On my first day as a photojournalist my boss sent me to a press conference 1 hour later. Of course, despite all my effort to get there faster than a bullet, I didn’t quite make it. “The press conference is over” said to me an old man coming my way. I was standing there in a hallway of a big building and the old man said to me again “it’s over! son”. “I can see that!” I told him in a very grumpy mood. After a few minutes we became friends, and turns out he was a staff photographer of that institution. He invited me to the Press room and introduced me to another staff photographer who gave me a few photos of the conference. I asked his name and what name I should write in the photo credit, he said: “Use whatever name you want, it’s not like I’m going to win a Pulitzer Prize with the photos I just gave you man!”
Like many others photographers, A Pulitzer Prize seems very far away. A lot of people think it’s an “almost impossible” think to win. But Craig F. Walker, a Denver Post photographer since 1998, made an extraordinary work last year without thinking about prizes and now he is the 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner.
Back in 2007, President George W. Bush was delivering a speech about the situation of the war in Iraq (when the insurgency was at its maximum) and right away, Denver Post Managing Editor Damon Cain asked “Why would anyone join the army now?” that was all it took to start looking for answers.
Walker made a few calls to Army Public Affairs office and with the help of spokeswoman Major Anne Edgecomb they found a recruit who would fit the story the Post had on mind.
Over the internet, this project has so many names, such as “Baby faced soldier”, “From boy to man”, “Portrait of a new soldier” and so on, but the original and official name given is “Ian Fisher: American Soldier”.
Walker made a few calls to Army Public Affairs office and with the help of spokeswoman Major Anne Edgecomb they found a recruit who would fit the story the Post had on mind.
Over the internet, this project has so many names, such as “Baby faced soldier”, “From boy to man”, “Portrait of a new soldier” and so on, but the original and official name given is “Ian Fisher: American Soldier”.
Ian Fisher: American Soldier is the journal of a teenager who had dreamed about being in the Army since he was 15 years old. Walker begins the journal of this boy on May 2007 covering the High School graduation of Ian Fisher, following his enlistment to the Army and his basic training.
Walker became the shadow and sort of like a guardian angel to Ian Fisher, a 17 years old teenager who let the Denver Post team make a chronicle of his life for 27 months, as he faced the pressures of his life-changing decision at such early age and also everything it means to be a teen, such as partying, girlfriends, friendship, family and getaways.
Walker became the shadow and sort of like a guardian angel to Ian Fisher, a 17 years old teenager who let the Denver Post team make a chronicle of his life for 27 months, as he faced the pressures of his life-changing decision at such early age and also everything it means to be a teen, such as partying, girlfriends, friendship, family and getaways.
The photographer and the editors of the Denver Post thought it was going to take one year to achieve a fair and transparent portrait of a young man who enlists to the Army, completes the basic training, goes to war and returns home from combat as a soldier who served his country with honor. But it actually took 27 months to get the story done.
During this time, the story was written by Kevin Simpson, Michael Riley, Bruce Finley and Craig F. Walker, who not only took the photographs and wrote but he recorded more than a hundred hours of video interviews for the multimedia department.
During this time, the story was written by Kevin Simpson, Michael Riley, Bruce Finley and Craig F. Walker, who not only took the photographs and wrote but he recorded more than a hundred hours of video interviews for the multimedia department.
Ian Fisher: American Soldier/Photograph by Craig F. Walker
“This is how an American soldier is made. For 27 months, Ian Fisher, his parents and friends, and the us army allowed Denver Post reporters and a photographer to watch and chronicle his recruitment, induction, training, deployment and, finally, his return from combat” is the summary of the story.
After working more than 2 years in this story Walker found himself with thousands of images of this boy`s life. 211 images were selected as a final cut of the project and 53 images were used in the printed edition. From all over the world, Walker and the team of The Denver Post have received letters and emails of congratulations from people touched by this long-term project that it’s not quite seen often in the media nowadays.
"Today is a great day for The Post. Craig Walker did an outstanding job on a subject of great importance: who are these young people putting their lives on the line to fight for our country. He really brought Ian's story to life and we are grateful his work has been recognized for the Pulitzer Prize." said Gregory L. Moore, Editor of The Post.
"Today is a great day for The Post. Craig Walker did an outstanding job on a subject of great importance: who are these young people putting their lives on the line to fight for our country. He really brought Ian's story to life and we are grateful his work has been recognized for the Pulitzer Prize." said Gregory L. Moore, Editor of The Post.
Craig F. Walker said after the winner was announced "What am i supposed to say? Im Speechless...Thank God for Ian Fisher, he and his family, it's their story. ... If they had not been that willing to share their lives the way they did, warts and all, this wouldn't have happened."
Here is a video that shows when Mister Walker finds out he just won the Pulitzer Prize:
0 comments:
Post a Comment