Late PDI lensman Richard Reyes cited in Asian media tilt
The late Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) photojournalist Richard Reyes received an honorable citation from the Society of Publishers in Asia (Sopa) for his shot that captured a family’s tragic loss in a community devastated by a major calamity last year.
Reyes’ posthumous honor was for the photo that appeared on the front page—titled “Tragedy in Talisay”—on Oct. 26, 2024, as part of the paper’s coverage of the aftermath of Severe Tropical Storm “Kristine” (international name: Trami).
It showed the man breaking down in tears as he found his sibling in one of the body bags for the victims of a landslide triggered by Kristine in Talisay town, Batangas.
A piece of ‘Baroque’
The shot received an honorable mention in the Sopa competition for Excellence in Photography (regional or local category). The awards ceremony, which named a total of 100 recipients across various categories, was held Thursday in Hong Kong.
In its citation, Sopa said Reyes’ “dramatic and striking” photo was “reminiscent of a Baroque painting.”
”[It] effectively conveys the profound grief of losing a loved one in the aftermath of the tragic seasonal typhoons,” it said. “The artists’ choice to crop the upper parts of the figures in the background adds to the overall emotional intensity of the scene.”
Other awardees in the category are Indonesia-based independent media outfit Bollo.id for its photograph titled “Apocalypse Has Arrived,” which received the top award; and the nonprofit publication Rest of World for “Portraits of gig workers in rare moments off the clock,” which made it as a finalist.
Inquirer photo section chief Remar Zamora said what made Reyes—who died on April 9 this year at age 34—stand out as a photographer was “his ability to connect with the people in front of his lens.”
“His quiet sensitivity, often subtle and unspoken, always came through in his images,” Zamora said.
‘Birthday present’
His experience covering calamities—from typhoons, earthquakes and landslides—and the photos that would come out of it showed the “unwavering respect he had for the people whose stories he told,” Zamora said.
Reyes’ first-ever win at Sopa was extra special as it was announced on his birthday.
For Zamora, it is a “bittersweet reminder of his talent, passion and the legacy he leaves behind.”
Reyes’ father Sande was pleasantly surprised by his son’s win, saying “maybe this is his birthday present to us.”
“I am happy and grateful to God that he gave my son the talent to take photos,” he told the Inquirer.
Earlier awards
Sopa was only the latest of the accolades earned by Reyes.
In 2024, he bagged the silver at the 2024 Asian Media Awards, given by the World Association of News Publishers, for his shot of the Black Nazarene procession.
He got the gold in the same awards in 2023 for capturing former Sen. Leila de Lima in a moment of jubilant vindication as she stepped out of the courthouse after being acquitted in one of her drug cases.
In 2022, his photo titled “I Was Sick and You Looked After Me” received a special citation in the 44th Catholic Mass Media Awards. —WITH INQUIRER RESEARCH
