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Photos from the frontlines

Once a year the World Press Photo sets up a free gallery in Toronto celebrating the world’s best photo journalists.

This year’s exhibit is happening amongst the hustle and bustle of Brookfield Place until October 24. This is a rare chance to see the world’s largest press photography contest, this year documenting civil strife in conflict areas in Kenya, Brazil and Georgia.

Here are some photos you should keep an eye out for:

Johan Bävman, Sweden, Sydsvenska Dagbladet, winning 2nd prize for Contemporary Issues Stories

Focusing on Tanzania, Johan Bavman photographs albinos coping with skin cancer. Particularly captivating are the shots of children at school. They are outcasted from society and, as Bavman explains, are victims of witch craft murders – albino body parts are said to be used in potions that will bring luck and prosperity.

Walter Astrada, Argentina, Agence France-Presse, winning 1st prize for Spot News Stories

Many photos in this series are horrific, documenting the ethnic clashes in Kenya following their 2007 presidential elections. Each picture captures a different emotion – anger, terror, sadness. The most captivating photo in Astrada’s collection is of a seven-year-old boy screaming as police approach his house. He has one hand raised trying to stop the police and is holding a toy in the other hand.

Anthony Suau, USA, for Time, winning 2nd prize for Daily Life Stories

In early 2008 The U.S. started experiencing its full-out mortgage crisis. Anthony Suau’s photos capture the aftermath of the financial breakdown, ranging from pictures of the Chicago Merchantile Exchange, where brokers looked beyond destressed, to pictures of boarded up houses in east Clevland. Suau shows the human cost of a full-blown economic crisis.

Wojciech Grzedzinski, Poland, Napo Images for Dziennik, 3rd prize Spot News Stories

Right in the heart of the Georgia-Russia conflict of 2008, Wojciech Grzedzinski’s photos show two countries in battle. The series defining picture is of a priest blessing Georgian soldiers about to enter the frontline.[rssbreak]

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