Alice Smeets: UNICEF Photo of the year

Alice Smeets won the UNICEF photo of the year. First I was fascinated by the photo, than by Alice's age, so I decided to ask her about her work. I think it's always important to know the background of a photo- the story behind it- to understand it well. She told me that the live of children in Haiti is not easy. They are growing up in dirt and poverty but still - most of them are happy and keeping one's tail up. Alice passed the whole day in Cité Soleil, when the winning picture was taken. The children of Port-au-Prince’s worst slum surrounded her, exited about her white skin color and the camera. To calm the situation she started to portrait every single child. So she did with the girl on the winner-photo. When the girl went back to her friends Alice took another picture. Her words are that the winner-photo is the picture after the picture. I asked Alice what it means to her that her photo is the UNICEF photo of the year 2008 and she told me that this means a lot to her. Only few magazines were interested in her pictures because nobody was interested in Haiti. By winning the contest she hopes to call people's attention to what's going on in Haiti and that they start to help in some way. She is motivated herself to continue with photojournalism. “It is not an easy job, especially if no magazine is interested in the issues you are covering”, says Alice. She knows that it takes long until you can live of this kind of photography but she always had supporting people around her who believed in her. I asked Alice why she chose photojournalism to document social issues. “I think that photography is the best medium to make a difference. By writing you are able to inform, by filming to clarify a situation but photos (if they are good) inform, clarify and touch the soul”, she thinks, “Everyone has the choice in life.” Philip Jones Griffiths, a famous photojournalist who she assisted before his death this year and who she respected a lot, taught her some very important thing: “You can cover a hell of a lot wide and shallow or you can cover a small number of things narrow and deep. Both are valid. But those who decide to do narrow and deep produce something that ultimately lasts."

On her website Alice is presenting more photos of Haiti and children's life there. Some of them are fascinating but also depressing. Take a look on www.alicesmeets.com. There you also have the possibility to donate to help the children in Haiti.

To see the other winners of the UNICEF photo of the year take a look at www.unicef.de/foto.

Photo from www.unicef.de