Letter From the Editor Cengiz Seren, Editor-in-Chief
In our line of business every year proves to be full of surprises, unexpected developments and also regrettably unwelcome dramatic blows. The year will be remembered as the one which was the stage to many such events, by far more than one would expect to fit in one single cycle of four seasons. The series of popular uprisings that flared through the Middle East and North Africa with the start of the year are bringing about fundamental changes in countries where both the ruling regimes and the world at large were stunned by the populations’ determination and endurance. Meanwhile an earthquake followed by a tsunami and a nuclear disaster plunged Japan into a tragedy. Once again the world at large followed our coverage with growing respect and admiration for the dignity and resilience of a nation. We reported these developments through our pictures and shared the resulting emotions with those of you worldwide who looked at them: We mourned the victims, we were moved by the human tragedy they witnessed and sometimes we sighed and smiled with relief when pictures represented scenes and moments that gave encouragement and hope. However other dramatic events that happen whilst photographers cover these events remain far behind the limelight. This year epa had to experience the deep sorrow of the death of a photographer in Tunisia, long weeks of fear for a photographer held prisoner in Libya and the Kafkaesque ordeal of another photographer facing spying charges in Georgia. We could obtain the release of Manu Brabo in Libya and Zurab Kurtsikidze was released following a forced plea bargain in Georgia; and we continue mourning the loss of Lucas Dolega. Of course the pictures we chose for this small album, whilst not ignoring the drama of the year, had to highlight all aspects of our coverage, leave space for graphic composition and heartwarming images. In other words our sorrow and the succession of dramatic events scattered throughout the year should not distance us from having a glance at the brighter side, by honoring excellence in good photography as stand-alone pieces of art. With my best regards,
Cengiz Seren, 8th August, 2011
about epa The european pressphoto agency (epa) was founded by seven major Western European photo agencies and officially started on January 1, 1985. The vision of the founders was driven by the demand for an independent quality world picture service originally designed for the needs of the European media market. In 2003, epa took a second step forward and went global. Today’s epa picture service is based both on the broad network of epa’s staff photographers all over the world and on the daily production of its member agencies - - all market leaders in their respective countries. The service is managed from epa’s editorial headquarters in Frankfurt, Germany and regional desks in Bangkok, Washington D.C. and Cairo. From there, a professionally edited timely selection of highly reliable and competitive international pictures is delivered to clients all over the globe. The european pressphoto agency has always been based on integrity, independence and responsibility. During the first 18 years, epa acquired an excelent reputation for its unique European photo coverage. From May 1, 2003, when epa launched its new international photo service, its strength has also been to cover global events from a different perspective. epa’s images reflect a continual commitment to reduce standard shots of pre-arranged events and to allocate a maximum of resources to creative, unique photography producing images that speak for themselves. The epa shareholders are the leading news agencies in their ANA – Greece ANP – The Netherlands ANSA – Italy APA – Austria belga – Belgium dpa – Germany
Ian Spencer Langsdon ... the Photographer
I am a staff photographer for epa based in Paris, France. My coverage ranges from breaking news, major sporting events like the Tour de France cycling race, to entertainment assignments such as the Paris fashion week. I also travel for epa in the French Presidential press corps. The photo of US actors Brad Pitt and Jessica Chastain was taken at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival during a morning photo-call session. These day-time photo sessions often allow us to capture playful interaction between co-stars, before the evening‘s ceremonious red carpet event.
EFE – Spain KEYSTONE – Switzerland Lusa – Portugal mti – Hungary pap – Poland
epa products the epa service The average output of the epa service is 1000 pictures per day, 40 per cent of which comes from Europe. Its production covers news, politics, sports, business, finance as well as arts, culture and entertainment. The pictures are captioned in English. The service is managed 24/7 from epa’s editorial headquarters in Frankfurt as well as regional desks in Bangkok, Washington D.C. and Cairo. the epa archive epa’s digital archive contains close to three million images dating back to 1997. The archive includes images older than seven days that have been previously transmitted in the epa service. Editor‘s Choice epa emails its Editor‘s Choice of epa Photo Highlights to its clients and subscribers. The Editor‘s Choice is a daily selection of the most striking images of our world-wide newspicture service, available in English and in Arabic language. epa also offers a weekly Sports Highlights mailing. Feature Packages Up to three stories a week with an accompanying text that can be published on a standalone basis. Each photo story contains an average of 15 pictures drawn from epa’s daily news photo service, epa archives and third party data bases. Each photo story text contains some 150 words.
