Things As They Are

"This is a more contemporary choice. It was published in 2005 for the 50th anniversary of World Press Photo. By collating seminal bodies of work, Things As They Are looks at various developments in photojournalism and how the photo essay has evolved over time. It is broader than it ever was, without a doubt. I think the book is a very well-researched, solid body of work, but it’s deficient in the sense that it ignores significant practices outside the West. There is a fleeting apology in the beginning about largely focusing on European and North American photography. But it does what it sets out to do very well. It is an entertaining – if that’s the right word – insight into our practice. The text is insightful, and there are wonderful examples of how the medium has been shaped by its practitioners and took different turns along the way. It describes how major wars have shaped photography – such as the Vietnam War, when the US learnt never to trust photographers. Yes, I’ve been on the jury four times and chaired it once. My association with World Press Photo started with a tiff. I had written a stinker of a letter to them, saying “you call yourself ‘World’ Press…”, though I did also say I thought it was an important exhibition and contest, and that I would be happy to host it if it came to Bangladesh. I received a letter from the managing director that predated mine, inviting me to be on the jury. Then I was told there had been a cancellation, and as I’d expressed interest I was offered the chance to host it. I didn’t want to lose that opportunity, but the exhibition can only be shown in its entirety, without any censorship, and there was no way I could guarantee that in Bangladesh. So I needed a place of my own to show the exhibition. I called my architect and asked if he could build me a gallery in 17 days. He thought I was completely crazy, but he knows me well enough. The gallery was finished in time – though the walls were still wet when the reporters arrived."