KARLA GACHET - Sony World Photography Awards

KARLA GACHETfirst woman to be a part of their photographer’s staff.Since then, she never looked back. One of her long termprojects consists of fourteen photo stories, which explorethe diverse cultures of five countries in South America.These were published in a book called Short stories:From Ecuador to the Land of Fire which was also madeinto an iPad App available at: www.runaphotos.com/short-stories.We recently caught up with Karla...© Karla Gachet, A portrait of two sisters in traditional dressoutside their house in a Mennonite village.Karla Gachet has been a documentary photographer forover 7 years and is one of those rare people that can honestlysay, love their job.Karla first moved from her hometown in Ecuador to theUnited States for college and studied art and graphicdesign in the Bay Area in California. One good day, shediscovered documentary photography. Seduced by thepower of storytelling with images, she decided to studyphotojournalism at San Jose State University. In 2004,she moved back to her homeland to explore it with fresheyes. She began working freelance until one of the mainnewspapers in the country, Diario El Comercio, hired herin 2005 where she worked for two years, becoming theYour biography says that you were ‘seduced by powerof storytelling with images’ and that is what made youbecome a documentary photographer. Tell us moreabout this... what was it specifically that seduced youand what stories did you want to tell?When I was in college, I attended a photojournalist’s lecture.It was the first time I even understood this was a career.I saw a story of refugees in Africa and learned howthese photographs helped unite families who had beenseparated by conflict. I was blown away! Not only was Ipulled in by the subject matter, visually it was poetry andthis is what seduced me. I wanted to tell stories of peoplewho don’t have a voice. I wanted to learn of other placesand other cultures and photojournalism seemed like thebest tool for this. Also, I have always been a visual personand this career united all of my worlds.

When you first started in 2005, you were the firstwoman to be hired as a staff photographer at theDiario El Comercio, an Ecuadorian national newspaper.How was that experience for you and do youfind that your industry is still mostly male dominated?It was very difficult at first. I had to prove myself becauseI was a girl and in their eyes I was this fragilebeing. They wouldn’t send me to important coveragesor to disaster areas because I was a girl. It was veryfrustrating. But I did my own stories, and did everyassignment I got the best I could. The higher editorsstarted noticing my work and I gained the respect ofthe staff. I think being a girl gives you a lot of advantageswhen shooting stories, people are less intimidatedby a woman than a man sometimes. The industryis still dominated by men but I think this is rapidlychanging. It would be an advantage to many newspapersto hire more girls to get a female perspective onthings.Tell us about a current project you are working onnow.I feel it will start disappearing sooner than we think.I want to document it because I grew up with it, mydad plays the guitar and I have been listening to himand his friends play all my life. It is also my countriesheritage. I am also part of a collective, Runa Photos,and one of the projects we collaborate on is calledImproVision, where we have a visual dialogue amongthe three of us. We upload one photo a week respondingto the last one and post it to our facebook pagewhere people help us come up with a name for eachone. There are also other on going projects I have beenworking on for years. One is on a family of Ecuadoreancowboys who are trying to hold on tight to theirtraditions in a world that is becoming more globalisedday by day.Karla is represented by Panos Pictures.For more information, visit her website here or RunaPhotos here.View a sampling of Karla’s work on the followingpages.I have a few projects going on. One of them, is a storyon Ecuador’s national music, it’s very old school and

Good Friday procession in old Quito, Ecuador. Cucuruchos (in purple) parade with a baby jesus towards the Plaza of San Francisco, where the procession ends.

Sara Rempel looks on as she milks a cow in the early morning. The Rempels are a mennonite family who lives in thejungle of Bolivia. They live off their land and have a dairy farm that produces cheese which they sell to a nearby city.Most mennonite women are not permitted to learn Spanish and speak only german to each other. This photograph ispart of a project called “From Ecuador to the Land of Fire” a journey through five countries in South America.

