Hasselblad has unveiled the winners of its prestigious Hasselblad Masters biannual photo contest awarded to renowned industry professionals, emerging talents and photographers under the age of 21.

The contestants in six categories — Landscape, Architecture, Portrait, Art, Street and Project 21, a category for photographers under age 21, were asked to submit a series of three photos with a unified theme and visual style.

The images were judged on their reflection of photographic ability, creativity and technique by a combination of public voting and a jury of internationally-renowned photographers and imaging experts.

For this edition, the biannual competition fielded a record-breaking 85,000 photos submitted by photographers worldwide, marking a 35% increase in entries compared to the previous contest.

Winners are awarded the title of ‘Hasselblad Master’ and a Hasselblad 100MP mirrorless camera, two XCD series lenses and a creative fund of €5,000. They also will participate in a collaborative photo project with Hasselblad.

“A word that comes to mind when looking at the winning contributions is sense-making,” said Stefan Jensen, photographer and Curator at the Hasselblad Foundation and Grand Jury Chair. “All but one category featured photographs in their original definition – a subject in front of the camera. They range from documentary to staged images and collages. But what they have in common is that they are a reflection of reality.”

Hasselblad, the iconic Swedish manufacturer of medium-format cameras, photographic equipment and image scanners, started its world-renowned art competition in 2001, showcasing some of the best photographic works of recent times and providing a platform for photographers to make their mark.

Art and Architecture

Jan Pypers’ series explores humans’ lost bond with nature, inspired by traditional dioramas and modern digital representation. By blending reality with surrealism, Pypers creates images that evoke curiosity and intrigue, urging reconnection with and respect for the natural world. Note the whale sounding in the image below.

Tiina Itkonen’s series documents the traditional lives of Inuit hunters and their families, who live in small wooden houses in remote parts of east and northwest Greenland. Her images exemplify resilience and ingenuity in extreme conditions.

Since 1995, Itkonen has traveled regularly to Greenland to photograph the polar landscape and its people.

Landscape and Street

The images by Weimin Chu capture traditional landscapes integrated with modern developments in China. Chu creates a frame within a frame, connecting the train’s carriage interior with the outside landscape, inviting us to journey alongside the photographer through landscapes and time.

On the way to Tibet by train, “this series of works was shot in the trains of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Lalin Railway,” the photographer explains. “Outside the car window, there are not only the Gobi desert, lakes, snow-capped mountains, but also contemporary man-made landscapes such as high-voltage power towers, sand-proof walls, plateau highways.”

Tom Pitts’ series captures the unspoken emotions of strangers in transit, photographed at bus stops in England. “I wanted to capture and share the stories and moments that take place every day during people’s commutes, and the underlying beauty that passes us by,” says Pitts.

Portrait and Project

Efraïm Baaijens’ micro images capture the extraordinary beauty and detail of the insect world. “Let’s marvel at these tiny faces and remember to respect all life forms, no matter how small,” he says. “Insects are vital to our ecosystem, pollinating plants and maintaining balance in nature. You don’t have to travel far to witness nature’s wonders—just step outside and look closely.”

A woman has turned to TikTok to share her “wedding day drama” after she detailed how her $8,000 photographer made her look like a Simpsons character.

Alexandra Conder (@alexandrajaye5), now known as the ‘Sepia Bride’, received the photos from her big day and initially loved them.

As time went on, something about the snaps was bothering the makeup artist and she “couldn’t put a finger on it.”

An upset Alexandra expressed this to the photographer after putting raw images next to the edited photographs and being unimpressed by the photographer’s sepia filter.

“What did she put on my lipstick, what blush am I wearing like what is on my eye, my skin, everything,” Alexandra said about one of the images.

“One last example, this is the ocean. It looks like we got married in Seattle. What is that?” she added.

“I’m not discrediting her ability to capture a moment because that she was really good at, but it was the post edit that I was unhappy about.”

