Meet our contest’s jury member: Gary Hershorn

Bio

Hershorn’s 41-year career began in 1979 at United Press International in Toronto. In 1985, he kicked off his 29-year stretch at Reuters in Canada as Chief Photographer. He worked as Chief Photographer in Toronto, and Senior Photographer in Washington, as well as Picture Editor-Americas and Global Sports Pictures Editor. Hershorn has photographed and edited news and sporting events around the world including 17 Olympic Games, 3 World Cups and various championships in athletics, hockey, basketball, football, baseball, golf and tennis. The veteran photographer also led Reuters’ coverage of major news stories like the September 11th attacks in New York and Washington, Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti Earthquake.

Following his stint at Reuters, he worked as a photo editor at the app Flipboard and was a photo editor at www.foxnews.com. Currently, he is employed as a freelance photographer and editor in New York, as well as a contributing photographer to Getty Images and is working on a long-term personal project documenting the ever-changing skyline of New York City. He had a book of his work published entitled New York Celestial in 2018.

 

 

Gary, why did you choose this profession and what inspires you in the photo industry now? 

 

I found photography in my first year of university while working for the student newspaper at York University in Toronto, Canada in 1977. The summer before I started school I was given a camera but neither knew how to use it or had a love for photography. That all changed once I had my first photo published in the paper. I was immediately hooked on the idea of photojournalism as a profession. Within a year of taking my first photo I was freelancing for a local daily newspaper and within two years I was working for United Press International covering major news in Toronto and Canada. Photography became my passion and led to a long career working in the news agencies. It took me around the world to major news and sporting events and I feel privileged to have had the chance to photograph the historical events I was assigned to.

 

In today’s world I have as much passion for photography as I ever have. I was able to switch in 2014 when I left Reuters from being an events photographer to being a feature photographer who saw the natural beauty in the world and the value of social media to distribute the work I was taking. My photography became a long-term project documenting New York City, and combining the skyline with various celestial events that take place daily in our lives. Social media allows people the world over to see the work and enjoy a city many only dream about visiting. I am driven to show off what New York is daily to my audience.

 

 

What made you decide to join the jury of the first international NEWS PHOTO AWARDS contest? 

 

Judging a photo contest is an honor and a privilege. Over the years I have been able to judge various contests and competitions like POYi, Best of Photography, the Turkish Press Photographers contest and the New York Press Photographers Association annual contest. Being asked to judge a contest that is singularly focusing on what may be the biggest story to happen in our careers was an easy one to say yes to. COVID-19 has been a part of the life of every person in the world in one way or another and being given the chance to see work taken the world over on this one topic is a high honor. 

 

 

Why do you think this contest is important? 

 

As previously mentioned the coronavirus pandemic has literally touched the lives of everyone in the world this year. We have all been impacted socially and economically in one way or another because of COVID-19 so I think it is imperative that a contest like this one shows off the best photography related to the virus and how the world has been impacted by this pandemic. It is so important that a visual record is left behind of how the world lived with the virus and the best of the best photos should be recognized since so any photojournalists but their own lives at risk to show us all globally what was happening.