Doris Aros harvests potatoes with her son and her mother in the island of Teuquelin, Chile. The Peranchiguay extended family lives in the smallest island ofChiloe. They survive off their land and they also harvest and sell sea weed. Most of the young people leave the island because there is not much to do and thekids go to school in the bigger islands as well. There are a few elders that still remain as well as a few mothers with their young kids. This photograph is part ofa project called “From Ecuador to the Land of Fire” a journey through five countries in South America.

A man throws fireworks in the air during the celebrations in Oruro, Bolivia. The Devils of Oruro is a traditional celebration in which hundredsof dancers from all over Bolivia come to perform in the streets of this city. This photograph is part of a project called “From Ecuadorto the Land of Fire” a journey through five countries in South America.

Kerly waits in her room as two family members go past her during her special night. She is part of the Aguayo family, they live inLos Rios, Ecuador. The people from this area are called Montubios, or cowboys. On this night she turned fifteen, a coming of agefor a girl in Latin families. The quinceañera celebration is not just a birthday party, it is a way for the family to tell society theirgirl is now a woman. This photograph is part of an extended project I have been doing since 2008 on the Aguayos. They are a verytight extended family who owns and works on their hacienda. Their kids have grown up in the fields but will soon face the decisionsof staying and maintaining traditions or moving to the bigger cities.

Dabe Caiga cooks her dinner and talks to her husband who has fallen into a trance. (He is in a hammock next to hers in the dark). They say when this happensto him, the spirit of the jaguar talks through him. They can ask them where there will be animals the next day to hunt. Dabe, the wife, is the only onewho can talk to him and ask him the questions. Gabaro is located near the Maxus Road, where REPSOL drills and makes deals with the local Waorani communities.It takes a four hour walk from the end of the Maxus road to the first houses. It has less contact with the company, although Repsol is thinking ofexpanding the Maxus road into Gabaro.

Daniela Cupe Ahua (9) sits in the kitchen of her sister-in-law (Victoria, seen in the back with her two kids) in her home inGuiyero. Most Waoranis still live with their extended families. Guiyero is a Waorani community located on the northernpart of the Maxus road inside the Yasuni National Park. Repsol extracts oil in the region and the communities along theMaxus have become dependent on the companies for work and food. In these communities there is a mix of ancient Waoraniculture, such as hunting with blow guns, and modern technology, such as satellite dishes.All images © Karla Gachet.

Round Up: Notable Collectives and AgenciesThe prominence of photography agencies and collecives is hard to avoidand the work coming out of them is unmistakably powerful. In thismonth’s round up, we’ve compiled twenty of our favourite collectives,agencies and photography groups whose imagery deserve your attention.© Marcus Bleasdale / VII

Magnum PhotosMagnum Photos is a photographic co-operative, representing renownedphotographers including Eliott Erwitt and Robert Capa. Magnum providesimagery to the press, publishers, advertising, television, galleries and museumson an international level and is home to an extensive collection of photography,whether it be in the physical library or the online“living archives,”which are updated daily.NOORNOOR is comprised of a select group of ten photographers fromseven different countries. The photographers work individually andcollectively to capture worldly issues, typically in the form of photoessays, in an effort to shed light on global understanding. For moreon NOOR’s work around the globe, please check out our featuredphotos later in the issue.BluephotoBluePhoto Agency is a group of four photographers dedicated todocumentary storytelling via image. The quartet covers a wide rangeof topics that do not necessarily fall within the focal point of contemporarymedia. BluePhoto produces several award winning series, oneof the most recent being, “Three, Three, Three” by Jose Antonio deLamadrid, features three autistic triplets. Among the awards are theGEA Photowords international prize for documentary photographyand an honorable mention for best local story at the InternationalAward Shoot4Change 2013.© Marc Riboud/Magnum PhotosReutersReuters has a global network of about 600 photographers and distributes1,600 pictures each day to various forms of media. Such a massive distributionaccounts for Reuters extensive photo archive, which currently totalsover 6 million photographs. In the past year (2012) Reuters’ photographershave won more than 60 international photography awards, including majorawards for photographer Damir Sagolj in World Press Photo and Pictures ofthe Year International.© Susana Girón, BluePhoto; From the project, “The last king ofAmerica”

