Newspaper Photographer of the Year

The photo that I found the most powerful was “Shelter Shutdown”. At first glance, it looks like the photo has a prison setting because of the crossed bars that the people are behind. But then when looking closer, the three people in the picture are all different ages. A teenage girl, a young boy, and an old man are the people in view. Without looking at the caption, I would not have known exactly what was going on in this picture. After reading that these people are in a police paddy wagon being transported to hospital, the photo has a greater impact. Then the fact that these people have to go to the hospital because of contaminated water at a Hurricane Katrina shelter added to why I wanted to focus on this photo. The angle that the photographer used, the one behind the bars, makes the photo more than just a shot of people being transported. I also like how all different types of people are represented in the photo - black, white, old, young. I think it shows that Katrina made a huge impact on the lives of all people. The girl in the photo captured my attention because it looks like she's singing. Even though she has to go to the hospital, she might have some hope left in her and is sharing it with the others.