Photographer of the year 2014: Bulent Kilic – in pictures
The Guardian picture desk has chosen Turkish photographer Bulent Kilic, of AFP, as our hotly contested agency photographer of the year. Here’s a look back over 2014 through his lens, showing unrest in Ukraine, the refugee crisis on the Turkish-Syrian border and the harrowing MH17 air crash
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Kiev, Ukraine, 20 February
In February, Kilic covered the unrest in Kiev. Here, protesters catch fire as they stand behind burning barricades during clashes with police in the Ukrainian capital -
Kiev, Ukraine, 20 February
Protesters stand behind burning barricades during a face-off against police in Independence Square. Hundreds of armed protesters charged police barricades, despite a truce called just hours earlier by the country’s embattled president -
Kiev, Ukraine, 22 February
People carry the coffin of a man killed during clashes, as they gather at Independence Square after protesters took control of Kiev’s charred city centre. They also seized Yanukovych’s lavish residence, which had been abandoned, on a day of dramatic twists and turns -
Ankara, Turkey, 12 March
A young girl kneels wounded during clashes between riot police and protesters following the funeral of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old boy who died from injuries suffered during anti-government protests in Istanbul -
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Manisa, Turkey, 13 May
A man kisses his son after he was rescued from a collapsed coal mine. At least 157 miners were killed in the disaster, following an underground explosion -
Istanbul, Turkey, 23 May
Armed militants from the Revolutionary People’s Liberation Party-Front during a demonstration in May, after the funeral of a protester -
Istanbul, Turkey, 31 May
A man protects a woman as they face a police officer dispersing protesters near Taksim Square, as the police blocked access during the one-year anniversary of the Gezi Park and Taksim Square demonstrations -
Donetsk, Ukraine, 26 July
Members of the Ukrainian State Emergency Service search for bodies in a field near the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 in the rebel-occupied Donetsk region of Ukraine. The airliner was believed shot down by a missile, en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur, killing all 298 passengers and crew -
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Hrabove, Ukraine, 2 August
A woman walks with her bicycle past the wreckage of flight MH17Photograph: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images
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Hrabove, Ukraine, 2 August
A Ukrainian girl cries as she stands by her luggage after leaving her home near Donetsk. A siege by government troops cut off water, electricity and food supplies in the area -
Sanliurfa, Turkey, 20 September
A Syrian Kurd pours water on a child after they crossed the border between Syria and Turkey near the southeastern town of Suruc. Several thousand Syrian Kurds began crossing into Turkey in September, fleeing Islamic State fighters who advanced into their villages -
Sanliurfa, Turkey, 23 September
A Syrian Kurdish woman crosses the border between Syria and Turkey -
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Mursitpinar, Turkey, 28 September
Turkish soldiers try to control their crossing gate as Syrian Kurdish people try to pass. Tens of thousands of Syrian Kurds flooded into Turkey fleeing an onslaught by Islamic State -
Sanliurfa, Turkey, 23 October
Islamic State militants stand during the explosion of an air strike on Tilsehir hill near the Turkish border at Yumurtalik village in October -
Sanliurfa, Turkey, 29 October
Heavily armed Kurdish peshmerga fighter convoys are greeted at Viransehir as they travel to join militias defending the Syrian border town of Kobane from Islamic State -
Bulent Kilic
Kilic, centre, in the town of Suruc, TurkeyPhotograph: Yasin Akgul/AFP/Getty Images
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Why photography is so important. Brought tears to me eyes - awesome Mr Kilic. It's been a sod of a year in the killing fields.
Bravo Bulent Kilic.
Turkey and its neighbors created a wide selection of chances for great political photography in 2014. Congrats to Bülent Kılıç for making the best use of these chances.
"Turkey and its neighbors created a wide selection of chances for great political photography in 2014." Wow, incredibly desensitised! You are welcome. So glad to be able to entertain you. Would like you to become part of the production process? Oh, wait! I guess you are already a part of it, although from a safe distance. How lucky you are!
Absolutely incredible, photographs that leave you breathless. Inspirational.
Amazing and atmospheric photographs, well deserved winner.
What you don't see so much in the photos, and probably deliberately is that behind every gas mask, riot shield and body armor is that there is an individual too, but the common theme seems to be the dehumanised "state" against the people. Or maybe I read too much into it.
I have no idea how yo come to this conclusion based on the above images.
The picture containing the two most "dehumanised" figures shows "protesters", not government agents (Istanbul, Turkey, 23 May"
I think you can interpret anything in any way you want to. I can see where you are coming from, its like 2014 saw human beings relegated to meat status......all that destruction. However, de-humanising is the last word I think of when I see the pictures of those young kids crossing borders as refugees. I had very human feelings when I looked at those.
That's a smear. Those 'protesters' are from the Revolutionary People's Liberation Party–Front, a violent sect known for assassinations, bombs, rocket attacks etc over the years. Opportunists. What's the bet the vast majority protesters would have nothing to do with them?
