The Judges for the 2008 NYPPA Year in Pictures Contest Judging

George Tiedemann

George Tiedemann was born in Reykjavik, Iceland in 1944 and spent his early childhood there. In 1950 the Tiedemann family moved back to the United States for two years before moving on to Tripoli, Libya for the next seven years where George first became interested in photography. At the age of seventeen, he returned to the States to finish high school and then it was off to join the U.S. Marines. The timing was perfect, again more travel was on the horizon, only this time the travel involved the jungles of South Vietnam and the carrying of a rifle. Tiedemann admits, however, “It was there, after buying my first Nikon, that I really became interested in photography. “

Following his discharge, George returned to New Jersey, where he spent the next nine years working as a newspaper photographer for the Asbury Park Press, Courier Post and The Philadelphia Bulletin. During those years he also freelanced as a sports photographer for the NFL, Philadelphia Atoms soccer team, the North American Soccer League (NASL), Time Magazine, and Sports Illustrated. In 1978 Tiedemann was named director of photography at the NASL. His soccer photography caught the eye of the late, Jerry Cooke, a former Director of Photography at Sports Illustrated. Cooke’s attention was the beginning of a twenty-five year relationship with SI. Today, Tiedemann freelances occasionally for ESPN The Magazine and SI, however, the bulk of his work is distributed by Corbis. As George says, “It’s amazing what a good picture agency like Corbis can do for you and your work.”

Over the past forty years as a photojournalist, Tiedemann has received over one hundred awards. Highlighting those awards are; New Jersey Press Photographers Association Photographer of the Year, two-time Philadelphia Press Photographers Association Photographer of the Year, NFL Color Action Picture of the Year, NPPA Sports Action Picture of the Year, a Pulitzer Prize nomination, and The National Soccer Hall of Fame Colin Jose Media Award for career contributions in the field that are deemed to be of exceptional and sustained quality.

George and Sharon have been married forty-three years; they have three sons and eight grandchildren.

Gail Fisher

Senior photo editor, National Geographic magazine, recently made the move from the world of newspapers to magazines. Formerly senior photo editor of projects for the Los Angeles Times, she covered social issues during the course of her career throughout the world. She has traveled extensively throughout Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and South & Central America.

Her editing skills and photography have been recognized internationally with numerous awards, judging, teaching and speaking engagements. In 2006, she was awarded Best of Photojournalism Picture Editor of the Year, in 2005, runner-up. In 2006 Altered Oceans series was awarded a Pulitzer Prize in Explanatory Journalism, which Gail was the photo editor. And, in 2005, the investigative King Drew project was honored the Pulitzer Public Service award in which she was also part of the team. The Los Angeles Times was awarded the Angus McDougall Excellence in Picture Editing from Pictures of the Year International three times in the last five years along with several other international and national awards. Fisher played a role in editing many of these projects.

Some of her accomplishments as a photojournalist include the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for outstanding coverage of the disadvantaged, the Rosalynn Carter Fellowship for Mental Health Journalism, the Harry Chapin World Hunger Award and twice won the Community Awareness Award in 1996 and 2002 from the National Press Photographers Pictures of the Year. She has also received recognition for several online projects with her involvement as an editor and photojournalist.

At the Los Angeles Times, she was a strong advocate of editing photography for multimedia projects, integrating audio, video and working closely with web editors to co-produce extensive online pieces.

In 2000, as a photojournalist, Fisher began documenting the causes and effects of foster kids after they turn 18 and emancipate out of the system. With the advances of digital technology, Fisher shot both still photography and video on “Unadoptable” which was broadcast on ABC Nightline Up Close as a two-part series. By integrating these two media, the story was published on a much broader scale; stand alone pieces for print publication, web streaming and television broadcast.

A native of Akron, Ohio, Gail earned her B.A. in Liberal Arts from Miami University of Ohio, and an M.F.A. in Photojournalism from Ohio University. She has two children, Whitney, and Zack.

Joe Elbert



I was the Assistant Managing Editor of Photography for The Washington Post newspaper from 1988 through 2007. Under my direction The Washington Post photography staff won more awards than any other newspaper in the history of journalism. 

Those awards included 4 Pulitzer Prizes, 2 World Picture of the Year awards, 6 Photographer of the Year awards from the National Press Photographers Association and 17 White House Press Photographers' Association Photographer of the Year awards.

In 1995, I was named Editor of the Year by the National Press Photographers Association and in 2003 I received the Joseph A. Sprague award, the highest award given by the National Press Photographers.

It’s all about shooting. Looking back I wonder why I jumped into editing. Oh yeah, I remember, it was idealism. But shooting is so much more fun. I spent a decade shooting everything from revolutions to Super Bowls and can thank a late night TV ad for helping me get my first newspaper job. I have a feeling I may have been the only applicant.

Graduating from Indiana University’s School of Music may not have been the best preparation for a career in photography. Yes, I took courses in art photography and cinematography along with a photo class in the journalism school, but my portfolio was truly pathetic. However, it didn’t take long to figure out my musical timing would pay off big. Like music, photography really comes down to composition, texture, timing and anticipation.

During that first job I was heavy into sports photography and covered two games a night. It was right out of the movie Hoosiers. A sports editor once asked me how I got such good action shots and I told him it was similar to dance. It came down to feeling the athlete’s pace. He walked away shaking his head.

I don’t know if I was lucky, talented or a little of both. During my first five years in the business I worked at four newspapers and began winning awards in my second year—Best Sports Action shot in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame photo competition, Best Sunday Magazine Cover for coverage of a famine in Haiti, 2nd place in the world Nikon photo competition along with numerous state and national awards for sports, feature photography and picture stories. The year before I moved to editing I covered the Nicaraguan revolution and completed a project on Miami’s public schools.

Maybe it wasn’t idealism that led me to editing. Maybe it was survival. As a photographer I worked for some true Neanderthals and figured I couldn’t be any worse. That realization was the segue to a successful career as an editor.

Back to Contest Results