Pete Muller: TIME Picks the Best Photographer on the Wires

4 minute read

Of the millions of photographs moving through the news services—known as “the wires”—this year, the work of Associated Press freelancer Pete Muller, 29, stood out. His exceptional photographs—focused on Africa and particularly Sudan—take an individual approach to storytelling, one that combines a distinctive aesthetic with journalistic integrity.

The U.S.-born photographer moved to Sudan in 2009 knowing that the country was at a critical point in its history. Sudan had been devastated by decades of brutal civil war between the Arab-Islamic north and largely Christian south and was on the cusp of formal division. This July, southern Sudan became the world’s 193rd country, and Muller knew that very few journalists were in the region covering the story. “I thought that spending a few years documenting southern Sudan’s transition to independence would be of value to the historical record and might shed light on an underreported but geopolitically significant story,” he says.

Santiago Lyon, AP’s director of photography says Muller’s work showcases “a distinctiveness of voice combined with a fairly unique access.” Muller has found subject matter that balances the AP’s desire for news with a personal passion for more in-depth story telling. “I hope that, when appropriately paired with words, it contributes to the record of South Sudan at its long-awaited birth,” the photographer says of his work. “In an intellectual sense, I hope that it underscores the challenges of national identity and nation-states that exists in countless countries across the world and has, for centuries, been the source of immense bloodshed.” Internationally, where the majority of AP’s photo content is staff-produced, Muller is a rarity. He has been working for the AP since April 2010 and is one of a handful of freelancers the wire service works with, in part because of his location in Africa. In addition to his long-term work in Sudan, Muller has shot several stand-alone portrait stories, including one about rape victims in the Congo, in the last year.

Along with the work of a select group of established staff photographers—sprinkled across the bigger news agencies—Muller’s work diversifies the output from the wires to include work that differentiates itself from the standard news assignment fare. Other wire photographers who’ve also succeeded in adding their personal touch to their reportage work this year include Reuters photographer Finbarr O’Reilly, who produced a topographic series from Afghanistan and Libya, the AP’s Kevin Frayer, who shot an essay offering a different perspective on Afghanistan, the AP’s David Guttenfelder’s, notable for his series in North Korea and Japan, and the AP’s Rodrigo Abd, who used a box camera that developed the film inside the camera to make portraits of indigenous Guatemalan women. Getty’s John Moore deserves special mention for his work in Somalia, which was sandwiched among his coverage of some of theyear’s biggest news stories, including the revolution in Libya and the Occupy protests.

In an era of image saturation where it is more difficult than ever to differentiate one set of images from another, this more personal approach is finding support from the within the agencies. “We want photographers to have a voice and as long as that voice is journalistically sound and is as objective or impartial as it needs to be meet AP standards for fairness and accuracy,” Lyon says. “It is Important to have diverse group of photographers and it is important to let them express themselves—to let them to do something that, once upon a time, was not common and add even unheard of in the wire services.”

Although the lion’s share Muller’s work this past year went out through AP, he also worked directly for the New York Times, the Times of London, Foreign Policy and others publications. Muller has what Lyon describes as a triple threat: an accomplished lensman and writer who applies his skills within the rigors or art as well as journalism. “We’re not just about pretty pictures,“ Lyon says. “We want our pictures to say something, there’s a story there.” Muller’s work bares creative testament to this ethic. His photographs bring his stories more attention through his creative process, which balance a unique vision and aesthetic with journalistic integrity. And in this last year, Muller has been peerless in raising the bar for photography on the wires.

