Speech by the Taoiseach, Mr. Bertie Ahern, T.D., at the Presentation of the Press Photographers Association of Ireland AIB Photojournalism Awards 2008 in the Crown Plaza Hotel, Santry
on Friday, 15 February, 2008 at 7.00 pm
I am delighted to be with this evening you to present the Press Photographers Association of Ireland AIB Photojournalism Awards 2008.
This year has seen a record number of entries but the standards are as high as ever. The upward trend reflects the increasing interest in photography and this of course brings with it increasing competition among photojournalists. The result is a real treasure trove of photography, recording a great variety of events and images.
It takes skill, creativity and patience - and often a lot of courage - to produce a good photograph. It takes a special eye. Those we celebrate tonight have all of these in abundance.
These Awards give us an opportunity to acknowledge and reward our photojournalists for their outstanding talent and commitment - and to turn the spotlight back on them for a change!
We cannot stop the passage of time but with photography, we can freeze time, within a picture frame. This is the magic of photography.
Photography has a special place in the arts. While it has many parallels with painting, it has charted its own unique course, establishing itself at the heart of modern life. Through the right blend of light, colour and camera angle, the ordinary can look extraordinary and the familiar - unfamiliar. This is the art of photography.
Photography enables us to see things differently. The famous documentary photographer Dorothea Lange once said: "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera". Good photojournalists can capture an event in a way that helps us look with a fresh eye on defining moments of change. The depth of the insights they offer depends in part on their technical expertise. But even more so, it depends on their empathy - on their ability to connect with us as viewers - on their instinct for the things that move us or should move us as human beings. And the impact of photojournalism can be immense, not least in mobilising us to right wrongs which are beyond words.
These photos showcase all aspects of life - poignant, tragic, joyful, comic and historic. They provide us - and future generations - with a unique chronicle of the year 2007. They also offer us an opportunity to reflect on the human spirit and the human condition - and this wonderful planet of ours. Tonight we thank Ireland's photojournalists for that gift.
This year's awards ceremony marks the 30th year of this event. I would like to thank the Press Photographers Association of Ireland and Allied Irish Bank for their support. Your unwavering commitment has enabled these prestigious awards to achieve the high profile they so richly deserve.
The travelling photographic exhibition is also a very welcome feature of these awards. It means that people around the country can enjoy the finest photography on topical subjects they can relate to. This is also a great way for photojournalists to showcase their talent nationwide.
Of course, stiffer competition makes the Judging Panel's job all the more difficult. Bride Rosney, Ian Day and Jon Levy have had an unenviable task in some ways.
I would like to commend each of them for the huge amount of time and effort they put into selecting the winners.
As we await the results, I would like to congratulate everyone on the excellence of their photography and to wish you all every success.
And I would like to wish you all the very best of luck in your lifelong quest for the perfect shot.
Thank you.
ENDS.