Sony World Photography Awards 2013: Rare glimpses of North Korea among winning images

Talented professional photographers from Australia to Peru have descended on the UK to collect highly-prized gongs at the Sony World Photography Awards.

All 15 pro winners showcased the very best in international contemporary photography, from stunning black and white portraits of the Matterhorn mountain to a witty set shot in the back of an Argentinian limousine.

Among the most memorable series of pictures was Ilya Pitalev's incredible shots of North Korea, which triumphed in the Current Affairs category.



The Russian photographer had the rare opportunity to access the highly secretive country for the centenary celebrations of Kim Il Sung in 2012. Here's what Pitalev had to say about his amazing collection of shots.

Question: How did you get access to photograph the centenary celebrations of Kim Il Sung?  Did the tight regulations in place while there affect the way you worked?

Pitalev: The 100th anniversary is a milestone for North Korea. It was very important for North Korean regime to show celebrations to the whole world. So they opened the shut doors for a couple of days. During this short period photographers from all international agencies and biggest media happened to visit North Korea. I was unlucky to get my North Korean visa later than I expected. A big group of journalists reached the country earlier than me. I was late to join the trip to North Korean launching pad by train. At the time North Korea was preparing to launch a rocket with an artificial satellite to the orbit.

While staying in the capital of North Korea it was not possible to escape control. Every group of journalists was controlled by a special guide and interpreter. The information they were letting us know was far from complete. This special person also accompanied us all the time. We travelled by buses in groups straight to the preplanned places. We lived in a hotel on an island surrounded by the river. The only advantage that RIA Novosti journalists managed to get is an excursion to two metro stations. We were given a car and had a stroll along one of the central streets! Not alone, with our interpreter!

I cannot say North Koreans strictly controlled what we were doing. Sure there were many taboos.  It was strictly forbidden to take pictures of people in military uniform, they also told us not to take pictures through the bus windows. We obeyed the rules not too often.  I have to say that people in the streets seemed to be scared to get into the picture. If a local passerby sees the camera, he or she immediately shows his back to you. But children were like everywhere in the world – smiling and curious.  


                            [Check out all the categories in the competition right here]


Q: Your images have an unassuming presence and reveal a rare glimpse into the personalities of the people of North Korea.  What did you hope to achieve with this series of work?

Pitalev: It was very difficult to have any plan, idea or concept while taking pictures in North Korea. I work for the biggest information agency in Russia and, by definition, should get the very essence of every event.  And I wanted to say that people in North Korea exist in their own separate world, difficult for understanding from outside the country. This is the society which lives with faith in communism and their leaders. The shops are empty, people suffer.  They cannot imagine that the world might be different.

How do they live, can they be happy, what life means to them – these are the questions I kept asking myself. I still do not have definite answers and hope to get there again to clarify my uncertainty.

Q: What is your next project?

Pitalev: I work for a news agency and never know what waits me in the nearest future. The news environment leads me. At times the events are tragic, like Japan tsunami in 2011, sometimes very optimistic like the London Olympics 2012.  RIA-Novosti was named official host national news agency for Sochi 2014, the Winter Olympics. It will be a hell of a job.

We just follow the news. But I always have big projects. This year I want to make a story about Cossacks living in the South of Russia. Their everyday life, traditions, their attitude to the present realities.  I also want to go on with the story of disappearing villagers – remote places abandoned by people looking for better life in big cities.

Civilization attacks many remote and provincial places, they gradually disappear. I want to keep the image before modern life changes the environment and people. I love people, who live far from big cities, far from the centre of civilization. It may take years to make these pictures. I hope I’ll have enough time to do that. 

Here's a full list of winners, with links out to their winning pictures:

•    Architecture - Fabrice Fouillet, France
•    Arts and Culture - Myriam Meloni, Italy
•    Campaign - Christian Åslund, Sweden
•    Conceptual - Roman Pyatkovka, Ukraine
•    Contemporary Issues - Valerio Bispuri, Italy
•    Current Affairs - Ilya Pitalev, Russia
•    Fashion - Klaus Thymann, Denmark
•    Landscape - Nenad Saljic, Croatia
•    Lifestyle - Alice Caputo, Italy
•    Nature & Wildlife - Satoru Kondo, Japan
•    People - Andrea Gjestvang, Norway
•    Portraiture - Jens Juul, Denmark
•    Sport - Adam Pretty, Australia
•    Still Life - Vanessa Colareta, Peru
•    Travel - Gali Tibbon, Israel