“Regarding the creative: never assume you’re the master, only the student. Your audience will determine if you’re masterful”, says Don Roff.
This article is about Manny Crisostomo who is a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist. He is the only person from Guam who achieved the Pulitzer Prize, the highest national honor in the USA.
Pathway to Photojournalism
Manny Crisostomo was born in a normal family in Guam, a small tropical island in the far Western North Pacific Ocean. Guam people lead a very simple life & move a little bit slower than the mainland. So it is not easy for Manny to achieve the Pulitzer. During his school days, he interned at the Pacific Daily News. He started his first job as a reporter. He was interested in photography from his childhood. So when he was offered a technician position in a photo
laboratory, his interest in photography grew. Due to his assignment, he became a photojournalist.
A Class Act, The Life and Times of Southwest High School
Photography is an austere & blazing poetry of the real. Manny Crisostomo brings out the reality in his picture. It was 1987 to 1988 when he worked on a series for 40 weeks. The series is about student life at South Western High School. At that time, the city was full of violence. He tried to show student lifestyles through the series. It was a twelve-page article with photographs. The series name was A Class Act, The Life and Times of Southwest High School. The social, cultural, and student life of that time was highlighted through the series. In this series, the extent of social & contemporary influence on student life is depicted through pictures. In 1989, the series was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for featured photography.
Activities & Achievements
Manny Crisostomo was a creative newspaper photographer. He was popular for his Feature Photography. In 1986, co-authored the book ‘Main Street: A Portrait of Small-Town Michigan’ In 1987. He edited ‘Moving Pictures: A Look at Detroit from High Atop the People Mover’. Dedicating his motherland, he published ‘Legacy of Guam: I Kustumbren Chamoru’, in 1992. By 1988, he won several important awards as a reporter.
Works & Experiences
Manny Crisostomo can infuse creativity into every project. He now works as a Multimedia Photojournalist in the Sacramento Bee. He has worked here for around 15 years. He was an Adjunct Instructor at San Francisco State University. Besides, he was a publisher & creative director at Latte Magazine.
“Most things in life are moments of pleasure and a lifetime of embarrassment; photography is a moment of embarrassment and a lifetime of pleasure.” Manny Crisostomo is a successful and aggressive photographer with strong journalistic, organizational & communication skills. The road to achieving his credits was not easy. He learned from his mistakes in life & used them to gain success. From his life story, we have learned one lesson ‘Never give up hope.’
To know more about his work;
LinkedIn: Manny Crisostomo
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Writer,
Tanvir Islam Saif
Intern,
Content Writing Department, YSSE