Kenneth O'Halloran's Fair Trade

                             

Don’t you think they look so adorable?

I saw this image at the World Press Exhibition at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre last month and it's my favourite.

The images on display have been selected by the World Press Photos as the winning photos for 2011. Most of them are sad and depressing, a testament to the disasters, wars and generally gloomy atmosphere of 2011.

It was a welcome sight to see this. Despite the odd facial expression, to me it's a happy image. I think they are smiling there, even if only a bit. I guess they must be delighted to have their photos taken.

*Photography by Kenneth O’Halloran for his Fair Trade series which was awarded third prize under the category of Portrait Stories by the World Press Photo.

"Fairs in Ireland are more than places of trade, often forming an important social and cultural event in the county calendar. Women regard them as occasions worth dressing up for. Many fairs focus on house-trading carried out to a large extent by traveling people, who belong to an ancient Gaelic nomadic tradition. Some fairs have histories dating back for centuries."