Chantria Tram: The World Press Photo is an exhibition of prize winning images that travel all around the world to 45 different countries. It’s been visited by over two million people each year, and today I get to be here. Welcome to watchmojo.com. My name is Chantria Tram and I’ll be speaking to the curator of the event, Jeroen Visser. Could you tell us a little bit more about the World Press Photo Exhibition tonight?

Jeroen Visser: Well, the exhibition is the result of the World Press Photo Contest which is held every year, and it’s the biggest International competition for Press Photographers. The juries come every year to the Amsterdam in February, and this year they look at 79,000 pictures from all over the world. We have nearly four thousand photographers entering the competition and all the winning pictures are to be seen here in this exhibition tonight.

Chantria Tram: And there are professional photographers that attend to this contest?

Jeroen Visser: It’s an exhibition not a contest for professional press photographers our mission is to promote professional press photography and this is the way we do it.

Chantria Tram: And why press photography?

Jeroen Visser: Is just because we think that amidst all television, radio and the internet photo journalism is still very important wherever we go with the exhibition I see the people very much, very easily relate to this exhibition.

Chantria Tram: What I find amazing is that the issues displayed here are pretty heavy, but they are beautiful. So how does that work for you?

Jeroen Visser: Well, that is press photography that’s photography in general. It combines like a big static element with in this case, a high relevant sort of Journalism, and I think that’s the power of press photography and also the reason why people can relay to it as they can.

Chantria Tram: Could you tell us a little bit of the history?

Jeroen Visser: It was founded in 1955 by three Dutch Journalists in the Amsterdam and they found that there was not enough attention for photo journalism. They wanted to compare their work and have judge photographers with the international competition. It slowly grew out to be the biggest international competition for press photography. I think it’s the fact that still growing now, and 2007 proves that photo journalism is still very relevant today.