Ukrainian photographer Julia Kochetova has won a World Press Photo 2024 award for her project War Is Personal.

Kochetova was announced as one of the Europe category winners on the World Press Photo website.

“The emotive images make for a standout presentation amidst many entries about the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. Told by a Ukrainian photographer, the jury acknowledges this story’s insider-perspective, which is especially evident in the thread of visual symbolism, strong use of colour sequences, and collaborations with a Ukrainian illustrator and DJ,” the judges commented.

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The jury said the Ukrainian photographer’s project had a film-like quality.  

Photo: Yuliia Kochetova 

The World Press Photo jury also noted that Kochetova’s use of audio recordings, music and illustrations to complement the photographs she took during the war gave her project a film-like quality.

Photo: Johanna Maria Fritz  

German photographer Johanna Maria Fritz also won in the Europe category. In June 2023, she filmed a report for Die Zeit about the aftermath of the Russian blowing up of the Kakhovka hydroelectric power plant in Kherson Oblast.

Photographer Yuliia Kochetova

Scandal surrounding the World Press Photo 2024 jury

In 2024, a scandal erupted around the World Press Photo jury when the Ukrainian Association of Professional Photographers (UAPF) demanded the exclusion of Russian representative Maria (Mary) Gelman. “Russia’s unprovoked, aggressive, cruel and unjust war against Ukraine has been going on since 2014, and we believe that the participation of a representative of the Russian Federation, Maria Gelman, raises many ethical questions,” the Ukrainian photographers said in their appeal.

However, the organisers of World Press Photo 2024 refused to remove Gelman from the European panel of judges. Andrew Davies, the competition’s communications director, said that she had been chosen for her professionalism and expertise, and that Gelman would approach the task of judging “with care and professionalism”.

About the World Press Photo Awards

World Press Photo is a competition for all professional photographers working in the field of photojournalism or documentary photography. The winners are selected annually, first at the regional and then at the global level.

This year, 24 regional winners will be announced on 3 April. Then four global winners will be selected from among them: World Press Photo of the Year, World Press Photo Story of the Year, World Press Photo Long-Term Project Award, and World Press Photo Open Format Award.

One of last year’s winners was Ukrainian photographer Evgeny Maloletka for his series of photographs The Siege of Mariupol. His series was first shortlisted in the Europe category, and then one of the images – from a Mariupol maternity hospital that was bombed by the Russians – was named Photo of the Year.

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KELLY AND COURTNEY CANOVA ARE HERE TO HELP
YOU CAPTURE THE MOMENTS BETWEEN THE MOMENTS.”>

In the bustling heart of DeLand, there’s a duo who have been etching their mark in the world of photography for over 15 years. Meet Kelly and Courtney Canova, the creative minds behind The Canovas Photography.

Kelly said, “It all began with a shared passion for capturing the most precious moments in people’s lives.”

Focusing on family and portrait photography alongside graphic design projects and Courtney’s mural commissions, The Canovas Photography swiftly gained traction in the local community. “We are especially excited to have our new studio space in historic Downtown DeLand in the Conrad Building on New York Avenue!”

As their reputation grew, so did their portfolio.

“We like to document families,” Kelly explained. “From the joy of saying ‘yes’ to the first steps of parenthood, we’ve had the privilege of witnessing and capturing the moments between the moments of clients turned friends.”

For Kelly and Courtney, photography goes beyond just taking pictures; it’s about weaving narratives and preserving legacies.

“Every click of the shutter is a chance to capture important memories,” Kelly reflects. “To create a visual story that generations can look back on and cherish.”

“We are documentary photographers,” Courtney said. “We capture people being themselves.”

That is where the real magic happens.

“During COVID-19, in the lockdown, we started the DeLand Porch Series,” Courtney said.

“We wanted to do our part,” Kelly said.

The couple took social-distanced family photos on the family’s front porch during that time.

“It was so much fun, we met so many people,” Kelly said.

Courtney said the photos were in high demand.

“We took portraits for over 200 families in over 40 days,” Courtney said. “It was really an experience that I’m going to treasure.”

Courtney, with his keen eye for art and design, found himself sharing his knowledge as a drawing and design teacher at Valencia College and Stetson University.

“One thing that really sets us apart from other photographers, is that we have worked as a married team for 15 years,” Kelly Canova said. “We work perfectly in tandem, and have different styles for more unique photo sessions.”

As they look toward the future, the duo remains committed to their craft and the community they serve. “We’re grateful for every opportunity to be part of someone’s story,” Courtney said. “And we’re excited to see where the next 15 years will take us.”

Their services include events, elopements, engagements, senior portraits, professional headshots, family reunions, and family portraits.

For more information, visit thecanovasphotography.com.

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Over the years I’ve covered stories all over the world, as both photographer and writer, but as I was born in Bavaria and live in Munich, I’ve always been interested in the customs and way of life of my neighbours in the countryside. My first encounter with Bavarian fingerhakeln – finger wrestling – was about 10 years ago. I was fascinated by what I saw but it only occurred to me to do a story on the sport last year, which is how I ended up attending a championship event in Mittenwald.

