PRESS PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR

Click on any image for a larger version

The Press Photographers Association of Ireland gives an award for best press photographer of the year from among its members. Competition is fierce and all the prizes are fiercely contested. Prizewinning and shortlisted photos are then assembled into an exhibition. Exhibits normally total around 100 photos out of an entry of around 2,000.

This is a national competition so the exhibition travels all over the country landing in all sorts of available spaces including libraries and shopping malls.

The original 2019 awards were in February last and since then the exhibition has travelled including to Dublin Airport and the RDS. Now it has reached The Lexicon in Dún Laoghaire. As I hadn't been before I thought I'd go to the launch in dlr lexicon on 3/7/2019.

Shay Brennan, Tom Honan & Tom's son

Tom was named Press Photographer of the year. Shay is Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire & Rathdown County Council and Tom's son is the boy in the picture Eskimo Boy which won first prize in the portrait section.

Marian T Keyes

I won't confuse you with formal titles but Marian is the boss lady at the Lexicon (new Dún Laoghaire library to you). She welcomed the crowd to the exhibition.

As far as I could make out from visually cross referencing the Press Photographers Association of Ireland website a fair proportion of those present were press photographers, not surprising as the photos on display were from a total of 25 press photographers.

Marian was pleased the library was hosting this prestigious event. In fact one of the speakers said that the Lexicon had hosted it every year since its opening in 2015 (if I heard right).

There is a lot of open space in this building so it is ideal for exhibitions of all sizes.

Shay is the newly elected Cathaoirleach of the County Council. Under current legislation the County could style its chairperson as Mayor, and some Councils do (eg Cork County Council). But DLR has opted for Cathaoirleach, the Irish language version of chairperson. In Ireland Lord Mayors are confined to Dublin and Cork City Councils.

Unlike the Lord Mayor of Dublin, he doesn't have King Billy on his chain, rather it is the county motto: Ó Chuan go Sliabh, which literally translated means from the harbour to the mountain. However, the normal English language version is From the Mountains to the Sea. There's a nice little PhD hiding in there somewhere.

Anyway Shay was pleased to have this national event taking place in, I almost said, the Borough.

Crispin Rodwell

Crispin is the current President of the Association. He explained that the event now had a new sponsor in the TSB and he hoped that this relationship would continue for as long as that with their previous sponsor, some sixteen years, if my memory serves me.

He was pleased that this year the exhibition was again going on tour around the country facilitated by the TSB sponsorship.


The news page of the website which includes an account of this year's winner suggests you visit www.ppai.ie for exhibition tour updates and to view the full collection of winning and highly commended images. However the series of full awards and exhibits currently only goes to 2018. When they get round to putting up 2019 you should get it here.

The man from the TSB

Tom said how thrilled he was to have won and thanked all concerned.

---

I checked out the exhibits and while not in the least disputing the judges' decisions, and there was a whole committee of them, which is good, I'd like to show you and comment on just a few of my favourites.

A small qualification, however. The images below are photos I took of the exhibits, and in any non customised space, the exhibits can pick up lighting hotspots or reflections which are discounted by the human eye but shown up by the camera. So the quality of some shots is not as good as the originals. Here, this applies particularly to Leo and Mannix.

These photographers cover a huge number of events and take thousands of photos in a year. So there's bound to be gems. Sometimes these are made by the uniqueness of the event itself and sometimes by the photographer spotting, and catching some unusual aspect.

It's this last bit that I'm interested in and that's what struck me in most of what I've included below.

AN TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR VISITS ENNISTYMON
by John Kelly, Clare Champion

This shot of Mr. Photo-opportunity and Spin has really caught an off-moment. Neither Leo nor the child is a happy camper and parents will be wondering if there is not a decision pending between towel or disposable.

ANYTHING YOU CAN DO
by Morgan Treacy INPHO

I had to look twice at this to take it in. A moment beautifully caught.

DUKE AND DUCHESS OF SUSSEX VISIT FAMINE MEMORIAL
by Frank McGrath INDEPENDENT NEWS AND MEDIA

There is something about this that just said YES to me. I haven't yet fully figured it out. It has to do with history but also with the colour tones and composition of the shot. A photo to haunt you.

PARA PREP
by Stephen McCarthy SPORTSFILE

This is Ukraine's Laroslav Semenenko preparing for day one of the World Para Swimming Allianz European Championships in Dublin. Again a haunting image that grabbed me and beautifully composed.

MANNIX FLYNN
by Brenda Fitzsimons THE IRISH TIMES

This one is probably more personal than purely photographic for me. Mannix leaves 18 Ormond Quay after occupying the building for 10 years.

I remember Mannix setting up and advertising his exhibition about clerical sex abuse and his own experience in Letterfrack in his unusually named premises anotherkettleoffishaltogether.