The rate at which images of black children proliferate the social media space is somewhat interesting. Foreigners will come into African countries on holiday and then fetishise images of poverty. The idea that a black African child will evoke pity continually gets propagated with these photos. It is no wonder that the 2019 iPhone Photography Awards honours one of such images.
***Plat4om giveaway: Check the picture at the end for a surprise.***
The annual smartphone competition showcases the great things the iPhone camera is capable of. It also gives recognition to the photographers and the photos they take. On this 12th edition of the award, which has been on since 2007, the Grand Prize was given to an interesting photo. The image, named “Big Sister”, won.
An Italian woman, Gabriella Cigliano, took the photo. She used an iPhone X to take the photo of two black children while in Zanzibar. She confessed that she did not know the two children in the photo, but they were excited about the photo she took of them.
The ‘Big Sister’
Cigliano said,
“We couldn’t talk much, except for a few words in Swahili I had learned in the previous weeks, but those kids could definitely talk with their eyes. It was one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen in my life, and I’ll keep it in my memories forever.”
The advancements that iPhone made over the years in its technology no doubt deserve applause. The award was around since the first iPhone came out, so it is an evolution worth cheering. However, this image that won the grand prize raises a lot of questions.
The reason why they chose the image would be one. Pictures tell stories, and one can hardly ignore the stories they tell. The children in the image do not seem very excited about their photo being taken. The fact that it was agreed upon that this image portrays the true identity Apple would like in its photography is somewhat questionable.
The photo was named the ‘Big Sister’ probably because the girl in the image looked like she was shielding her brother. We wonder what from as she seemed to look wearily at the camera. The sheer look of lack in their faces too, in contrast to the luxury of their background, leaves little to celebrate. But hey, what do we know?
Meanwhile, congratulations to all the winners. Here are some of the other pictures that won awards at the event.
Sea Stripes was taken on an iPhone SE in Santa Rita Beach, Portugal.
“Sorry, no movie today” was taken in Rome, Italy with an iPhone 7 Plus.
“Come Across” was taken in the desert in Nevada, USA, at the Burning Man festival. It was shot with an iPhone X.
