Tomorrow the 8th November two new major photo exhibitions will open both under one roof at the Château de Prangins; Swiss Press Photo 2013 and World Press Photo 2103.
In the Swiss Press Photo exhibition, over 175 photographers submitted 2, 825 images to the competition portraying momentous events from 2012. Swiss Photographer Laurent Gilliéron (who lives in a small village near Lausanne) won Swiss Press Photographer of the year 2012. Laurent sent in a series of photographs documenting the terrible bus crash that happened in the Valais on the 13th March 2012.
Living in Nyon spoke to Laurent about the life of a photographer, and about this photo below, taken of the tunnel following the bus crash which occurred around 21:00. Dozens of rescue workers, eight helicopters and a dozen road ambulances were involved in the rescue efforts.
Swiss Press Photographer of the Year 2012 Photo © Laurent Gilliéron, Swiss Press Photo, Bus Crash, Sierre, Keystone, various newspapers.
“The Tuesday of the crash it was actually my day off, but I received an sms around 22:00 that night from the police to say a major accident had happened inside a tunnel in the Valais. The details were unclear, I had no idea it was a bus that had crashed or how many casualties there were, but I went straight to the scene. There were only three other photographers there that night, myself working for Keystone agency, a photographer from Le Nouvelliste (the newspaper from the Valais), and another agency photographer. We all know each other, the world of Swiss press photography is small. There is no doubt that what we all saw and experienced that night will probably never leave any of us. It was very moving. However for me, as a father, it was the press conference that was held in a tiny room at 06:00 in the morning that was probably the most upsetting. When they announced that 22 children had died out of a total of 28 passengers, that of course was very, very sad and hard to take in.
As to the photo itself, I took it standing on on a very small bridge. I knew that the images of the rescue helicopters would be better taken from inside the tunnel rather than from outside as it was still dark and you couldn’t see much. I started this photo reportage at 22.00 on Tuesday and I didn’t get home until the following Friday, there was obviously a lot of follow up work, more press conferences and the continuing clear up after the accident.
As to my daily life as a photographer, the work is extremely varied – one day I can be working from 10:00 – 16:00 on a job and the next from 07:00- 24:00. I do have one fixed day off a week at least. I am often home late after sports fixtures, particularly with football matches as they are played in the evening. Having said that, even though these make long days, I like sports and live events photography. It’s completely unpredictable and you get no second chance. Portrait photography interests me too – but here you have time to set the scene in these kind of photos, and you can alter the lighting and the positions of the subjects.
Photo above: Laurent Gilliéron – Photo crédit Keystone/Valentin Flauraud
Working as an agency photographer means I am more or less responsible for my own programme in my area. I find out what is happening in the news the following week and plan where I am going to be. I think one of the good things about working as an agency photographer in Switzerland is that I am salaried, that means I don’t get paid per photograph. Perhaps this is why you will often find Swiss photographers working well together, there’s a camaraderie. We are not battling each other for the best shot which can happen in other countries. We obviously keep any tip offs or future ideas to ourselves, but once we are all on the scene we are in it together”.
You can see more of Laurent’s photos in the exhibition which runs from the 8th November 2013 until the 2nd March 2014.
Also, check out these photos by other photographers in the Swiss Press Photo 13 exhibition. These photos below shows a competitor in the ” XSpeedSki” race ready to ski down the steep Mont Fort’s slope meet at Verbier and another with Roger Federer trying to avoid a wasp during a practice session prior to a Davis Cup encounter between Switzerland and the U.S in Fribourg on February 9, 2012. .
Note: this World Press Photo exhibition is a travelling exhibition and will only be in Prangins until the 1st December 2013. The Swiss Photo exhibition will remain until the 2nd March 2014. The museum is open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 17:00
Photo above from the Sports category © François Schaer, Swiss Press Photo, Xspeedski, La Cité
Photo above from the Sports Category © Michael Buholzer, Swiss Press Photo, Roger Federer and the wasp, Reuters, various newspapers.