Pictures of the Week: Feb. 23-29

Even though the first image in this week's Pictures of the Week gallery caught my eye as soon as I saw it, I paused a moment before making the decision to include it in this week's gallery. Bull fighting photos have already appeared in Pictures of the Week galleries twice this month and I was reluctant to include yet a third. Part of what makes the gallery so compelling is it's consistent mix of images that are fresh and new each week.


Spanish matador Enrique Ponce prepares to perform a pass during a bullfight in Coliseo de Atarfe bull ring in Atarfe, near Granada, Spain, Feb. 28. (Pepe Marin, Reuters)

However, the elements of this photo ensured its inclusion into this week's gallery.

The unexpected point-of-view directly overhead is what brings you in at first, and then the realization that it is not a bull, but merely the shadow of the bull that appears in the frame, that commands you to linger at this image ... to look a little longer. You then become aware of the combination of the sense of drama and conflict caused by the way the photo is composed, with the matador in the lower portion of the frame standing behind his red cape and the bull's shape in the upper portion. It is the presence of all of these elements that makes it a compelling image ... and a worthy entry for Pictures of the Week.

 

Take a look at all of this week's compelling images and vote for your favorite.

 

-Lee Van Grack

 

Tags: Pictures of the Week

Pictures of the Week: Feb. 16-22

A Kosovar Albanian woman waves a flag as she and others celebrate Kosovo's declaration of independence in Pristina, Feb. 17. Kosovo's parliament declared the disputed territory a nation on Sunday, mounting a historic bid to become an "independent and sovereign state" backed by the U.S. and key European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.


Serbian nationalists opposed to Kosovo's independence storm and set alight the United States embassy in Belgrade Feb. 21 after a massive rally in the Serbian capital. Several hundred young men dressed in hooded sports tops and scarfs had broken into the premises on the main boulevard of Kneza Milosa. The embassy was unstaffed at the time of the attack.

This week began with the declaration of Independence by Kosovo, whose population is 90 percent ethnic Albanian. Four days later violent protests by Serbian nationalists erupted, and they attacked the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, chanting "Kosovo is ours!" in anger over U.S. backing of Kosovo independence.

 

These two photos in this week's Pictures of the Week photo gallery immediately convey the two very different emotions felt by these two groups over the recent events.

 

Take a look at all of this week's compelling images from around the world and please be sure to remember to vote on the one you think is best. And if you're interested in following the developments there, keep an eye on our live photo feed gallery from our news wire photo sources, Riots Rock Belgrade.

 

-Lee Van Grack

Tags: Pictures of the Week

Pictures of the Week: Feb. 9-15

Sgt. 1st class Charles Bowen of the Army National Guard 142nd Arkansas field artillery hugs his daughter, Kelsey, 11, at Sleepy Hollow Elementary School Feb. 13. Bowen surprised his daughters after he appeared out of a box on stage in front of the entire school, which had sent him letters and gifts.

After seeing the photograph of Sgt. 1st class Charles Bowen of the Army National Guard 142nd Arkansas field artillery hugging his daughter on the stage at her elementary school and after reading the caption, I had a lump in my throat. The photographer, Stephen Spillman, shooting for the Amarillo Globe-News, beautifully captured the emotion of the moment.

 

Take a look at all of this week's incredible images in our Pictures of the Week photo gallery, which capture a wide range of emotions, from sorrow to humor. Some will pull at your heart strings and others may tickle your funny bone.

 

-Lee Van Grack

Tags: Pictures of the Week

Shutter Closes on Polaroid

Photography can be magical. I remember the first time I slid exposed photo paper into a tray of developer and watched the image appear. Polaroid film was even better -- it developed on its own, right before your eyes, within minutes of pressing the shutter. But in this age of ubiquitous digital cameras, which everyone has in their pocket, their cell phone or PDA, The Petters Group, owners of Polaroid, announced that it will abandon the Polaroid instant film products. Polaroid, which was founded by Harvard University dropout Edwin Land in 1937, will make enough instant film to last into 2009.


Edwin H. Land, inventor of instant photography and founder of the Polaroid Corporation.