Panos Pictures and Panos ProfileFor over 20 years Panos Pictures has been capturing photographs witha fresh and intelligent approach. The agency specialises in global issuesand engages in all forms of visual communication, producing exhibitions,multimedia, videos and long-term documentary projects. Panos Picturescaters to both the commercial and non-profit secotrs. Photographers’ workis frequently exhibited, the most recent being Hossein Fatemi’s work oncontemporary Afghanistan at the Delhi Photo Festival.Agence France-PresseAgence France Presse is a well-established agency delivering fast, in-depthcoverage of the latest worldly news and events. AFP publishes up to 3,000photos every single day in an effort to provide visual components for mediaoutlets and other clientel along with other photographic services. AFPis highly decorated, a most recent honour being Adrian Dennis’ 2013 PressPhotographer Year Prize for a shot at the London Olympics.InstituteInstitute is an artist management company that serves several platforms ofmedia and publication. Though dedicated to all areas of creative production,Institute offers some excellent photography. Photographers representedby Institute have received several accolades and some of the top awardsin the industry. The above image is from the project STATE, which will bepublished as a monograph in English and French by Photosynteses. Thework will also be on display at the Musee de L’Elysee in Lausanne 20 September2013 - 5 January 2014 as well as at Photoville New York19 September - 29 September 2013.© Espen Rasmussen/PanosContact PressContact Press Images has been an image source since the latter yearsof the War in Vietnam. The New York City based agency has capturedmoments of tension and conflict over the years and keeps their workwell-documented in their web archives. Contact Press Images celebratesits long-lasting run in the field in a recent web-archive, titled “25 Years,100 Images.” Continued documentation of worldly conflicts can be foundonline in the regularly-updated web archives.©Paolo Woods/ INSTITUTE

WebistanWebistan captures stories of humanity, offering a variety of images focusedon both joyous and devastating worldly happenings. Webistan managesand distributes photo and video archives of highly-established REZA andseveral other photojournalists, with coverage worldwide. One of REZA’srecent projects, The Soul of Coffee, explores the culture of coffee and thelives of the communities involved in its production. The Soul of Coffee ison exhibit now in Paris and London. Click here for details.Prospekt PhotoProspekt Photographers is an Italian agency of documentary photographyand visual storytelling representing international authors. Prospekt directswork to all media forms and is currently working on long-term projectssuch as photo essays and exhibitions. Above is a photo from Samuele Pellecchia’sheavily documented work in Cairo during recent times of politicalunrest.©Samuel Pelecchia/Prospekt©REZA/WebistanLUZ PhotoLUZ was started in March 2010 as a service to help magazines, brands andpeople tell engaging stories through contemporary languages and tools.Since its launch not long ago, LUZ photographers have created and distributedspectacular imagery to a variety of global clientel. A recent project isa dual entry into Les Rencontres d’Arles. The entry is a dual effort, combiningshots from Andrea Frazzetta’s “Looking for paradise” in Nicuraguaand Marco Gualazzini’s “Region Under Siege.” in the Congo.Grinberg AgencyMoscow-based Grinberg Agency represents predominantly Russian photographersand a handful of foriegn photographers. Images are distributedto an array of clientel, including local and international media platforms,businesses and both profitable and humanitarian projects. The featuredwork is Tatiana Ilina’s “Blind Photographers.”Sipa PressSipa Press produces a variety of images within the latest popular culturecategories. Such an extensive collection, complete with “Unusual” and“Sports” categories, allows Sipa to cater to a variety of clientel. The uniquework is highlighted online in archived galleries as well as “Pics of the Day.”

