Faced with a terrifying, roaring wall of snow and rock bearing down on him, photographer Roberto Schmidt had time to fire off just three shots before diving into his tent as an avalanche slammed down on Base Camp.
The partially buried Columbian/German photographer was later rescued by a Sherpa guide and Schmidt went on to shoot an award-winning series of photos showing the frantic rescue effort at Base Camp, where 20 people died and scores more were injured.
They are images that conjure up the old saying -" a picture is worth 1000 words," the notion that a single photo can convey a message or story more effectively than words. And so it is with this array of photos in the 59th World Press Photo exhibition, images that portray the worst - and the best - of humanity.
Up in the peaceful, old-world charm of Smith and Caughey's top floor, the 145 images - selected from 82,951 photos by 5775 photographers - capture the terror, desperation, hopelessness, beauty, love and joy of people's lives, people who mostly live far away.
From the bizarre cult of the Kim family's North Korea to the desperate faces of refugees, and victims of war fleeing the violence, the exhibition covers the extremes of the world today.
