I was invited to be a presenter at Canon SA yearly expo held at the Sandton convention centre recently. It was humbling to share my work with the expo visitors and “help them change the way they see the world…”
The reason for this blog is not to report on the expo but to share with you my incredible experience with one of the most inspiring photo journalists I have had the honor of meeting and listening to .He has shown how photography can change the world Ziv Koren . It may be a bit off the topic of wildlife and landscape but something I feel can emphasis the old adage , a picture says a thousand words .
His images will have a immediate effect on you and not due to shock value but for the story that they convey about the scene. I have decide to share some of the images that he presented. It was truly an emotional awakening for me. After seeing the presentation I was fortunate to spend some time chatting with him and he gave special insight into why and how he copes with the intensity and emotional weight that builds up after experiencing things of this magnitude.Not only that but the amount of intense training he has done and not to mention the chaotic and life threatening situations he has faced.
Ziv Koren the Photo Journalist & Canon Ambassador
A screen shot of one of the images in his presentation that shows his dedication to getting the most unique point of view of one of the world most elite anti terrorist units , Yaman Swat never before photographed.
History and Photographic CV (as from his website)
Ziv Koren has been a professional photojournalist for 20 years. He began his career as a photographer in the Israeli army, later to join the editorial committee of the Yedioth Achronoth daily newspaper, as photographer and photo editor. Koren has been a photojournalist for Sygma and Gamma photo agencies, and is a staff photographer for Polaris Images since 2003. Koren’s main interest are humanitarian issues which are often the subject of his documentary projects such as the Israeli-Arab conflict, poverty, the Tuznami, the Haiti earthquake, to name a few. His photographs from various projects and assignments have been published in numerous international publications including Time Magazine, Newsweek, The Sunday Times Magazine, Stern, Der Spiegel, Paris Match, Le Figaro Corriere Della Sera Magazine and Wired Magazine. Koren’s award-winning photographs have been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions worldwide including at the Metropolitan Museum of Tokyo, the Memorial Museum in Spain and the War Museum in Croatia.
Koren’s 1995 image of an exploded Israeli bus, was selected in 2000 as one of the 200 most important images in the last 45 years by the World Press Photo organization, besides which he is the recipient of numerous awards such as the “Photo District News Award “(3 times), “Yann Geffroy Award”, “International Color Award” (twice) and “Picture of the Year”. Koren was the subject of the documentary film “More than 1000 words” which was widely screened in film festivals around the globe, winning several festival awards. Koren regularly lectures at workshops and universities worldwide. In 2008 he became a Canon Ambassador and lately published his 9th book.
Haiti Earth Quake 2010
Not only did Ziv cover this natural devastation but he assisted the mobile clinic and doctors with the treatment of victims .He was so move that he returned to his home and held an exhibition and raised nearly $50000 dollars to help rebuild 2 schools for the children in Haiti .
A man of many talents and passions………Air to Air photography like none other. Click to view the short film.
His website is a unique window into photo journalism and one of the many clips and that he has produced is this one. Click the image to visit the site and see the world through his eye’s.
What a awesome guy – Thanks Andrew Copeland for this shot 
Think about what you want your images to reflect and share with the world and you will be unique.
Peace and Light – AA
