TIME Names Instagram Photographer of the Year

Time awarded the Associated Press’ chief Asia photographer David Guttenfelder as its Instagram photographer of the year, and it’s a wise choice.

Instagram doesn’t suffer a shortage of talented photojournalists, but Guttenfelder’s feed is unique. His AP post allows him unprecedented access to North Korea, and he regularly updates his Instagram with snapshots of daily life in the hermetic nation that offer the most intimate portrayal of life in the DPRK available, capturing an unvarnished humanity often obscured by the country’s despotic, belligerent political leadership.

What makes Instagram photography great? You might prefer photos from the accounts of people with exclusive access to remote places, regardless of how professionally they compose their shots. Or you might admire an impeccably captured and filtered image for its aesthetic finesse, with content a secondary concern. Taste, of course, is subjective. Read more...