Alexandra then described herself as looking like a “Simpsons character.”

In the final instalment of her story, Alexandra says the photographer captured the day “beautifully,” she just wasn’t fond of the “post-production.”

She added: “There are so many stunning moments. It’s just the colouring and the editing on it that just washed everything out in a sense, and that’s what I was unhappy with.”

Despite turning the comments off for the clips, Alexandra has since taken it in good humour.

“The internet is a crazy place. Thank you for all the love & understanding of what happened to us. And to the haters, karma is a b,” she captioned the clip that read: “When you shared your wedding photo experience and the internet either hates you or has your back.And now being named Sepia Bride.”

“This is how you own it,” one fellow TikToker wrote, while another humoured: “Did she edit this TikTok too?”

Meanwhile, some jumped to the photographer’s defence, writing: “You’re dragging her unnecessarily.”

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Yvonne Venegas, a renowned Mexican-American photographer [@yvovenegas] , weill teach an immersive three-day workshop exploring the art of portraiture and documentary photography at PKB-Gallery. This unique opportunity is perfect for photography and art enthusiasts of all skill levels, from beginners seeking a strong foundation to seasoned photographers looking to refine their craft.

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Related Stories:

Dear Photographers: it’s time. In the past few months, I’ve talked to so many of you who are dismayed by the fact that you’re being kept away from your community and followers. Instagram, Google, TikTok, Facebook — they’re all doing it. And photographers in the past few years have leaned way too much into the idea of working with social media. It’s over. You either become a content creator and make work for an algorithm or invest into your own emotions and legacy. That’s why I think that it’s time for photographers to return to museums, galleries, and other pop-up events.

If you don’t live in a big city, I suggest working with local business owners and spaces to do more events around photography to preach the artistic merits of the format.

To help you understand this, photography has been in danger for a while. It never truly was fully accepted as a high art form. It took some steps forward with various photographers throughout the past like Joel Meyerowitz and several others. Then it fell backwards when digital took off. It was enjoying a bit more praise, and now it’s in danger again. It’s in danger due to excessive photoshopping, AI, and so much more.

Photographers: start printing again. Start getting experimental with your printing processes and making tangible pieces of your images that people want to have in their homes.

This is a short article. And it’s more than enough for me to say.

Photography is in danger.

By ASPEN ABNER

Damien Drew’s Shikoku no Seijaku (or Shikoku Silence) exhibition invites viewers to view the drastic effects of Japan’s declining population and younger generations’ migration to larger cities through his evocative imagery of Shikoku, Japan’s least populous landmass. 

The serene, yet haunting, landscapes display deserted, elementary schools and empty highways that remain largely abandoned and unused. 

Drew’s acclaimed photography captures the once-vibrant communities and the slow disappearance of human touch. The selections unveil moments of beauty in unexpected locations and re-frame the loss and decay as an opportunity for reflection. 

Damien Drew expresses that his goal for Shikoku no Seijaku is to “capture the melancholic beauty that remains in the wake of the region’s pronounced social change”. 

This is a continuation of his exploration of the Japanese philosophy ‘wabi-sabi’, which Drew says “celebrates the transient beauty found in the impermanence of all things. 

“Even though my images may depict the decline of these communities in part, I view my work as both a celebration and memorialisation of what remains.”

Damien Drew is an award-winning art director, trained architect and acclaimed photographer. He has received recognition from the Urbanautica Institute of Visual Anthropology and ranked “Australasia’s Top Emerging Photographers” in 2022 by Capture Magazine for his Shikoku series.

Through these stunning pieces, the photographer has truly illuminated rural Japanese ‘ghost towns’, offering a visual journey and broader reflection on these remote locations. 

Shikoku no Seijaku (Shikoku Silence) will be on display from July 17th to August 11th at the Woollahra Gallery at Redleaf. 

The opening for the public will be from 6 to 8 pm on Wednesday, July 17th.  Admission is free. 

