Meet the Winners!
picks
Álvaro Vegazo's makes 'classic' reportage and street photography where composition, gestures of the subjects and the photographer's gaze manage to result in a pleasant and impactful image. The (chance?) or patience of the photographer makes us simultaneously see the men looking one way while the woman in the background looks the other way. Even metaphorically this photograph tells us a lot.
I’m attracted to the clutter and composition of these images — each one is jam-packed, multi-layered, and crowded with life. Aniruddha Guha Sarkar fills each frame with activity, and puts us in the mix, up close. He helps us to see the beauty of everyday humanity in these dense urban spaces shaped by shadows and vivid colors and bathed in rich warm light.
I was pleasantly surprised by the work of photographer Caroline Grimprel, who was a discovery for me. Her series Ones Among the All stood out for its calm and melancholic feel. I also appreciated her use of vertical compositions in street photography—which is not an easy feat. Each photo introduces us to scenes of a small Japanese town, yet the emotions conveyed could resonate anywhere in the world. Caroline's ability to capture stillness and emotion in her work is very impressive. Her unique approach and skillful execution in Ones Among the All showcase her great talent and thoughtful perspective.
Daniel Sackheim's black and white images have a timeless, cinematic quality. I feel like I'm looking at a movie set with the info booth and the express train images in particular. He makes strong compositions and uses light and shadow very effectively. Each scene feels dramatic. Overall the set of pictures hang well together. Daniel's professional background as an Emmy award-winning director and producer, and his early obsession with Film Noir has clearly played into how he sees and makes images.
This series by Gustavo Bravo brings a new layer to street photography. The photographer follows the body language of pedestrians through the streets of Bilbao, from light to shadow, allowing you to see them for a moment. It refers to the work Beltzuria by the writer Ixiar Rozas, whose study of words forever transforms the photographer's view who uses the camera to read the energy emitted by human beings passing through this space: some absent, others sleepwalking. Already in ancient times, the Romans believed in the existence of 'genius loci', spirits that watched over and protected certain spaces, giving them special magic, sometimes of an evil character.
In the attempt to contribute to photography and more specifically the subset genre of street photography, a lot of images become the same—there’s a similarity in tropes, ideas and use of color and shadow, etc... and while tradition needs to be respected and honored, it's crucial that a pursuit to contribute and advance the medium is always present. It is extremely clear to me that the series The Illusion of Meaning by Svilen Nachev does exactly this. The work is surprising, funny, dark and unique all at once. The idea that this work was not just a fluke was reinforced by visiting the artist's website, where many more, if not better images can be found.
Sadie Quarrier is the Deputy Director of Photography for National Geographic where she manages a team of 19 photo editors and oversees the assignment, production, and acquisition of photography across print and digital platforms. She provides journalistic insight and editorial guidance on the development of visual storytelling across platforms.
Previously she was Deputy Director of Mobile Storytelling where she oversaw producers creating engaging, mobile–first stories and videos. From 2002-2019, Sadie was a Sr. Photo Editor at National Geographic magazine where she was responsible for producing, managing, and editing 20+ stories/year. She was twice a finalist for Visual Editor of the Year by Pictures of the Year International (POYi). Sadie has traveled around the world on assignments and teaching National Geographic Photo Camps. Her career started at National Geographic in 1992.
Paul Schiek is the founder of TBW Books, an independent photo book publisher based in Oakland, California. He is also the director of Workshop de Allende, a photographic arts workshop based in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where recent workshop sessions have been led by Curran Hatleberg, Juan Brenner, Jim Goldberg, Alessandra Sanguinetti, Mark Steinmetz, and Irina Rozovsky.
Gulnara Lyabib Samoilova is a photographer, author, and founder of Women Street Photographers. With 40 years’ combined experience as a documentary and street photographer, artist, darkroom printer, photojournalist, and photo editor, Samoilova transformed the successful Instagram account @WomenStreetPhotographers into a global platform. She has launched a website, traveling exhibitions, artist residency, inspirational film series, and photography book, Women Street Photographers (Prestel, 2021). A former Associated Press photojournalist, Samoilova received national and international awards for her iconic photographs of September 11, including first prize in the World Press Photo competition. She holds a certificate in creative practices from the International Center of Photography in New York City and a diploma in photography from Moscow Polytech College. Samoilova lives and works in New York City.
Enrico Stefanelli is the founder and artistic director of Photolux Festival, the biennial of photography in Lucca, Italy. He has curated several exhibitions including: Tim Hetherington, Jan Saudek, Horst P. Horst, VII Agency, Nobuyoshy Araki, Boris Mikhailov and David Douglas Duncan. From 2010 to 2017, he was the Italian curator of the European Photo Exhibition Award. Enrico is a photographer and journalist and teaches photography in workshops. He has written articles and contributions on photography for several catalogs, books and magazines. He participates in portfolio reviews around the world, serves on international photography juries, and is a member of the nominating committee for the Joop Swart Masterclass at World Press Photo. He is also the nominator for the Leica Oskar Barnack Award and Prix Pictet.
Marina Paulenka is the founding Director of Exhibitions at Fotografiska Berlin, where she is responsible for the museum’s exhibition strategy, artistic vision and affairs, and program. Fotografiska is the contemporary museum for photography, arts and culture with the vision to provide one of the most beautiful stages that Berlin has to offer for both established artists and up-and-coming talents on the one hand, as well as the internationally acclaimed community of creatives in Berlin on the other. Paulenka has 15 years of experience in artistic direction, curating, education, leadership, management and development in culture and art institutions and organizations, as well as her own artistic practice.
She was the Artistic Director of UNSEEN Foundation and UNSEEN, an Amsterdam-based platform for contemporary photography that presents the latest developments in photography and amplifies the careers of boundary-pushing artists. Before her role at Unseen, she worked as Artistic Director and Curator of the Organ Vida International Photography Festival, the leading institution for contemporary photography in Croatia. Paulenka is a member of the Creative Committee at the Bristol Photo Festival, a guest curator at FUTURES Photography, and a keynote curator for the FORMAT21 International Photography Festival. She is the recipient of the Lucie Awards 2018 for the best curator/ exhibition of the year for the “Engaged, Active, Aware: Women Perspectives Now” exhibition.
Jim Casper is the editor-in-chief of LensCulture, one of the leading online destinations to discover new contemporary photography from around the world. As an active member in the contemporary photography world, Casper loves to meet with photographers and talk about photography. He curates art exhibitions, publishes books, conducts workshops, serves as an international juror, nominates photographers for key awards, and is an advisor to arts and education organizations.