Female photojournalists take centre stage

Female photojournalists take centre stage

The Canon AFJ Award press conference. From left to right: Liz Hingley, Justyna Mielnikiewicz, Pascal Briard (Canon France), moderator Caroline Laurent-Simon, Martina Bacigalupo, Isabelle Fougère (AFJ), and Cyril Drouhet (Le Figaro). © Dan Kendall

Three talented female photojournalists took centre stage at a press conference in the Palais des Congrès this morning during a discussion of the work that has won them acclaim in the annual Canon Female Photojournalist Award, which is presented by the French Association of Female Photojournalists (AFJ).

The trio were Martina Bacigalupo (winner of the 2010 Canon AFJ Award) Justyna Mielnikiewicz (winner of 2009 award), and Liz Hingley. Interestingly, Hingley was chosen by the judges for a special award, from Le Figaro Magazine, for her work depicting the diversity of life in her hometown of Birmingham, England.

Speaking about the work of the three photographers Canon France's Marcom Manager, Pascal Briard, said: "I'm very lucky to be able to view all these wonderful pictures. The work is fabulous – the pictures tell important stories. They (the female photojournalists) are so committed to the work they are doing."

The members of the award's jury were Cyril Drouhet (Le Figaro), Monica Allende (The Sunday Times Magazine), Magali Jauffret (L'Humanité), Dan Torres (Jeune Afrique), Delphine Lelu (Visa pour l'Image) and Jean-Bernard Maurel (DirectSoir). The AFJ was represented by Brigitte Huard and Catherine Lalanne (Pèlerin magazine), and Florence Panoussian (AFP).

Martina Bacigalupo (right), with moderator Caroline Laurent-Simon (left), discusses her work in the Palais des Congrès this morning. © Dan Kendall

Bacigalupo won the Award for her proposed report on 'Uganda: The resistance of the forgotten', that will explore the life Fielda, a 52-year-old woman who has endured great hardships including the death of two husbands, contracting HIV, losing a leg due to sickness, and the murder of one of her children in an ambush. Bacigalupo revealed: "She has to take care of her children, nieces, nephews and mother. These people (in Africa) have to deal with so much and I think that she's a symbol for that."

Explaining the unusual step of giving an additional award to Liz Hingley, Cyril Drouhet, Editor-in-Chief (Photos) of Le Figaro Magazine, said: "I feel like there are almost one-and-a-half winners. There was really a sense of image and composition in her work. If we can shine light on other women, why not try to help them? We like to be generous."

Hingley is now working on a new project in France and explained: "From doing this work, and realising the difference between religion and immigration in different countries in Europe, I decided I wanted to continue and go to another country. I found another place in Paris with a similar sort of diversity... so now I'm beginning the process of making a documentary there."

Justyna Mielnikiewicz's work on the Caucasus region of the former Soviet Union is being exhibited at the Couvent des Minimes. Bacigalupo's new project will be exhibited or feature in an evening programme at Visa pour l'Image 2011.

Corentin Fohlen: a rising star

Corentin Fohlen: a rising star

Haitian workers are paid by the owner of a bank and transfer funds to clear the buildings destroyed by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. © Corentin Fohlen/Fedephoto

CPN today caught up with one of the new generation of photojournalists, Fedephoto's Corentin Fohlen. He is the winner of this year's City of Perpignan Young Reporter's Award, and has an exhibition here in Perpignan entitled, 'Haiti & Bangkok - horror and revolt'.

The 28-year-old French photographer told us that he decided to go to Haiti after it suffered the devastating earthquake on 12 January 2010 to "bear witness to" how the people of Port-au-Prince were surviving. He arrived five days after the quake with no contacts and no fixers, and began to walk the streets talking to survivors. "I remember being struck by a man who had lost his wife and four children only a few days before; he ended our conversation by laughing about the situation."

Corentin Fohlen (left) discusses his Haiti and Bangkok work with CPN. © Dan Kendall.

Later in the year he travelled to Bangkok to cover the violent end to the two-month stand-off between the Thai military and the anti-government group known as the Red Shirts. He was working in the middle of the conflict in the main business area. "It was a very dangerous time for everyone, for the protestors and the journalists. One Italian journalist was killed. It was an unequal battle between the Thai forces with their guns, tanks and helicopters, and the Red Shirts armed only with their stones, catapults and firecrackers," he told CPN.

Later this week Fohlen will be presented with his award by the Mayor of Perpignan, Jean-Marc Pujol.

Transmission pour l’Image launches

Transmission pour l'Image launches

Monica Allende, Picture Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, talks to young photographers at the first Transmission pour l’Image session in the Palais des Congrès. © Dan Kendall.

Visa pour l'Image today launched an ambitious educational initiative aimed at passing on knowledge and experience to the next generation of photojournalists.

Transmission pour l'Image aims to strengthen the links between emerging photographers and those who are more established, along with key industry figures such as picture editors.

For the past 21 years Visa pour l'Image has been a focal point for the industry - a place to see the best photojournalism and share knowledge. Transmission pour l'image now puts this on a more formal footing. This morning a small group of emerging photographers began a series of lectures over three days by six leading lights in the business: Monica Allende, Picture Editor at The Sunday Times Magazine, and photographers Michael Nichols (National Geographic), Jérôme Delay (Associated Press), Samuel Bollendorff (Oeil Public), Pierre Terdjman and Olivier Laban-Mattei.

The young photographers applied to the festival organizers to take part and those selected were invited to attend the lectures at a cost of €500.

Lucas Menget, a journalist for France 24 and a leading mover behind Transmission pour l'Image, told CPN: "We discovered that 45% of the people who came to Perpignan last year were newcomers. These young photographers don't know the older ones and most of the time don't dare to speak to them."

He added that they were also aiming to "transmit" some of values and ethics that are shared by the organisers of Visa pour l'Image to these emerging talents.

"We have invited very different types of photographers (to give the lectures), which is what we wanted. For instance, Nichols is at National Geographic, Pierre is now doing a huge story on the crisis and poverty in Israel, and Jérôme is the chief photographer for AP for all of Africa."

The organisers emphasised that the initiative was just beginning and would grow in the future.