Claus Bjørn Larsen
Encyclopedia
Claus Bjørn Larsen is an award-winning Danish press photographer, now working as a freelance. He gained special recognition in 2000 when he won the World Press Photo of the Year
competition for his work in Kosovo
.
, Denmark
, Larsen graduated from high school in 1983 and started freelancing as a photographer. In 1984, he was already volunteering in the darkroom at Ekstra Bladet
, a Danish tabloid. From 1986, he apprenticed with BT
and in 1989 he attended the Danish School of Journalism in Aarhus
, specializing in photojournalism
.
where, in 1999, he was appointed head photographer. In 2009, he left the newspaper to open his own firm, Photobyclausbjoern aps, serving newspapers, magazines and businesses on a freelance basis.
His work has centred on wars and conflicts in Israel
, Iraq
, the Balkans
and Afghanistan
as well as on stories from the Soviet Union
and the United States
. In 2000, in connection with his World Press Photo of the Year award, the Washington Post commented: "The latter award, one of the most sought after in camera journalism, is one of which Larsen is especially proud. His photograph of a wounded Kosovar Albanian refugee, his head swathed in bandages, his eyes fixed in a thousand-mile stare, was among 44,000 entries submitted by shooters around the world. 'I tried to talk to him,' Claus recalled of the day he made the picture, in April of '99, 'but he was in kind of a trance. I took four or five frames, and then he just disappeared.'"
World Press Photo of the Year
The vote for Press Photo of the Year is taken during the World Press Photo Awards, hosted by the Dutch foundation World Press Photo. The creator of the winning entry receives €10,000 along with "the most prestigious and coveted award in photojournalism"....
competition for his work in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
.
Early life
Born in 1963 in HolbækHolbæk
Holbæk is a town in Denmark and the seat of Holbæk municipality with a population of 27,055 . The city is located in the northeastern part of Region Sjælland, Denmark....
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, Larsen graduated from high school in 1983 and started freelancing as a photographer. In 1984, he was already volunteering in the darkroom at Ekstra Bladet
Ekstra Bladet
Ekstra Bladet is a Danish tabloid newspaper focusing on sensationalist stories. It gets a share of its income from sex ads. Since 1979 it has always had a partly or completely naked woman on page nine which is referred to as Side 9 Pigen , a Danish equivalent of the English Page Three girl...
, a Danish tabloid. From 1986, he apprenticed with BT
B.T. (tabloid)
B.T. is a Danish tabloid newspaper which offers general news about various subjects such as sports, politics and current affairs.A large, red neon sign displays the B.T. logo at the square Trianglen in Østerbro, a part of Copenhagen....
and in 1989 he attended the Danish School of Journalism in Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, specializing in photojournalism
Photojournalism
Photojournalism is a particular form of journalism that creates images in order to tell a news story. It is now usually understood to refer only to still images, but in some cases the term also refers to video used in broadcast journalism...
.
Career
He became a staff photographer for Ekstra Bladet in 1989. In 1996, he joined the Danish daily Berlingske TidendeBerlingske Tidende
Berlingske, previously known as Berlingske Tidende , is a Danish national daily newspaper based in Copenhagen...
where, in 1999, he was appointed head photographer. In 2009, he left the newspaper to open his own firm, Photobyclausbjoern aps, serving newspapers, magazines and businesses on a freelance basis.
His work has centred on wars and conflicts in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, the Balkans
Balkans
The Balkans is a geopolitical and cultural region of southeastern Europe...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
as well as on stories from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. In 2000, in connection with his World Press Photo of the Year award, the Washington Post commented: "The latter award, one of the most sought after in camera journalism, is one of which Larsen is especially proud. His photograph of a wounded Kosovar Albanian refugee, his head swathed in bandages, his eyes fixed in a thousand-mile stare, was among 44,000 entries submitted by shooters around the world. 'I tried to talk to him,' Claus recalled of the day he made the picture, in April of '99, 'but he was in kind of a trance. I took four or five frames, and then he just disappeared.'"
Awards
- 1989: Danish Photographer of the Year
- 1999: Fuji Photographer Denmark
- 1999: World Press Photo of the Year
- 2002: Danish Photographer of the Year