you work in fractions of a second) to get his brain into gear and take this shot. In that case, I would have expected a better set up shot with more impact...... look at those photo's that guy took inside the tower on 9/11 - he was in a desperate situation surrounded by panic, yet even he had time to get decent, framed shots that imo beat this hands down. Just because it's journalistic doesn't mean it shouldn't be able to stand up on it's own, does it? I can show you a crap picture that I have, which has a really moving story behind it.... does that make it a good picture? no, even to me it's still crap as far as pictures go, yet it explains the situation brilliantly. Sorry, but I think people react to a photo just because of the situation it's in. I have no doubt whatsoever that if you go to these places with 25 disposable cameras, give them to locals and ask them to use the films up in a day - well, you'll get some absolutely award winning shots out of them, just because of what they show, not because of skill. (",)

JordyArt I think that is what makes photojournalism so amazing is that there is no time to set things up. They are in the middle of a situation often times in danger themselves ie. war, disasters, whatever it may be and they are able to capture the humaness of life and its emotions. The photographs may not always be technically perfect in all cases but they don't need to be. If you think that people are reacting to these types of photos only because of the situation that may be partially true, but I think they are also reacting to the humaness, and the feeling that it could be them. Bah, seems to me you're just jealous. ;)

Insane, that was just the point I was making - you ever seen a fast-moving funeral? he would have had time to set himself up here to get a better shot. Jealous? No, not really. If I was a professional photographer, yeah, maybe, everyone would like to win the top award in their class, but I'm not. If I wanted to win Amateur competitions, I'd take more pics and enter them. I don't, and I know better than to whinge about something without doing anything about it. I just honestly don't think it's deserving; I think that that particular photo could have been taken by any half-assed amatuer if he was in that same place at that time, and that technically it leaves a lot to be desired. Just because he's willing to risk his neck there doesn't mean that is a good pic. (",)

I personally like the orgasmic one! Not too keen on apes. The deser one. Not sure. It is a good pic. but it could be more gorey if he wanted I think. I'm glad it isn't. Bsteph