At this very second millions, if not billions, of pictures are being taken and uploaded to the web. But in a world flooded with images, Swiss photographer Michael von Graffenried still believes the work of professionals is indispensable.
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I am a Visual Storytelling Producer specialising in long-form and serialised multimedia productions. I collaborate with journalists to improve tools and workflows across languages, ensure content style compliance, and lead the research and implementation of innovative visual techniques.
Born in Italy and raised in Africa, I now call Switzerland home. I studied film directing at the Italian National Film School and worked as a documentary editor and director/producer in Berlin and Vienna. I specialise in crafting multimedia into engaging narratives.
As an online editor at the Portuguese department who is in charge of SWI swissinfo.ch's culture coverage, I work as reporter, editor, art & film critic, while also coordinating freelance collaborations.
Born in São Paulo, Brazil, I studied Film and Economics but made a career in journalism in several capacities (reporter, editor, international correspondent) before moving to documentary films, as developer and producer, and then to visual arts (in art publishing and as a curator). I joined SWI swissinfo.ch in 2017, where I could bring all this broad experience to the coordination of our cultural section.
I am the Director of SWI swissinfo.ch and a member of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's Executive Board.
Born in Graubünden in 1978, I studied German, economics and politics. I started my journalistic career as a freelance journalist for local and regional media. This was followed by a decade as editor-in-chief, first at the Bündner Tagblatt newspaper and later at SWI swissinfo.ch. Since 2019, I have been Director of the international platform SWI swissinfo.ch and a member of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation's Executive Board.
Von GraffenriedExternal link, through the annual Swiss Press Photo awardsExternal link, underscores the value of photo journalism. It was at the photographer’s initiative that the prize came into being nearly 30 years ago to showcase the power of the image in news reporting.
The nominees were chosen for their different approaches to covering a story, whether a fire in the city of Basel, a Santa Claus society or what it’s like to be the president of Switzerland. The 2019 winner will be announced tonight at an awards ceremony in the Swiss capital, Bern.
Speaking to swissinfo.ch journalist Eduardo Simantob, Von Graffenried explains what it takes to have a picture chosen as Press Photo of the Year, and how professionals can remain relevant in today’s world.
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Michael von Graffenried on Swiss Press Photo Awards
Von Graffenried was born in Bern in 1957. He attracted the attention of the public early in his career by a scandal unleashed with his pictures of politicians sleeping and picking their noses during sessions of parliament.
His focus broadened in the early 1980s with the publication of the illustrated book “Swiss Image”. That was the time of an open drug scene in Zurich. “Above all, I am interested in people.” He explains to swissinfo.ch Editor in Chief Larissa M Bieler how that led to his photo reportage, titled ‘COCAINELOVE’.
His best known work was produced over many years in Algeria. For over a decade, the Swiss photographer documented the civil war of the 1990s, continuing to work when all other foreign reporters had left. He often took the unusual approach of taking pictures with his camera placed at chest level.
Reflecting on the winners of this year’s Swiss Press Photo awards, von Graffenried says part of what sets the professional apart from the amateur is the hard work done by the photographer before any unique moment is freeze framed – be it braving wars, natural disasters, or gaining the trust of the people portrayed.
He also says context is vital, transporting the viewer to another reality as well as challenging their beliefs and perceptions.
There are 18 prizes winners in the Swiss Press Photo Awards, divided in six categories (News, Daily Life, Swiss Stories, People, Sports, and World).
The Swiss Press Photo Awards were created in 1991 at the initiative of Michael von Graffenried, the acclaimed Swiss photographer and scion of the family that owned then the media conglomerate Espace Media Groupe – patron of the Swiss Press Awards. When the company was sold to the Tamedia Group in 2009, Charles von Graffenried (Michael’s father) and industrialist Erwin Reinhardt created the Reinhardt von Graffenried Foundation, the institution that has run the awards ever since.
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The best Swiss press photography
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From politics to football and art, these are the winners of this year’s Swiss Press Photo Award.
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