Image Authoring Initative at World Press Photo Awards Days

The idea for the Four Corners Project was originally presented at World Press Photo in 2004 when Ritchin gave the Sem Presser keynote lecture in Amsterdam and spoke of the need for a simple tool and standard template for presenting pictures in context and ensuring their accuracy. This tool would provide the caption, copyright information, the backstory, related pictures, a code of ethics, and links to more contextual information via each corner of the image – or potentially on multiple layers of the image, if seen on a smartphone.

“The interactive nature of the Web offers the opportunity to provide the proper context of photographs and help photographers to author their own images in a more comprehensive way by allowing them to contextualize each photograph. Digital tools make it possible to add more layers of information to pictures, and in an online environment, these images provide new ways to navigate a story,” said Ritchin. “The Four Corners Project offers the exciting prospect of securing new forms of authorship, context, and credibility, which is especially significant in today’s environment. It can be considered the first major advance in providing such contextualization since the caption.”

The idea remained undeveloped until October 2015 when Lars Boering, Managing Director of the World Press Photo Foundation, made a commitment to bring Ritchin’s Four Corners Project to life, and David Campbell, their Manager of Communications, then helped guide it into being. In a second phase of the project, researchers at Newcastle University are developing ways in which distributed ledger technologies, such as the technology behind BitCoin – can aid in ensuring the verification of images and enable further engagement around them.

“ICP is pleased to collaborate with the World Press Photo Foundation and Newcastle University on this important initiative for the visual journalism field and community,” said Mark Lubell, Executive Director, ICP. “We look forward to being at the forefront of establishing a useful tool for all image-makers.”

For more information about Ritchin’s presentation and World Press Photo Awards Days programming, visit http://www.worldpressphoto.org/awards.

About ICP

The International Center of Photography (ICP) is the world’s leading institution dedicated to photography and visual culture. Through our exhibitions, school, public programs and community outreach, we offer an open forum for dialogue about the role images play in our culture. Since our founding, we have presented more than 700 exhibitions and offered thousands of classes, providing instruction at every level. ICP is a center where photographers and artists, students and scholars can create and interpret the world of the image within our comprehensive exhibition and educational facilities. For more information, please visit www.icp.org.

About World Press Photo Foundation

The World Press Photo Foundation is a major force in developing and promoting visual journalism. Through one of the most prestigious awards in photojournalism and multimedia storytelling, an exhibition seen by more than four million people worldwide each year, and extensive research and training programs, we strive to inspire, engage, educate, and support both visual journalists and their global audience with fresh insights and new perspectives.

Founded in 1955, the World Press Photo Foundation is an independent, non-profit organization based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. The foundation receives support from the Dutch Postcode Lottery and is sponsored worldwide by Canon. There are also a range of collaborations with the World Press Photo Associates, the Friends of World Press Photo, and other partners.

About Open Lab, Newcastle University

Open Lab (http://openlab.ncl.ac.uk) is Newcastle University’s (http://www.ncl.ac.uk) centre for cross-disciplinary research in digital technologies, and one of the world’s leading centres for research into human-computer interaction. The Four Corners Project is part of Open Lab’s digital civics initative, which comprises the EPSRC Digital Economy Research Centre (DERC) and the EPSRC Centre For Doctoral Training in Digital Civics. Jonathan Worth is a Senior Research Associate within DERC, and originator of the #phonar open and connected photography course (http://phonar.org).