MOMENTSome of Scandinavia’s most acclaimed photojournalists make up Moment Agency,Scandinavia’s leading photography agency. The select group works to capturethe latest news and create special projects that deliver intense, in-depth coverage.A recent effort hits close to home, as “Scandanavian Moments,” an ongoinggroup project, focuses on several aspects of the Scandanavian countries.VIIVII Photography is a highly acclaimed agency with 23 photographers dedicated tocovering the latest worldy events. Since its formation at the beginning of the newmilenium, VII imagery has graced the covers and interiors of several magazines,newspapers and other publications. Members also focus on long-form projects,including recent coverage of unrest in Aleppo and Cairo.© Eivind H. Natvig/Moment© Alexandra Boulat/VIIL’Agence VuSince its launch in 1986, l’Agence VU has grown into a prominentphotography agency whose offices span 17 countries. Representedphotographers specialise in social documentary, striving to capturethe latest global occurrences with cutting edge equipment and technique.Massimo Berutti, a key photographer for Agence VU, has specialisedhis recent work in the Middle East. The above photo is fromhis 2011 coverage in Pakistan, and is featured in “The Lakshars.”© Massimo Berutti /Agence Vu

Reportage by Getty ImagesReportage by Getty Images is dedicated to promoting the work of its representedphotographers. The handful of represented photographers haveproduced captivating imagery over a wide range of global events, givingReportage a clientel list consisting of leading magazines, television networks,newspapers, and corporations around the world. The site has three mainfunctions: showcasing the latest work of their represented photographers;promoting additional features; and tracking the best visual journalism in itsarchives.Echo Photo AgencyEcho agency strives to produce relevant and telling imagery. The photojournalistsat Echo tell stories in a narrative fashion, from behind thescenes, and are willing to get to cause of their documented events andoccurrences. The images below show a variety of works from Echo photographers,all invigorating shots depicting different cultures, lifestylesand scenes around the world.© Giorgio Palmera/Echo© Alvaro Ybarra Zavala/Reportage*For full photo galleries, please view online.

Featured Collective:NOORNOOR is a collective uniting a select group of highly accomplishedphotojournalists and documentary storytellers focusing on contemporaryglobal issues.Since its establishment in 2007, as both a photo agency and foundation,the international roster of NOOR’s accomplished andaward-winning member photographers have documented civil andpolitical unrest, environmental issues, war, famine, and naturaldisasters throughout the globe. It is an abiding commitment to thefundamental power of photography to beat witness to the strugglefor human rights and social justice that form the principles ofNOOR.© Stanley Greene / NOOR -- Uummannaq, Greenland -- Traditional Inuit dress, consistingof polar bear and seal- skin boots and fur. The disappearing sea ice is a threatto polar bears and all marine mammal species. The Inuit culture is also set up forextinction without the skins of these animals. (October 2009)As part of the NOOR Foundation, each year, NOOR photographersproduce a group project focusing on a mutual theme importantto the global community. The images featured in this issue are allpart of these collective series. Each photo captures a subject matterdeemed meaningful and worthy of sharing with the world.The featured images fall in respective NOOR projects: ClimateChange, which features consequences of and solutions to the changingearth; Urban Survivors, which focuses on humankind in variedliving conditions around the globe; and New Brazil, which toucheson the cultural changes in South America’s largest country.© Kadir van Lohuizen / NOOR -- Wulanyiligen, China -- Zhao Shoushan (60) and hiswife Tong Shuhua (55) are herdsmen in Wulanyiligen. Nowadays they live between thewindmills. They have 600 sheeps and goats.

© Yuri Kozyrev / NOOR -- Yamal, Russia -- The family tries to use the mobile phones (October 2009)

© Alixandra Fazzina/ NOOR -- Karachi Pakistan -- At asprawling camp on Karachi’s Super Highway, a girl runsalongside a shack constructed from pieces of bamboo, strawand old advertising banners. Squatting for the past ninemonths in squalid conditions on the periphery of Pakistan’slargest city, following the floods that devastated interiorSindh in July, the three kilometre long camp is supported byMSF who provide medical facilities and portable water tothe estimated four thousand IDP’s there. (May 2011)© Andrea Bruce/ NOOR -- Guatemala City-- A man walksthrough a cemetery with his children. He was attendingthe funeral of a 27-year-old woman who was shot on thestreets of Guatemala City. (Urban Survivors series, featuredin MSF)

© Stanley Greene/NOOR -- Kamrangirchar -- Children playing and swimming in toxic waste, which has been dumped from the chemical factories inthe Kamrangichar Peninsula.

