John Stanmeyer Shares the Story Behind His World Press Photo of the Year

Controversy over the World Press Photo organization and the way they handle their judging aside, most people were in agreement that photographer John Stanmeyer deserved the award he received this year. In the above video, the World Press Photo winner shares some insight as to how his widely-praised photograph came to be.

While working in Djibouti City on the Out of Eden Walk project for National Geographic, Stanmeyer came upon this serendipitous moment by following his usual habit of wandering around without a strict schedule while on assignment.

I won’t spoil any more of the story because, frankly, Stanmeyer does a much better job explaining the moments leading up to the photo — as well as briefly hitting on the sociological implications behind it — than I could in text.

So go ahead and wisely spend the next 120 seconds of your life listening to (and watching) the story behind this year’s winning World Press Photo. You won’t regret it.