REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE WORLD PRESS PHOTO EXHIBITION IN GALWAY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE OPENING OF THE WORLD PRESS PHOTO EXHIBITION IN GALWAY ON WEDNESDAY 17 JUNE 1998
I am delighted to be here in Galway this morning to open the World Press Photo Exhibition – which is here on one of its many stops throughout the world. The exhibition comes out of the annual World Press Photo competition – which the is largest and most prestigious press photography contest in the world – with pictures coming in from press photographers, press agencies, newspapers and magazines – and covering all major news-making events and situations. In that respect, the pictures in this exhibition are a pictorial roundup of the news during the preceding year.
- For those of us who operate very much in the public eye - we are very aware of the power of the image – and I have to say that that power is very much in evidence in this exhibition. Having occasionally enjoyed – or even suffered - depending on the event – or my perspective on the particular occasion – the attention of the photographic press – I can fully appreciate the power that the press photographer wields – the power to portray situations, feelings and emotions – and in some instances – the power to direct and manage the “shot”. I am amazed to see a lone photographer at a major State occasion exercise his or her authority over Heads of State or Government and senior diplomats – as though they were only carrying out the instructions of a higher being – the camera! And clearly many important people are very much in awe of that power!
- While it does take real talent and skill to organise the different elements into a coherent image that tells a story – the real challenge for press photographers – who in most cases don’t have the luxury of staging a pose – is to capture that special moment in time which says it all – to create the picture that says a thousand words. That is the essence of a true professional – and is what makes the press photo so powerful.
- In an age where images are all pervasive, we stand in awe of the skill of the photographer - and the artistry that transcends the purely technical. The right image can be the perfect ‘sound bite’ – it can arrest our attention - it can please or shock - soothe or enrage - reassure or frighten.
- Good photographs capture a mood, a time or a place – in a way that leaves a deep impression on people’s minds. They animate the story – give it a three dimensional aspect that makes their influence enormous. They can change the way people view events and even influence history. In the last weeks and days – we are seeing pictures of Kosovan refugees fleeing to Albania – pictures of ordinary people – men women and children – in their colourful ethnic dress – leaving in their thousands for the relative safety of neighbouring Albania. The colour of the dress belies the seriousness and sadness of what is taking place – a sadness that is clearly visible in each face picked out by the camera. For us in Ireland - it was pictures that brought home to us the terrible effects of violence on these islands – pictures of destruction and victims that will endure for generations – as lessons to all of us on the futility of violence.
In that respect – the press photographer is in a very influential position – to bring to the attention of the world the events – the tragedies and the triumphs - that occur every day. This exhibition is a collection of the best – and is a tribute to the important and valuable work of the best press photographers – working to capture history as it unfolds.
- Photographs can bring us down to earth – as someone said “one way to see yourself as others see you is to get a passport photo” – or, “if you look like your passport photo, you need the trip”! To those of you who are aspiring photographers, you should remember that when a person complains that their photographs don’t do them justice – what they really want is not justice – but mercy!
- With those sobering thoughts, it gives me great pleasure to declare the exhibition open.