Paula Bronstein

Paula Bronstein is an award-winning photojournalist who entered the profession in 1982 in Providence, Rhode Island. Now based in Bangkok where she works for Getty Images, she was a nominated finalist for the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize in April 2011.

Paula Bronstein (left) in the 2014 Hong Kong protests on October 17

Bronstein majored in photography at the University of Colorado and at Austria's Salzburg College before specializing in photojournalism at the Rochester Institute of Technology where she graduated in fine arts. She embarked on her career in the United States at the Providence Journal Bulletin before spending 12 years with the New Haven Register and the Hartford Courant. In 1996, she became a staff photographer at the Chicago Tribune and then worked for The Register-Guard in Oregon.

Since 1998, Bronstein has been based in Bangkok. In June 2002, she joined Getty Images where she has covered conflicts and news stories throughout the wider Asian region including Kashmir, Afghanistan, Indonesia and Pakistan.

Bronstein's camera lens was smashed and she suffered minor bruising when New South Wales Police pushed her to the ground while she was photographing protesters of the APEC Australia 2007 meetings. Bronstein called for an inquiry into the police actions.

She was arrested by Hong Kong Police in the 2014 Hong Kong protests on suspicion of criminal damage due to climbing on top of a private vehicle to take photos of the clashes in Mong Kok on the evening of 17th October. Police stated that a complaint against her was made by the car's driver, who was inside it, and took action to remove her when she refused to get down. Bronstein claimed to be shocked by her arrest, saying it was common practice for photojournalists to stand on cars to avoid crowds in war zones.

Over the years, Paula Bronstein has won many prizes including awards from World Press Photo and the John Faber award from the Overseas Press Club. Among her recent successes are:

• 2011: Nominated Finalist together with Daniel Berehulak for the Breaking News Pulitzer Prize.
• 2011: FotoEvidence Book Award for her work on "Afghanistan: Between Life and War".
• 2010: Photographer of the year 2010, Foreign Correspondents Club of Thailand, for her coverage of the Thai political crisis.
• 2010: Runner-up, Photojournalist of the Year (large markets), National Press Photographer’s Association, for her photograph of heroin addicts in Kabul.
• 2006: First prize, China’s International Press Photo contest (CHIPP) for "Earthquake victims in Kashmir".

• "FotoEvidence Book Award: 2011 Winners". Retrieved 16 May 2011.
• "Results of Fcct/OnAsia Photo Journalism Contest 2010", FCCT. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
• "The Best of Photojournalism in 2010", NPPA. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
• "2nd CHIPP Contest unveils awarded works", People's Daily, March 27, 2006. Retrieved 16 May 2011.