Polaroid enthusiasts take heart, the company plans to license the technology to third-party businesses to keep loyal users supplied. Polaroid stopped making instant cameras for commercial use in 2006 and halted production of consumer models last year. "We're trying to help what have been extremely loyal Polaroid customers to make our film categories last as long as we can,'' said CEO Tom Beaudoin, who was quoted in a Bloomberg news story. "The most popular film is the one everyone recognizes. It's the 600 series with the white border that you see in advertisements. It's become an icon.''


Polaroid pictures of dogs who are missing their owners are taped to a wall in an animal shelter in Baton Rouge, La., during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The shelter housed over 1,000 companion animals, including 641 dogs, 391 cats, and assorted pigs, rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets, hamsters, gerbils, mice, tortoises, and birds.

Many artists, including Andy Warhol, were fans of the Polaroid process. Even filmmakers used Polaroid for creative stop-motion videos.

Passengers walk past a photograph of former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, part of an exhibit called "Faces of Ground Zero," at Union Station, Chicago, in 2002. The series of photographs was shot by Joe McNally, who used a one-of-a-kind, 12x16-foot Polaroid camera to make the pictures.

- Dave

Tags: Polaroid, Edwin H. Land

World Press Photo of the Year

This past weekend, the winners of the World Press Photo of the Year were announced by the organization. World Press Photo's mission is to "encourage high professional standards in photojournalism and to promote a free and unrestricted exchange of information."

This photography contest is all about photojournalism around the world, and some of the images that were chosen by the judges to be outstanding representations of the craft, art and profession of photojournalism are sobering and sometimes tough to look at. We featured one of the winners, John Moore of Getty Images, in a blog not too long ago (Pakistan's Benazir Bhutto Assassinated). Moore was on scene in December covering Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan and was eyewitness to her assassination. One of his photos that was entered in the spot news category was from that coverage and was awarded first place:

Another photo awarded honorable mention in the spot news category was shot by AP (Associated Press) photographer Emilio Morenatti, who was covering the conflict in the Middle East between Israel and Hamas. In the photo below, two rockets are launched from Gaza City, May 22, 2007. Seven rockets were fired towards Israel lightly wounding two people, the army said. Israel responded with four air strikes, targeting two suspected arms caches and two Hamas bases. Palestinian officials said seven people were wounded.

To get a look at all the award-winning photography, go to the World Press Photo of theYear 2008 Winners Gallery. Just click on the thumbnails to view the winning photos.

- Gary

Tags: World Press Photo of the Year

Pictures of the Week: Feb. 2-8

Split-second decisions.

 

The parents of this 9-month-old baby girl made a split-second decision to throw her from a burning apartment building in an effort to save her life. The decision paid off and she dropped safely into the arms of a rescuer below.

 

The photographer witnessing the frantic scene of the building fire and seeing he baby being dropped from the fourth floor reacted in a split second, pressing the shutter release at just the right time. It too was the right decision and he captured this incredible image.

 

Take a look at all of this week's incredible images, often the result of split-second decisions in this week's Pictures of the Week gallery.

 

-Lee Van Grack

Tags: Pictures of the Week

Pictures of the Week: Jan. 26 - Feb. 1

I decided to include the photograph of Hillary Clinton shaking hands with Sen. Edward Kennedy prior to the delivery of the State of the Union by president Bush because of the discussion that the moment sparked.

Did Barack Obama "snub" Hillary Rodham Clinton or was he merely turning away to talk to Sen. Claire McCaskill instead? Would this have mattered had Sen. Kennedy not endorsed Barack Obama earlier in the day? Outside of this controversy, I'm not sure that I would have chosen this image. It is the controversy that makes it a "Picture of the Week." In fact, had the controversy not erupted, I would have included a far different image from the State of the Union speech.

President Bush winks to a member of the audience prior to delivering his State of the Union address, Monday, Jan. 28, 2008, on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Take a look at all of this week's Pictures of the Week gallery-worthy moments and vote for the one you think is most compelling.

 

-Lee Van Grack

Tags: Pictures of the Week