© Pep Bonet/NOOR -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil-- Famous transvestite LuanaMuniz performing at Turma Ok Club in Lapa. (April 2012)©Yuri Kozyrev /NOOR -- Belo Monte construction site, Altamira Brazil October09 2012; On Tuesday 9 October, around 80 “warriors” in full war paintand armed with bows and arrows, clubs and lances occupied a construction sitefor the Belo Monte hydroelectric plant on the Xingu River, a tributary of theAmazon in Brazil. In a cloak-and-dagger operation, the native Indians stormedthe Pimental cofferdam, chased off around 900 construction workers and tookcontrol of a large number of trucks and Caterpillar construction vehicles.”© Kadir van Lohuizen/NOOR -- Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- OverlookingFavela de Santa Teresa. Most of Brazil’s favelas have been under controlof drug gangs or private militia, but in the wake of the upcoming Olympics,the UPP (Unidade de Policia Pacificadora) are working to pacify thecommunities.

ESSDRAS M SUAREZ“The best way to describe me is inertia,” says Boston, Massachusetts-basedphotojournalist Essdras M Suarez. “I learn forwardand I don’t know what to do when I’m at a standstill.”With both a Pulitzer Prize and Robert F. Kennedy InternationalPhotojournalism Award under his belt, Suarez’s reportage hastaken him to more than 30 countries over the past 20 years.His portfolio includes coverage of the Iraq War, Tsunami aftermath,Gaza evacuation, Columbia disaster and the Columbineshooting. He shares with WPO a sampling of his experience inthe field.Stay tuned to WPO’s new YouTube Channel for an upcoming Inthe Photographer’s Studio that explores Suarez’s entry into thefield, experience, and advice amidst the changing tides withinthe industry.© Essdras M Suarez/Rocky Mountain News. Cucuna, Guatemala Dec.13, 1999 Family and relatives of 14- year old Osveli Sales grief over hiscasket after it was returned to his village in Guatemala. Osveli died in aColorado highway while being smuggled into the US.

1999 Columbine schoolshooting outside of Denver,ColoradoA mourner moves slowlypast the casket of IsaiahShoels at the HeritageChristian Center. Isaiah,who would have graduatedtwo months later, was buriedwith his diploma and inhis cap and gown.Denver Christian Academystudent Adrian Joel becomesoverwhelmed withemotion as he approachesthe car of his friend JohnTomlin who was one of thevictims of the 1999 Columbineschool shooting inLittleton, CO.© Essdras M Suarez

Wales, Alaska An inuit whale hunter gets aboat ready to be launched into the ice flowsof the Bering Strait.Chukotka, Russia A reindeer herder offers asalty treat, his own urine in a cup, to his herdas the alpha male establishes its dominance byrearing on its hind legs to let others know it ishis treat.© Essdras M Suarez

Man sitting on the bridge looking out at the destruction of Banda Aceh in Indonesia after a Tsunmai hit the area killing over 200,000people.

Basra, Iraq-April 7, 2003 A young boy watches with amusement as two Royal Scotts Dragoons Guards take cover and aim down a street nearthe Basra General Hospital. [Boston Globe]

Karbala, Iraq - April 23, 2003 AShiite worshipper screams as if ina trance while covered in his ownblood after having cut himselfwith a knife. He and hundredsof thousands others were takingpart in the commemoration ofthe anniversary of the assassinationof the founder of the Shiitereligion, Al-Hussein, who waskilled on the 7th century in theCity of Karbala.[Boston Globe]Baghdad, Iraq - April 12, 2003Daniel Rash of Chico, Ca takescover in a trench on the Northside of the Tigris River behindthe Palestine Hotel in Baghdadafter his position took fire fromthe other side of the river. [BostonGlobe]All Images ‌© Essdras M Suarez

