Getty Images: Winners of 2007 Grants for Editorial Photography
Telling a story with images. The work of the three winners of the Getty Images Grants for Editorial Photography in 2007: Jonathan Lowenstein (Chicago, USA), Jonathan Torgovnik (New York City, USA) and Leo Maguire (Bristol, England, UK). Each will receive financial and editorial support enabling them to pursue new documentary photography projects. The photographers received the grants Thursday at the Visa pour l’Image festival. Besides the winning projects the three photographers have excellent websites displaying a broader range of their excellent work.
“Shadow Lives USA” by Jonathan Lowenstein. Documenting six different issues facing those trying to enter the United States across the US-Mexico border. In a highly polarized environment, Lowenstein proposes that it is crucial to insert nuanced and sensitive depictions of undocumented workers’ experiences into the debate about US immigration policy. His extensive travel and long-term commitment to document the plight of illegal immigrants, enable him to build lasting connections with the men and women who reside in the shadows of US society. He plans to complete the project by June of 2008 with the help of his Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography.
“Lords of the Lane” by Leo Maguire. The documentary will focus on the world of Gypsy bare-knuckle fighters in England. His Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography enables him to examine the romance and tradition of a culture based on brutal values, where fighters would rather die than lose face or money. Maguire will explore the pressure these fighters experience to stay on top, how they maintain their entourage and interact with family, lovers and more traditional society. Their scene includes dog fighting, hare coursing, drinking and betting, providing opportunity to document exotic and unique experiences found literally in the photographer’s backyard.
“Intended Consequences” by Jonathan Torgovnik. The photographer seeks to follow 50 women who were raped during the Rwandan genocide 13 years ago, and who have children as a result. Torgovnik will build his project largely through a series of narratives constructed from environmental portraits, audio interviews and textual reflections. He plans to use his Getty Images Grant for Editorial Photography to photograph and interview survivors and their children, and to use his images to create a social justice campaign aimed toward international advocacy efforts. Especially now, as history repeats itself in the Darfur region in Sudan, Torgovnik feels strongly that these Rwandan voices must be heard and that the victims and survivors of that genocide are never forgotten.