The fingerhakeln tradition goes back hundreds of years. At one time, Bavarian woodcutters used the method to settle disputes. Now it’s an organised sport with five major championships every year. Opponents sit on stools either side of a table, and each hooks one of their middle fingers into a leather loop. The table has lines drawn at the edge, and the aim for each competitor is simply to pull their opponent’s middle finger over the line.

The players are often farmers or mechanics who work in the countryside, and they start preparing months before the first matches in the spring. I did some research and found the defending champion, a machinist called Josef. A couple of days before the main event I went to watch him train in his workshop. He and his brother had attached a pulley to the edge of a table and were taking it in turns to lift a 52kg concrete block with their middle fingers. Josef explained that, during a bout, a finger might have to withstand up to 200kg of pressure. When he shook my hand it felt like gripping a bear’s paw. There were also smaller blocks of 10 or 20kg used by Josef’s children, who had started training aged six or seven.

On the day of the championship, I spent many hours in the gymnasium, where the audience were seated at picnic tables eating pork and dumplings and drinking beer. The 163 competitors were all male, and most of the onlookers too. Almost everyone was wearing a traditional Bavarian costume complete with Alpine hat. Championship events have various age and weight categories, with the children competing first. Everyone taking part was from Bavaria, mostly from nearby villages, and as far as the competitors and crowd were concerned, there was nothing exotic about what they were doing.

Josef and his brother had been men of few words, and this was also true of the other finger wrestlers I spoke to. I don’t ask too many questions, or judge people. By just being there and watching and showing interest, I build trust. I also avoid sensational coverage – there was another woman filming the contests for TV and she immediately focused on competitors’ bloody fingers. As soon as they noticed, they didn’t answer her questions any more.

Once the referee says “Zieht!” (“pull”), each bout typically lasts only a few seconds. As well as strength, focus and stamina, poise is required, with competitors trying not to show any pain. A true champion would rather have his arm torn out than give up, but soon one of the opponents lets go and flies into the arms of the catcher sitting behind him. These moments were the highlights of the contests and I had to anticipate who would let go first, and react lightning-fast to catch their moment of defeat.

At the end of the championship Josef remained undefeated, but that’s not him winning in this picture. These two were mediumweights like him but I’m not sure who they were. There were over 400 bouts that day! The lighting wasn’t good, so I had to use a flash, and I didn’t want the perspective to be from below, so I held the camera as high above my head as I could. Luckily my arms are long.

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Angelika Jakob’s CV

Born: Munich, 1953.
Trained: Self-taught.
Influences: “Powell and Pressburger, Jacques Henri Lartigue”
High point: “My many worldwide reports for the World Wide Fund for Nature. And now being a finalist in the Sony world awards.”
Top tip: “Be respectful and open-minded wherever you are.”

Sachtler has refreshed its fluid video head lineup with the new Ace M Mk II and Ace XL Mk II fluid video tripod heads (buy here). The Ace XL Mk II is available on its own or in a range of kits that also include tripod legs. The Ace M Mk II is only available in kits.

The Ace M Mk II has a load capacity of 4kg (8.8lb), while the Ace XL Mk II has a load capacity of 8kg (17.6lb). Both heads include Sachtler’s smooth drag system and multi-step counterbalance. And they should handle just about anything you can throw at them.

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Sachtler Ace M/XL Mk II

Not much seems to have changed on paper with the new Ace Mk II heads over their Mk I predecessors – which were already extremely good. The Ace lineup is their lightweight range, they’re very different beasts to Sachtler’s heavy-duty Cine Series heads.

But despite being smaller and lighter, they’re extremely tough and durable. I mean, we drowned one in the Dead Sea once, and it came out completely unscathed. In fact, we were so impressed that we gave one away to a lucky individual.

They fit onto video tripods with a 75mm bowl. The Ace XL Mk II can be purchased separately, so you can just pop it onto tripod legs you already own. The Ace M Mk II, on the other hand, only comes in kits that also include a set of legs.

The Ace XL Mk II offers 9 steps of counterbalance (one more than the original Ace XL – buy here) and 3 steps of pan/tilt drag adjustment. The tripod plate has 4.1″ of sliding range, to let you more easily balance your camera rig on top, with a -75° to +90° tilt movement range.

The Ace M Mk II has a smaller 5-step counterbalance adjustment (same as the original Ace M – buy here) and the same three steps of pan/tilt drag adjustment. It has the same 4.1″ sliding range on the tripod plate for balancing and the same -75° to +90° tilt range as the XL.

Sachtler Ace M/XL Mk II Specs

Price and Availability

The Sachtler XL Mk II fluid head is available in a variety of options, along with a few extra accessories. Some have already started to ship, while others should start appearing in the coming weeks. The Sachtler Mk II doesn’t appear to be available quite yet, but we’ll update this post when we see it.