The Center for Documentary Studies recently announced Benjamin Lowy as the recipient of the Honickman First Book Prize for his photo series, Iraq - Perspectives.
Lowy’s work, which merited the critical attention, is currently on display in Perkins Library. The Honickman First Booker Prize, co-sponsored by the CDS and the Philadelphia-based Honickman Foundation, is a prestigious award for American photographers awarded biennially. The Honickman Prize is awarded to American photographers of any age who have never published book-length work. According to the CDS website, the prize honors visually compelling work with integrity of purpose.
The site also notes that recipients traditionally use their cameras for “creative exploration, whether it be of places, people, or communities; of the natural or social world; of beauty at large or the lack of it; of objective or subjective realities.”
Lowy spent his first professional years as a journalist in Iraq, an experience that significantly affected his photography and personal growth. He decided to dedicate six years of his life to his time there, and his work as obviously paid off.
“[This award] is an amazing opportunity to get a body of work published in book form—and I was thrilled to be awarded this privilege,” he said.
Lowy noted the importance of photojournalism in his personal and professional life, but mentioned that today’s "overwhelming" amount of readily available information "water[s] down" content and turns off the public.
“My hope, with my new project, was to create a unique aesthetic that presented Iraq—a story that most Americans grew tired of and wished to ignore—in a more visually stimulating way,” Lowy said. “It’s always important to record the truth, but equally important to remember our audience and find a way to connect to them.
Lowy's Duke display consists of various photos from the frontlines of Iraq, many of which were taken from inside the tank he patrolled in. The photos have a real quality to them, almost as if they were taken for military research purposes. Lowy’s work does a great job of playing with the line between functional and aesthetically pleasing photography.
Lowy received the Prize on Nov. 3 at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film in Rochester, New York.
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