Barbara Walton ... the Photographer
I am epa‘s Chief Photographer for South East Asia, based in Bangkok, Thailand. Most of our time in this region is spent covering natural disasters, political upheavals, economic developments, sports and features. I love shooting sports and my favorite position is to photograph from the catwalk, from where this photo of the Chinese duet synchronised swimmers was taken during competition at the World Swimming Championships in Shanghai. This catwalk was a challenge! In harness, clamped to the railings on this super hot, oft swaying aerial walkway, this shot was taken through the metal floor grate dodging the view of moving wires and TV camera. The position allowed a total top down view of the beautiful underwater movements, and below the surface communication, of the synchronised swimming competitors, while the water above created its own patterns.
epa products epa photo gallery epa provides a daily selection of the most significant photos from all over the world divided into three different sections (according to topic); an average of 15 photos per category, per day (seven days a week).: - News: a selection of current events - Sports: a selection of the best sports pictures - Entertainment: a selection of images from cinema, theatre, dance, festivals, music, and fashion epa Picture of the Day epa editors choose the most outstanding image of the day (seven days a week). Each photo has an English caption of at least 60 words. epa Partner Collections In addition to the epa archives, a wider variety of images of epa‘s partner collections is available online in the epa database including model released as well as news, sports and nature photography.
Filip Singer
... the Photographer I’m a contract photographer for epa in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, based in Prague. I took up photography at the age of 19 and for the next nine years worked as a freelancer mainly focusing on environmental feature stories in Eastern Europe. I joined epa in 2008 and cover everything from major sporting events to natural disasters, politics and breaking news. This photo was taken on the Jumping Tower as competitors prepared for a round of the Ski Flying World Cup event in Harrachov in the Czech Republic. I used a wide angle lens because of the very limited space in the tower.
epa creative epa provides an outstanding collection of stock photos, comprising images of nature and animals, culture, colours, cityscapes, faith, landmarks, offbeat, sports, public figures and industry. Our team of experienced editors carefully selects these images, placing the emphasis on quality and the multiple concepts these images can convey for use in illustrations, advertising, blogs and as prints. Rich and imaginatively photographed, these stock photos offer a wide selection from around the globe. Our online data base houses thousands of stock photos searchable through the epa database. www.epa.eu/creative
epa customer service epa stands for the highest level of customer service, user-friendliness and reliability. Our emphasis is on personalized attention. Our special assignment service offers a world-wide network of experienced professional photographers who produce fresh and unique views according to client needs. Our highly client-oriented customer service desk in Frankfurt is available to satisfy special research requests from our epa service and archives, as well as those from epa shareholders and partners. We have earned a reputation for outstanding service and take pride in our customer relations.
Farooq Khan
... the Photographer I am Farooq Khan a Kashmir (India) based photojournalist with epa. I have a professional experience of over 20 years. Having grown up in Srinagar, the summer capital of Indian Kashmir, I know this conflict zone – Kashmir – inside out. I covered the entire Kargil War, which became a nuclear flash point between India and Pakistan in 1999. I have covered live gunfights between Indian security forces and rebels and have been a witness of the changing urban guerilla warfare and its new dimensions. In the past I worked with international wire agencies, leading Indian newspapers like Hindustan Times, Pioneer and local English dailies like Rising Kashmir, Greater Kashmir and Kashmir Images.
contact european pressphoto agency b.v. Am Hauptbahnhof 16 60329 Frankfurt am Main Germany phone: +49 69 244 321 800 fax: +49 69 244 321 809 www.epa.eu epa presentation 2011 www.epa.eu/presentation sales: phone:
sales@epa.eu +49 69 244 321 866
editorial: phone:
picturedesk@epa.eu +49 69 244 321 822
president & CEO: Jörg Schierenbeck editor in chief: Cengiz Seren Maria Sharapova of Russia serves a ball against Virginie Razzano of France during their second round match at the Australian Open Grand Slam tennis tournament in Melbourne, Australia, 19 January 2011. epa / Dennis M. Sabangan A rebel soldier (L) prays whilst his fellow troops launch a missile against Gadaffis army near Brega, Libya, 30 March 2011. epa / Manu Brabo US actor Brad Pitt (L) and US actress Jessica Chastain (R) pose during the photocall for ‚The Tree of Life‘ at the 64th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, 16 May 2011. epa / Ian Langsdon Huang Xuechen and Liu Ou of China compete in the Technical Duet finals synchronised swimming event at the 2011 FINA World Swimming Championships, in Shanghai, China, 18 July 2011. epa / Barbara Walton A general view of Tahrir Square in Cairo, Egypt, as the anti-government demonstrations continued during nightfall on 08 February 2011. epa / André Pain Competitors prepare for a trial round of the Ski Flying World Cup event in Harrachov, Czech Republic, 08 January 2011. epa / Filip Singer Britain‘s Queen Elizabeth II (L) and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh (R) visit The Rock of Cashell (St. Patrick‘s Rock), Cashell, County Tipperary, Ireland, 20 May 2011. The Royal couple arrived on 17 May in Ireland for a historic four-day state visit. epa / Aidan Crawley Kashmiri boys jump in water of Dal Lake to beat the heat during hot summer day in Srinagar, the summer capital Indian Kashmir, 27 June 2011. epa / Farooq Khan ‚Burners‘ wear watermelon clothing during the Afrika Burn festival in the Tankwa Karoo National Park, Ceres, South Africa, 01 May 2011. epa / Kim Ludbrook
The World from a Different Angle