Participants of the Venice carnival

Please accept my submission of images for the Lens Culture Portrait Awards. These are a selection of images I wish to submit that depict varied participants that have, on the most part, made their own costumes and accessories to reveal a vision, an idea, a dream to share with others. I have photographed these people , made appointments to meet them at various locations in and around Venice that have been ideal for their costume. I truly believe that when shooting outdoor portraits, the background(s) should compliment the subject and the resulting images should be as if they have been captured in their own environment . Of course, all of these subjects are not from Venice, many have travelled huge distances to be part of the celebration and yet their costumes have been enjoyed by thousands of visitors to the carnival celebrations. I feel very privileged to have had the opportunity to photograph them, capture their costumes in a truly dramatic and impactful way. And I hope the characters in costume will love the timeless pictures they have of their individual creative costumes.