February 4, 2011. Southern Sudanese from the pastoralist Taposa tribe take part in a nationalist celebration in the remote area of Kapoeta. Support for southern independence was strong even among groups in the most desolate areas. Pete Muller—AP Photo
April 7, 2011. A survivor of a massacre in Fangak, southern Sudan. The massacre occurred when forces loyal to rebel General George Athor attacked the town of Fangak on Feb. 9 and 10. When the fighting ended, more than 200 people were dead, many of whom were civilians. Pete Muller—AP Photo
July 9, 2011. A newly constructed statue commemorating the late Dr. John Garang, the leader of the Sudan People's Liberation Army is covered by the new flag in the capital city of Juba. The statue was constructed ahead of southern Sudan's declaration of independence and later unveiled by South Sudan's President, Salve Kiir. Pete Muller—AP Photo
February 21, 2011. Sido Bizinungu, a close associate of Lt. Col. Mutuare Daniel Kibibi, smokes a cigarette after being convicted of crimes against humanity in the town of Baraka, Congo. Nearly 50 women poured out their stories in a wave of anguish that ended with the conviction of an army colonel for crimes against humanity—a landmark verdict in this Central African country where thousands are believed to be raped each year by soldiers and militia groups who often go unpunished. Pete Muller—AP Photo
The following seven images are from a portrait series Muller shot on rape victims in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Portrait #1 February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #2 February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #3 February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #4 February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #5 February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #6 February 20, 2011. A victim of a mass rape campaign in the town of Fizi, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #7 February 21, 2011. A mass rape victim comforts her son in the town of Fizi, Congo. Her identity has been concealed for security reasons and because rape carries strong social stigma. Pete Muller—AP Photo
April 24, 2011. Southern Sudanese Catholics prepare for Easter mass in Wau, the south's second largest city. Christianity is a vital component of southern identity and was significant source of conflict between southern tribes and the northern, Islamic government in Khartoum. The north's historic imposition of Islamic law throughout the south was a grievance that helped to galvanize the southern liberation movement. Pete Muller—AP Photo
January 5, 2011. A young boy eats ice cream inside the only shop that sells it in southern Sudan. Pete Muller
October 6, 2011. Clothing belonging to rebel fighters hangs on a line in Kurmuk, Republic of Sudan. Since fighting began in September, Kurmuk has been abandoned by the civilian population. Shops are shuttered, trash is piling up, the town has come to a standstill. Pete Muller—The New York Times
May 26, 2011. Atong Aken, age 9, weeps while clutching a suitcase in a makeshift internally displaced persons camps in Mayan Abun, southern Sudan. While fleeing heavy fighting in the border town of Abyei, Atong became separated from her mother. Heavy fighting and the rapid exodus from Abyei left many families separated. Tens of thousands fled heavy fighting in the hotly contested border town earlier this week during an offensive that left the northern Sudanese military in effective control. Pete Muller—AP Photo
May 26, 2011. An internally displaced girl from Abyei sits around a small fire in a makeshift IDP camp in the village of Mayen Abun, southern Sudan. Pete Muller—AP Photo
May 26, 2011. Internally displaced southern Sudanese outside a church serving as a makeshift camp in the village of Mayen Abun, southern Sudan. Pete Muller—AP Photo
The following six images are from a series Muller shot on young cattle keepers from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe. Portrait #1 April 21, 2011. A young cattle keeper from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe poses for a portrait in a remote cattle camp in Wunlit County, southern Sudan. He holds an AK 47 assault rifle, a common weapon among young cattle keeping males. Young men like this man are often tasked with protecting cows from raids by neighboring communities. This image was made at the border between southern Sudan's Lakes and Warrap states where cross-border cattle raiding is extremely common. Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #2 April 21, 2011. A young cattle keeper from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe poses for a portrait in a remote cattle camp in Wunlit County, southern Sudan. On his right wrist he dons a highly coveted bracelet that will cost a person one bull (a monetary value worth between $200-500). Cows are currency for the pastoral tribes of southern Sudan, many of which live in remote areas with little need for or interest in printed currency.Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #3 April 21, 2011. A young cattle keeper from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe poses for a portrait in a remote cattle camp in Wunlit County, southern Sudan. His face is decorated with ash from cow dung, which is burned nightly in the cattle camps in order to repel mosquitoes. Many cattle keepers cover themselves in ash during the ritualistic cleaning of cows which takes place each morning. Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #4 April 21, 2011. A young cattle keeper from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe poses for a portrait in a remote cattle camp in Wunlit County, southern Sudan. This image was made at the border between southern Sudan's Lakes and Warrap states where cross-border cattle raiding is extremely common. After decades of civil war in the south, the civilian population remains heavily armed and such weapons are frequently employed in raids. Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #5 April 21, 2011. A young cattle keeper from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe poses for a portrait in a remote cattle camp in Wunlit County, southern Sudan. He holds an AK 47 assault rifle, a common weapon among young cattle keeping males.Pete Muller—AP Photo
Portrait #6 April 21, 2011. A young girl from the Dinka Rek sub-tribe poses for a portrait in a remote cattle camp in Wunlit County, southern Sudan. Few women stay in cattle camps as the responsibility of grazing and protecting cattle often falls to young men. The role of cows to pastoral tribes like the Dinka is paramount. They are used for marriage dowries, currency and serve as the foundation of social status. The desire to possess large numbers of cattle for social purposes leads many young men to take part in violent cattle raiding, during which tribes or sub-tribes use modern weaponry to steal cows from neighboring communities.Pete Muller—AP Photo
Pete Muller—AP
July 7, 2011. Southern Sudanese military helicopters fly over an independence rehearsal procession in Juba, southern Sudan. The Government of Southern Sudan is making lavish preparations to celebrate its declaration of independence from the north on July, 9. Pete Muller—AP Photo
July 4, 2011. Southern Sudanese boys take shelter from afternoon rains that disrupted rehearsal for independence day celebrations in the capital city of Juba on July 4. The mural behind the boys depicts a map of the united Sudan. Pete Muller—AP Photo
March 29, 2011. Southern Sudanese who returned from northern Sudan before the referendum live beneath a tree in the town of Kuajok. Hundreds of thousands of southerners living in the north returned between September and December 2010. Without land to return to, many remain stuck in transit camps where they wait for plot allocation from the southern government. Pete Muller—AP Photo
January 30, 2011. A man dons the flag of the Sudan People's Liberation Movement during a rally in Juba. Pete Muller—AP Photo

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