In Retrospect

What makes someone an outstanding photojournalist? This question comes to mind when looking back on a tumultuous year, specifically in Northern Africa. Remember this second-to-most famous quote by Robert Capa: The pictures are there, and you just take them. Yes, obviously, you have to be close enough. Being there is what comes first. It is their concern. That is what makes some photojournalist stand out; what makes unbeatable news photographs. If you think of major news events, the likelihood is that you will visualize a single image which has been absorbed in the mind. But let’s not forget how photojournalists operate. They are keen on symbolism, on gestures, on finding the opportunity to nail the story.

This brings me back on the question raised. Let’s take in mind that photojournalists often tend to find each other on their path. Instinctively or based on the logic of information there have been many occasions in which you will find a hurdle of world-class photojournalists pressed together, all doing their utter best to frame the story. This is something that becomes all the more clear when seeing this image in which we can detect a handful of excellent, world-class photojournalists. It was taken in Libya, on March 11. The scene looks familiar. Not surprisingly, as it is at the same moment that one of the stongest images of the year is produced. They are all running. All but one: Yuri Kozyrev. For me, it shows very clearly what makes this such a significant image and why Kozyrev (blue jeans, behind two running colleagues) is such a remarkable photojournalist. If he wins World Press Photo, it is well deserved.