Interview of Harish Tyagi : EPA and Jury Andre Stenin Contest 2020

 If the image is strong enough and connects emotionally with the viewer,   you have succeded as a photographer


Chief photographer (Indian sub-continent) for the European Press Photo Agency (EPA)

Q. The outcome of every contest depends on the experts judging it. But jurors are just human beings with their subjective views and professional likes and dislikes. What could help you keep an open mind and avoid current influences/trends/clichés? 

A. The digital world has had an overhauling impact on photography – the way it is shot, edited, viewed and transmitted. It has reduced the time lag between an event and the point where the photograph is seen by the end viewer. As for profession and passion – if you want to feel rooted to your work and enjoy it  cannot be done without passion.


Photojournalism mostly involve human interest stories. From disasters to famines to current affairs and daily life the gamut of the medium rotates around the person on the street and the public at large.


It is very important for a photographer or if your are a Jury member,  to connect with viewers or photo enthusiasts emotionally.


The more work experience you have better you connect with the images, for example,  if a Jury  looking and trying to form a conclusion on  the set of images on the earthquake and a Jury member himself or herself being in that same situation in the past, will surely help the Jury member to gain a better understanding about the photographer’s effort he or she put in taking the picture.


For me if the image is strong enough and connects emotionally with the viewer or jury,   you have succeded as a photographer and you deserve to be a winner.

Q. Since its invention, photography has been positioned as an independent art form that doesn’t need any additional formats to explain the themes or subjects in the image.  However, today photographers make use of a multitude of other formats to express their meaning more clearly. Many photo projects are based on multimedia formats. Is the art of photography driving itself into a corner by abandoning the purity of the genre, which is a direct dialogue between the image and the viewer?


A.Well, there is no comparison between the social media ( that include every platform that photographers are using to reach their followers )  and mainstream media as mainstream media still holds credibility and helps the masses to shape their thoughts. In my opinion any social media can be a good platform to advertise your work and to interact with your followers but surely it is not very reliable unless you know the photographer personally or understand the background of his work.

Multimedia and other formats can help for the overall understanding for your photographic project but there is a risk element in that if you have other stuff more then the visuals. The risk of  only being impressive but not being expressive enough.

Indeed “A picture is Worth a Thousand Words” today as anytime before. Even bloggers need photographs to weave their story. The two complement each other. The impact of a photograph actually gives the story mileage than the other way round.

Q. What can make you exclaim about a photo: “Well done!”?
 A. When I  work or look into on a long projects I like to spend some researching and reading about the subject. I feel the more indepth knowledge one  should have about subject the better the depth with which one can portray in it. Ultimately photographs have to speak for themselves and retain a timeless appeal.


Like I said before For me if the image is strong enough and connects emotionally with the viewer or jury,   you have succeded as a photographer and you deserve to be a winner.