Paradox of Life

A jury in Amsterdam has awarded the World Press Photo of the Year' 2006 prize to New York-based photographer Spencer Platt of Getty Images, for his picture from the Israel-Lebanon war last summer.
The picture shows a group of five friends cruising in a red Mini convertible against a background of the wreckage of a collapsed buliding. The building reduced to rubble by Israeli bombs.

"It's a picture you can keep looking at," said World Press Photo jury chair Michele McNally, assistant managing editor for The New York Times, in a statement announcing the prize.

"It has the complexity and contradiction of real life, amidst chaos. This photograph makes you look beyond the obvious." A woman grimaces as she uses her mobile to send an SMS while another, wearing sunglasses covers her nose with a handkerchief.The photo's clutter and complexity set it apart from previous year winners, which tended to show individual, personal moments.

Platt's took this photo on Aug 15th'06, the first day of a ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon. Platt had been up since 6 a.m. wandering the city with his translator,that day. In the late afternoon, as he was preparing to return to his hotel to file his images, he spotted something red and flashy out of the corner of his eye. He spun around and quickly shot five frames of the passing convertible and one of them turned out to be this picture.

For more information about the winners see here for details.

That's why all say, Life is a Paradox.

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