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What it takes to bag the Pulitzer award

Living

Tyler Hicks, a photojournalist with the New York Times based in Nairobi, won the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for the Breaking News Photography. He submitted photographs he took during the Westgate attack.

Congratulations on winning the Pulitzer Prize. Tell me the story behind the pictures that won you the prize and your experience during the Westgate Mall attack.

I was at Sarit Centre when the attack started at Westgate Mall, so I was able to react quickly. As I was approaching the mall, I could see hundreds of people running towards me and I could clearly hear gunfire. As I entered the parking lot, I saw people with gunshot wounds desperately leaving the mall, and then I knew that this was a terrorist attack. After about 45 minutes of taking photographs outside, I entered the mall from an upper level doorway.

Describe the feeling you got when you were told you had won the Pulitzer Prize?

As a newspaper photographer, winning the Pulitzer Prize is a recognition that means a lot to me. This is also meaningful because it brings notice to the tragedy of the Westgate Mall attack, and the challenges that Kenya faces.

You have won many more awards over the course of your career. How have you managed to stay on top of your game?

My job is to take photographs, and to tell a story truthfully and to the best of my ability. Once I have sent those photos to the Times, I feel I have done my job. I am happy because I am doing what makes me happy. 

What is the best and the worst part of your job and why?

The best part of my job is when I have photographs published, and those photographs reach an audience that may have positive influence on the subject. I get to travel and meet people all over the world. The worst part is witnessing the widespread suffering around the world.

Had you always been passionate about photography or is it something you stumbled into?

My interest in photography formed while I was in university. I then worked as an assistant to a studio photographer, did summer internships and worked at smaller newspapers where I was able to get a lot of training, and also make a lot of mistakes. I later became more interested in global affairs, and then put the two together.

 Are you married? Any children? If yes how does your work influence your family?

I don’t have children, which in some way makes working in hostile places less stressful.

You have taken countless moving pictures over the years. What is different with taking pictures during conflict?

Photographing conflict with still photography can sometimes be a disconnecting experience. In the moment you experience the smells, sounds and chaos, but what ends up in the camera is quiet and still. A dramatic situation might translate to something very subtle. This is why emotion is important. To capture emotion is the most compelling way to tell someone’s story.

How do you deal with seeing a person in need of help but you are not in a position to help?

If the circumstance allows, I will always help someone in need. That’s more important than a photograph.

You have published a book, what is it about?

I published a photography book titled Histories are Mirrors. It documents the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

What comprises a good picture?

A good photograph tells a story with a single, still image. Without reading a caption or description of that photograph, the viewer should get some sense of what is going on, and the emotion of that situation.

How do you strike a balance between telling the story and using a graphic picture?

I always try to illustrate violence in the least graphic way possible. There are many ways to do this. Photographing someone’s reaction, for example, or something happening on the periphery of a disaster. This is often where the most compelling photograph is found. Sometimes, however, like in the case of Westgate, graphic photographs are necessary to show the severity of the situation.

What he loves most about Kenya?

I lived in Kenya for two years back in the late 1990s. Since moving away, I always hoped that I would return someday. My job with the New York Times finally allowed me to do so and I’ve never been happier. It’s not only a place that I work, but also where I feel grounded and at home, even though it’s so far from my own country. I love the outdoors, running with my dogs and fishing. But most importantly, the people here in Kenya are what makes the country what it is.

Photo: watchdogs.blogs.starnewsonline.com

 

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