Leica has awarded this year?s Oskar Barnack honours to South African reportage photographer Guy Tillim.
Tillim won the accolade for a photo report called Johannesburg Story in a competition which this year carried the theme ?Man and his Environment?.
Commenting on the award a Leica spokesman said: ?Tillim shows that, irrespective of all the changes in imaging technology, the key success factors for further development of the photographic medium are just the same as ever: the inquisitiveness of a journalist, persistence and sensitivity, as well as the capability to develop an individual visual style.?
The award was set up to mark the 100th birthday of Oskar Barnack (1879-1936), the man credited with developing the world?s first successful 35mm camera.
Previous winners of the award include Brazilian documentary photographer Sebastião Salgado – who was recently presented with a ?solid titanium? Leica M7 rangefinder camera bearing special serial number 3,000,000 as a tribute to his work.
Picture credit: Guy Tillim