A fine and moving collection. The girl kneeling is quite haunting.
I found this one the most moving too
Stunning photographs. Content and form - that young Turkish girl kneeling - wow. The composition of the soldiers in the field, all alone not overlapping, one soldier looks at the camera... out of the ordinary.
(hey Jonathan Jones et al, just point and click, eh... anyone can take a photograph... not art... perhaps someone should get busy with a charcoal stick to give them real import...)
If you mock JJ the moderators are never far behind!
Wholly agree with your post and would add that not only are the results stunning but the circumstances surrounding these photographs make achieving these results even more remarkable.
Well deserved....
Some powerful images.
I grew up with the erroneous impression that good photography depended on technicalities re: equipment and knowledge of f-stops etc. So when I realised I liked a lot of my pictures despite lack of technical aptitude, I felt liberated. The great thing about all of Kilic' images is that they could be taken with a pocket digital. Being there is the thing.
Don't discount (and I'm sure you're not, really) exposure times, depth of field, shutter speed, looking thru the view finder rather than at a screen... Having automatic control over these rather than relinquishing control to the camera is an important part of a photographers skill.
The great thing about all of Kilic' images is that they could be taken with a pocket digital.
I'm willing to bet that Kilic is making those decisions himself, controlling them manually, all of which go towards achieving the results we see. That said, yeah, an exceptional photographer can take great photos with any camera, but v.v is not true...
Should be in quotes:
Of course it can help a photographer to know camera techniques, and it can make a better photographer of you but I would argue that if you can 'see' and react then in the context of these pictures ('shooting from the hip') and particularly in this digital age its not only not a pre-requisite, but not a necessary discipline. I don't say that flippantly. Look for example at the image of the woman pushing a trailer past the wreckage of the airliner; that image relies not a jot on exposure, DOF, etc. Also, individually its got several 'faults' e.g. timing/composition could be more 'ideal' . Does any of this matter? Not for me. The guy is there, and these considerations aren't priorities/ he may have got in position a little too late etc. Your other point is that Kilic would probably have been working on manual settings (I think that's what you suggest?). Well of course he might have, but I would guess equally that he may've been on auto. My point was that any of the photos don't depend on any of these 'traditional' considerations. Finally, and importantly, the photos work really well for me. That's the bottom line. The contention/cliche that ANYONE can be a photographer nowadays depends on how you define being a photographer. I have seen many astounding 'snapshots' taken by 'novices' on digital cameras. Whether the image maker should be counted in the same pantheon as Kilic (for example) is unimportant to me. He is a photographer, he was there and he has produced a strong body of work.
Shurely shome mishtake?
They were unarmed and peaceful... Apart from the ones with weapons.
Yes,protestors were unarmed and peaceful
Wrong recommend, even the BBC has reported that protesters were armed and dangerous. The west wanted a bloody uprising to justify the coup.
Blood had to flow, to show the world 'police brutality'.
How can you justify an EU instigated coup in the 21st century without that?
You cannot.
Well deserved.
But, Guardian, all reports said that more than 300 people died in the Soma mine disaster.
These are really powerful images and Bulent Kilic deserved to win.
Should be in quotes:
ignore this enigmatic quote, miss post.
Unfortunately not! The child having the water poured on his head has an incredible depth of field you could only achieve with a huge telephoto lens - exactly the kind of lens you see the photographer with in the last photo.
I agree! I miss-posted this quote to point out exactly that, aaaargh.
Thoroughly well-deserved! The ability to capture so much of a story through each picture is remarkable, and it's a real talent to be able to perfectly frame the scene and press the button at that once in a lifetime moment. To be able to do all that in such stressful environments - well, I take my hat off to him. I can't wait to see more of his work.
Amazing, a tribute to photojournalism.
Mind blowing images
What fabulous examples of pictures telling stories. Powerful.
Amazing to see the way that he shows people's strength in times of suffering and protest (both of which Turkey has in plenty).
Excellent photographer, excellent choice.
how nice to see a turkish photographer as one of the bests.
completely agree with both above comments!
Phenomenal photos, and he's clearly put himself in extremely hairy situations so that we can have a better picture of what's going on. Any journalist going into an area that Isis operate in has a brass neck.
Step aside Mr Kilic, your balls are blocking out the sun.
*figurative balls- female journalists can also have gigantic balls OK CIF police, OK?
None of the above were in ISIS controlled territory? The picture of the ISIS guys was taken from Turkey if I understand correctly.
If he can see them even with a long lens then they can see him and therefore shoot him, regardless of which side of a border he is on.
I realise these telescopic lenses can catch people from a great distance, but that would still be too close for me, and I don't think those Isis dogs queue up at immigration when crossing borders
Amazing work.
Why photography is so important. Brought tears to me eyes - awesome Mr Kilic. It's been a sod of a year in the killing fields.
Really fantastic work.