More information can be found at https://www.woollahragallery.com.au/

The address is: 548 New South Head Road, Double Bay NSW 2028

A 21-year-old TAFE NSW photography graduate will be snapping the world’s best athletes next month, after securing a prized opportunity to photograph the marathon events at the Paris Olympics.

Jacob Gower, who lives in Buttaba, near Newcastle, and just graduated with a Diploma of Photography and Digital Imaging, says his own passion for long-distance running enables him to embody a different perspective for his speciality area of track and field athletes.

“We also had to do a lot of research into iconic photographers as part of my studies, and absorbing their styles inspired me to emulate a more artistic representation to help build greater recognition of track and field athletes in Australia,” he says.

“My teachers’ knowledge and expertise, along with their encouragement to build my portfolio, was part of what inspired me to travel around Australia shooting athletes at track and field events.

“Learning how to run a photography from the business side was also invaluable, things like how to respond to a brief are really important to making a successful career,” he said.

In addition to shooting the marathon in Paris, he’ll also have the rare opportunity to photograph inside the Olympic Stadium as an accredited photographer.

In addition, the young photographer has also started a new role as Creative Director with Straight At It, a media company specialising in athletics.  

“Even though my dad was a professional photographer, committing to study photography helped me realise my dream career is a possibility,” Gower said.

“I am really excited by this opportunity, it will be challenging but that’s what I love about photographing athletes,” Gower said.

TAFE NSW Hunter Street campus Head Teacher, Fine Art, David Trout, says Gower’s opportunity is testament to his talent and hard work.

“We saw from day one that he was very competent and has pushed himself to develop his own unique style. This is key to the recognition and work he is getting,” Trout said.

You can see more of Jacob Gower’s photos here. 

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (Wyoming News Now) – Michael Magill, former marine and law enforcement officer was taking rodeo photos in Chugwater, Wyoming during their annual chili cook off last month.

Taking these rodeo pictures went as normal, however when he was checking the photos after the event he noticed something peculiar.

Michael had managed to get a recreation of the “Steamboat” bucking photo, most notably known as University of Wyoming’s logo, and also found on all Wyoming license plates.

Describing the moment Michael says, “we call it divine coincidence, everything came together at the perfect moment, for that picture”.

As according to Michael he has been trying for years to capture a photo that close, and now that he has it, he is not letting it go.

In talking about the photo, “will always be a very very special photo to us, it’ll hang in our home you know for the rest of my life it’ll be passed down to my kids”, he states.

Coincidentally, Steamboat also came from a ranch located near Chugwater.

“You know its really neat to see that Steamboat, probably one of the first horizons he looked at were the bluffs that are in the back of the picture”, he adds.

Michael says that he does photography because it is “very therapeutic”, especially as he says compared to his time as a law enforcement officer.

However, Michael adds, “one of the main reasons we do what we do is to help preserve this portion of the west. I just want to show the world that this still exists, were still here, and were still doing it”.

Michelle Magill has been apart of Michael’s journey from the beginning, going from “a military wife, to an officers wife, to a photographers wife”, she can be accredited as Michael’s biggest fan, and to be with Michael every step of the way is a pleasure.

“It’s a pleasure in the journey of being able to support his role as photographer, so its just something that I just really love to do, just to be there and cheer him on”.

Michelle said that Michael screamed at her to come and look at the photo, and she was ecstatic to see what was showed to her.

Then, on June 19th the Magill’s posted the photo onto Facebook, and the results from the community really surprised them.

Michelle says, “we put it up thinking how cool is this, we did not pull it up thinking everybody and their grandmas are gonna really fall in love with this”.

The response from the community was huge to the Magills,”for those people to care as much about it as we do, gosh my heart just explodes with it”, she adds.

Michael Magill Photography will be printing a limited amount of 24×36, signed, and numbered print of his photo with a certificate of authenticity.

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