Photography Winners of the Canon Media Awards 2014

MEDIA RELEASE

9 May 2014 – under strict embargo until 10.30pm

Photography Winners of the Canon Media Awards 2014

New Zealand’s top photojournalists were honoured at the 40th annual Canon Media Awards held in Auckland on Friday night.

Richard Robinson of The New Zealand Herald was selected as the Press Photographer of the Year. Robinson’s portfolio of images showed an ability to shine across all aspects of photojournalism, according to judges David Gray of Reuters and Rob Taggart of the Associated Press.

Alden Williams of The Nelson Mail was judged Junior Press Photographer of the Year for photos which, the judges said, shone above all others in the section, showing the ability to use light and capture the best moment.

The trophy for Best News Picture went to Craig Simcox of The Dominion Post for his photo taken during the Wellington earthquakes. “He displayed one of the most important characteristics of a photojournalist – to always be ready. The fear on people’s faces, who only seconds earlier were going about their daily routine, is obvious. He also managed to create good composition during an extremely intense moment,” said the judges.

The award for Best Sports Picture went to Iain McGregor of The Press for a remarkable photo of a rodeo rider moments after being thrown off his mount. The judges said McGregor captured all the elements of a great sports image – action, drama, pain and perfect timing.

Best Feature Photo went to Stephen Parker of the Rotorua Daily Post for his unusual image of Maori dancers. The judges said Parker created a completely different perspective using light and shadows to capture a feature that stood out from an everyday tourist event. 2

The Best Portrait trophy was taken out by Hannah Johnston of Getty for her image of Kim Dotcom. “Hannah captured the perceived character of her subject perfectly,” said the judges.

The New Zealand Herald’s Brett Phibbs won the award for Best Photo Essay/Slideshow for his series on the America’s Cup. The judges said Phibbs showed his talents in capturing the important moments, while including the colourful side of what was one of 2013’s biggest stories not only for New Zealand, but in world sport.

Yusuke Mizoguchi, Managing Director of Canon New Zealand, said the photography entries this year were simply impeccable, and capture moments that will resonate for a long time. “Photographs express so much about life – the mood, the culture, the experience.

“A huge part of telling a story, particularly in journalism, is being able to accurately describe the situation. Where would we be without these images to remember the defining moments of our society?

“We are proud to support the Canon Media Awards, which is celebrating a 40 year milestone, and we remain committed to supporting New Zealand’s up and coming photojournalists as-well-as industry stalwarts who have been capturing memorable moments for decades.” Use of images: All entrants assign copyright of their work to the Canon Media Awards as a condition of entry. Any use of images must acknowledge the photographer, media outlet and the Canon Media Awards.

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