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1994 Visa d'or Feature: Tom Stoddart. “It was 1993 and the Siege of Sarajevo was at its bloodiest. I was working on a photo essay documenting the daily lives of women in that war torn city. There I was shooting one day, sheltering by sand bags, when suddenly, a beautiful woman appeared in the deserted street. Her head was held high and she was wearing lipstick, heels and a colorful dress. I shot three or four frames on a Leica as she moved past me; then she was gone. When my story landed on the picture desk at LIFE Magazine they asked me to go back to Sarajevo to try to find the woman and interview her. Days later Meliha Vareshanovic told me, “my message to the watching gunmen who surround my city is simple, you will never defeat us!” Having my work honored twice with a Visa d’or makes me tremendously proud, but the deeper pleasure enjoyed over 25 years is in being part of the Visa “family” that gathers each September to renew old friendships and be inspired by great photojournalism. I have dozens of happy Perpignan memories brought about because of the vision, passion and commitment of one man, the life force that is Jean-François Leroy. Merci beaucoup JFL”. (Photo by Tom Stoddart)
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