Brent Stirton
Encyclopedia
Brent Stirton is a Senior Photographer for Getty Images
, based in New York. His award-winning work has been widely recognized for its powerful depiction
of issues related to conflict, health
and environmental
issues. Stirton specializes in documentary
work and is known for his alternative approaches to photojournalism
, including lighting portraiture
in the field, and his prolific work rate. He travels an average of nine months of the year, working exclusively on commissioned assignment.
Stirton’s work has appeared in Newsweek
, National Geographic, CNN
Traveler, The New York Times Magazine
, The Washington Post
Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine
, Le Monde 2, GQ, Geo and many other respected international titles. He also writes a blog
for the Discovery Channel
.
In working to visually interpret a story, Stirton often works in tandem with journalist
s from the world’s leading publications. In the last two years he has worked regularly with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour
and Anderson Cooper
on topics such as the tsunami disaster
or religious fundamentalism, compiling still documentaries on tropical news events which are then voiced over and aired.
He works extensively on humanitarian issues including HIV
/AIDS
, environment
, poverty
, conflict and post-conflict recovery, and women’s empowerment
issues. Stirton works on a regular basis for the Global Business Coalition against AIDS
and The Global Fund against AIDS
, Tuberculosis
and Malaria
. He also works in the field for sustainability for The World Wide Fund for Nature, shooting global campaigns on the relationship between people and their environments. He also has worked for the Ford Foundation
and the Clinton Foundation
.
Stirton has won numerous awards and recognitions for his work, including five awards from the World Press Photo Foundation; in 2007 he was cited as a “Hero of Photography” in PopPhoto Magazine. Stirton holds a degree in Journalism
from his native South Africa
, where he began his career photographing apartheid issues.
2008 World Press Photo Award:
2007 National Geographic Video:
2007 “Heroes of Photography” article:
NPR Interview :: June 24, 2008
AOL “Behind the Lens” Photography Exhibition: http://memberpictures.aol.com/aolvisions/btl/bstirton
CasaSugar Photographer to Watch: Brent Stirton: http://casasugar.com/1981937
Getty Images
Getty Images, Inc. is a stock photo agency, based in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is a supplier of stock images for business and consumers with an archive of 80 million still images and illustrations and more than 50,000 hours of stock film footage...
, based in New York. His award-winning work has been widely recognized for its powerful depiction
Depiction
Depiction is meaning conveyed through pictures. Basically, a picture maps an object to a two-dimensional scheme or picture plane. Pictures are made with various materials and techniques, such as painting, drawing, or prints mosaics, tapestries, stained glass, and collages of unusual and disparate...
of issues related to conflict, health
Health
Health is the level of functional or metabolic efficiency of a living being. In humans, it is the general condition of a person's mind, body and spirit, usually meaning to be free from illness, injury or pain...
and environmental
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
issues. Stirton specializes in documentary
Documentary photography
Documentary photography usually refers to a popular form of photography used to chronicle significant and historical events. It is typically covered in professional photojournalism, but it may also be an amateur, artistic, or academic pursuit...
work and is known for his alternative approaches to photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
, including lighting portraiture
Portrait photography
Portrait photography or portraiture is the capture by means of photography of the likeness of a person or a small group of people , in which the face and expression is predominant. The objective is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the subject...
in the field, and his prolific work rate. He travels an average of nine months of the year, working exclusively on commissioned assignment.
Stirton’s work has appeared in Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
, National Geographic, CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
Traveler, The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
Magazine, The Sunday Times Magazine
The Sunday Times Magazine
The Sunday Times Magazine is a supplement to The Sunday Times newspaper. It was launched in 1962 and was redesigned in November 2008.-References:...
, Le Monde 2, GQ, Geo and many other respected international titles. He also writes a blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
for the Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel
Discovery Channel is an American satellite and cable specialty channel , founded by John Hendricks and distributed by Discovery Communications. It is a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav...
.
In working to visually interpret a story, Stirton often works in tandem with journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s from the world’s leading publications. In the last two years he has worked regularly with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour
Christiane Amanpour, CBE is anchor of ABC News's This Week and formerly chief international correspondent at CNN, where she worked for 27 years. She is a Board Member at the IWMF .-Early years:...
and Anderson Cooper
Anderson Cooper
Anderson Hays Cooper is an American journalist, author, and television personality. He is the primary anchor of the CNN news show Anderson Cooper 360°. The program is normally broadcast live from a New York City studio; however, Cooper often broadcasts live on location for breaking news stories...
on topics such as the tsunami disaster
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake
The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea megathrust earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC on Sunday, December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The quake itself is known by the scientific community as the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake...
or religious fundamentalism, compiling still documentaries on tropical news events which are then voiced over and aired.
He works extensively on humanitarian issues including HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
/AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, environment
Natural environment
The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....
, poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, conflict and post-conflict recovery, and women’s empowerment
Empowerment
Empowerment refers to increasing the spiritual, political, social, racial, educational, gender or economic strength of individuals and communities...
issues. Stirton works on a regular basis for the Global Business Coalition against AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
and The Global Fund against AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
, Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
and Malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
. He also works in the field for sustainability for The World Wide Fund for Nature, shooting global campaigns on the relationship between people and their environments. He also has worked for the Ford Foundation
Ford Foundation
The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
and the Clinton Foundation
Clinton Foundation
The William J. Clinton Foundation is a foundation established by former President of the United States Bill Clinton with the stated mission to "strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence." The Foundation focuses on four critical areas:...
.
Stirton has won numerous awards and recognitions for his work, including five awards from the World Press Photo Foundation; in 2007 he was cited as a “Hero of Photography” in PopPhoto Magazine. Stirton holds a degree in Journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
from his native South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
, where he began his career photographing apartheid issues.
Awards
- World Press Photo Foundation: 5 awards (most recently in 2008, First Prize for Contemporary Issues Singles)
- United Nations: 3 awards (including from the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and Malaria);
- UNICEF/GEO photographer of the year contest: runner-up;
- UNEP International Environmental Photographer of the year, Second Place, 2005;
- Society of American Publication Designers Pictures of the Year contest: 2 awards;
- Journal of AmericaUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n Photography; - Graphis;
- The London Photographic Awards.
External links
Brent Stirton website:- http://www.brentstirton.com/
2008 World Press Photo Award:
- http://www.worldpressphoto.org/index.php?option=com_photogallery&task=view&id=1131&type=byname&Itemid=188&bandwidth=high
2007 National Geographic Video:
- http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/2007-12/gorilla-massacre/gorilla-massacre-video.html?fs=www.nationalgeographic.com
2007 “Heroes of Photography” article:
- http://www.popphoto.com/americanphotofeatures/4049/brent-stirton.html
NPR Interview :: June 24, 2008
- http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91835032
AOL “Behind the Lens” Photography Exhibition: http://memberpictures.aol.com/aolvisions/btl/bstirton
CasaSugar Photographer to Watch: Brent Stirton: http://casasugar.com/1981937