In a ceremony held in the Iranian Academy of the Arts on Friday, the accompanying exhibition, where the awarded photos will be displayed, was officially opened.
As the keynote speaker, the head of the board of directors of the Iranian Photojournalists Association (IPJA), Hamid Foroutan, reiterated the association’s dedication to meeting the demands of press photographers including raising their low salaries, while expressing hope for holding the next event under better circumstances.
The Best Single Photo in the Documentary Section was given to Islamic Republic News Agency’s photojournalist Meryam Alemomen Dehkordi.
Honoring the memory of the recently deceased fellow photographer, Babak Borzouyeh, he categorized press photography as one of the most difficult and stressful types of photography, listing the high cost of the equipment and job insecurity as other sources of worry for press photographers.
Mohammad-Mehdi Asgarpour, the president of the Iranian Academy of the Arts, echoed Foroutan’s concerns, highlighting the fact that they have been voicing the same concerns since 1981.
“We are still standing at the starting line, and the only difference is that our image is being captured digitally,” said Asgarpour, asking whether there is an unseen determination that prevents our society from consolidating and resolving its problems.
Abolfazl Nesaei, the secretariat of the 6th edition of the IPPA, noted that caring press photographers are burdened with the responsibility of recording not only the beauties of the world but also the sufferings of the people.
After two years of holding the event virtually, the exhibition will run again in person until August 28, featuring 127 photos taken by caring press photographers at Saba Cultural and Artistic Institute.
He added that over 2,000 photos by 347 photojournalists as well as 26 multimedia works were sent to the secretariat of the event.
The Iran Press Photo Awards is organized by the Iranian Photojournalists Association.
Source: Iran Daily