CAN A PHOTOGRAPH EVER REALLY TELL THE TRUTH?“The bottom line for a photojournalist is truth,” says photojournalistTom Stoddart. “If your photographs don’t tell the truth, then it’s awaste of time.”But how is truth in a photograph defined? When factoring in varyingpoints of view, distinctive objectives, stylistic manipulation andcontextual meanings, the number of considerations in determiningwhether or not a photograph is truthful may never quite leave aviewer satisfied.“Photographers are authors, just like writers,” Stoddart says. “Thebest photojournalists are telling the story through their eyes. Photojournalismisn’t about going and trying to show all sides of a storyand trying to be fair to all sides, because that’s impossible.”A single image cannot reveal an entire situation. No image canencapsulate the accurate meaning derived from the image’s subjects.No photojournalist can record the motivations, objectives andmeanings from the story they wish to tell. It is simply not possible.But what is possible and to many expected, is a photojournalist’sdevotion to accuracy within his or her report of current events orcontemporary issues.Since photography’s invention, doubts have been raised over theveracity of images. One of the most notable of these cases is RobertCapa’s 1936 “Falling Soldier”, the iconic image of a fighter killed inaction during the Spanish Civil War. Nearly 80 years later, photographersand critics continue to debate whether or not the image wasstaged.Whether or not this is fact, the image etched itself into the minds ofall who came across it, leaving a lasting impression of the war andbecoming one of the defining photographs of the 20th century. RobertCapa’s story was told – and it resonated. Indeed, many died‌© Robert Capa / International Center of Photography / MagnumPhotosduring the war, but was a potentially staged image the most accuratedepiction of that reality?More recently, the 2013 World Press Photo of the Year drew upintense scrutiny, prompting a panel of forensic analysts to studyPaul Hansen’s image for excessive digital manipulation. Its post-productionprocessing pushed many viewers to believe it was no longeraccurate or award-worthy.Manipulation has clearly been evident throughout the field’s history.Following the Kent State shootings of 1970, a fence post wasremoved from above the head of Mary Ann Vecchio. Images ofStalin’s enemies were routinely removed from his photographs. U.S.President Abraham Lincoln’s iconic image is really only his head onanother man’s body. So what has caused people to examine photographymore than ever before? Is it the level at which photographyis now being manipulated that has sceptics reeling? Have we beenburned by one too many blatant distortions of the truth of somethingpresented to us as reality?

So where does one draw the line of what is and isn’t acceptable toenhance? The debate on this will certainly not be settled withinthis article, however the question we are asking here is not aboutpost-manipulation, but rather about the ability of any photograph,even in its purest form, to be able to tell the full truth.Ultimately it comes down to interpretation. However, there aremany interpreters to take into account - starting with the photographertaking the image and ending with the many who view the photograph.Interpretation cannot be controlled, thus the truth cannotbe expected to be fully defined.“It’s absolutely ridiculous to believe that photography can be entirelytruthful,” says VII photographer Anastasia Taylor-Lind.“In photography there is no one truth, no one reality. It’s a 2-Dimensionalinterpretation by one person of the world around us.”Yet photojournalists are faced with the heavy burden of expectationthat their images can tell the truth.“I think a lot of it is subjective. All you can do is reveal what you canreveal,” says photographer Donald Weber. “An image is not necessarilya gospel. To me it’s more important to create a sense of placeor to get across an emotional feeling.”Subjective or not, it is assumed by most that images shown in aphotojournalist context, recount at least a version of the truth. Thisof course then nudges the burden of veracity onto the platform onwhich it is shown – often media outlets.Asked how The Sunday Times handles this, Director of PhotographyJon Jones says this: “Is the image an accurate record of thesituation, does it tell a story, does it impart enough information forthe viewer, does it show scenes that people might find offensive, isit gratuitous? All these things and more have to be considered whenmaking a choice to publish.”For the latest stories fromWPO, check out ourNews & Events section on thewebsite.Clearly there is no one right answer and perhaps Taylor-Lind posedthe wisest response – In photography, there is no one truth, no onereality.

ISSUE IV:THE STUDENT ISSUESEPTEMBER 2013© Inari Lepisto, CameraNovia University of Applied Sciences, Finland

In the nextMonica Suder ColumnA Portfolio Review:How to make the most of it© Honeybunn Photography

CreditsAstrid Merget, Creative DirectorKaley Sweeney, EditorErica Stapleton, ContributorFor questions, comments and suggestions,email: magazine@worldphoto.org