Stunning images earn INM trio top prizes at press photo awards

THREE photographers from Independent News and Media (INM) were honoured for excellence in press photography at a virtual version of the 43rd annual Press Photographer of the Year Awards last night.

Last year’s Press Photographer of the Year, Mark Condren, won first prize in the Daily Life and People category for ‘Hairy Times’; a touching portrait of a young boy wincing and bracing himself on a chair during lockdown while his older brother trims his hair.

The judges described it as “a beautifully observed shot of our times” that “illustrates a pandemic lockdown which brought families closer in a struggle to live through an awful time. All composed and shot beautifully”.

This year’s Press Photographer of the Year was James Crombie, of Tullamore, Co Offaly, whose portfolio for Inpho Photography was cited by the judges as “a marriage of superb features work, creative portrait work and solid sports photography”.

Meanwhile, INM’s Gerry Mooney won second prize in the Arts and Entertainment category for “High Fliers” a stunning photo of acrobats which the judging panel cited for the use of “exceptional timing and vision”.

INM’s Dave Conachy won third prize in the reportage category for “Frontline Heroes”, a series of monochrome images at a hospital during the pandemic which the panel described as “a fine example of work by a photographer who managed to record the remarkable work of our medical teams on the front line”.

The awards, sponsored by the Press Photographers Association of Ireland, were presented across nine still photography categories and one multimedia. They were hosted by RTÉ broadcaster Miriam O’Callaghan.

An array of household names with a keen interest in photography or the subject matter – including actors Gabriel Byrne, Liam Cunningham and Pat Shortt as well as writer Joseph O’Connor and CNN’s Donie O’Sullivan – were among those who featured in clips where they gave their personal insights into the craft.