Portrait Award Editors’ Picks of November 2021

“A portrait is not made in the camera but on either side of it.” — Edward Steichen.

Following the results of the 2021 Portrait Award (judged by acclaimed American artist Dan Winters), the editorial team is delighted to share some of the competition entries that didn’t make the final selection but impressed in their quality, variety, and overall beauty.

We received a wealth of incredibly powerful submissions spanning all continents and genres, from classic social documentary to fine art, street, and fashion. Unfortunately, as always, we couldn’t give an award to every entrant, and so had to narrow it down to those we felt were most absorbing and which best represented the competition theme. However, we want to highlight some of the many talented artists whose images resonated with us, and which we believe are truly deserving of exposure.

“Momar” - Canary Islands
Editorial work featuring as model, Momar, a young African immigrant. “Through an editorial series I wanted to reflect on Momar’s hope and perspective”. © Chris Noltekuhlmann
“Juliet” - South Africa
From personal project “It Must Be Built From Ashes”. The project highlights the inequalities of South Africa’s education system to express the social struggles embodied by the country’s younger generations. © Justin Keene
“Patricio” - Santa Ana, California, USA
This portrait is part of a project about homelessness and drug addiction, shot on Yashica Mat 124G/Ilford Delta100 and Fuji X100F. © Mustapha El Basri
“Ruth” - Whitley Bay, England, 2021
Since Ruth has retired, she has got into TV and film extras work. I shot her on a very windy and cold morning in Whitley Bay, England. © Terry Graham
“Young boy and his monkey - Peru, Amazônia
A boy and his friend - a frequent picture shared here but each time you see it, it can and it should convey a different meaning because every time you see it, you are a different person and your focus is on something else. It is like reading a line of a poem twice. It’s like breathing a new life into something so familiar. It’s magic, a necessary jolt which opens new perspectives. What do you see today when you look at this picture? How do you feel? © Goran Jovic
“Aldo and Franco” - Italy.
Aldo and Franco are two Alpine brothers living near Mount Amadello, located in Valcamonica, Lombardy. With an elevation of 3,539 metres, it is the second highest peak of the Adamello-Presanella Alps. Trekking the mountain on a regular bases is the brothers most favorite activity since they left military life. © Cédric Dasesson
“Nenets matriarch” - Yamal Peninsula, Russia
While remaining one of the last truly migratory tribes in the world, the sense of family and belonging is very strong within the Nenets, with the family being the most critical element in the society. There, the matriarch reigns supreme. © Marios Forsos
“Kris” - Minsk, Belarus
© Julia Autz
"The King" - From series ‘Parallel Reality’
Parallel Reality is a photographic series based on Thai classic literature, folklores and fairy-tales with the hypothesis that some of the characters might have signs of depression. The series depicts the unlimited beauty of western classic art and Asian artistic heritage. It portrays sadness, sorrowness, loneliness and hopelessness in the modern medium. Those depressive symptoms have always been a part of society and usually are represented in an artistic form. Parallel Reality is another piece of artworks that elegantly performs the depressive moments with impressive inspirations. Depression is the illness that exists everywhere from fiction to the real world. © Tom Potisit
“Cowboy” - Calais, France
Djordan, 20 years old, he did not continue his studies after high school. Djordan would like to be in the military and he loves American westerns. His favorite line from Walker, Texas Ranger is, “I put my feet where I want and it’s often in the face.” © Natalya Saprunova
“Bo" - Bruges, Belgium
"When I first saw some pictures of Bo, I was struck by the sharp features and the piercing eyes. At the same time, I found there to be something more soft, emotional, dreamy... which spoke to me." © Arber Sefa
“Boy from Agadez” - Niger
Portrait of a boy met in Agadez, an ancient city in Northern Niger. The capital of the region, it lies in the Sahara desert, and is also the capital of Aïr, one of the traditional Tuareg–Berber federations. © René Fietzek
“Prophecy” - Milan, Italy 2021
From “Prophecy” editorial series. © Paolo Barretta
“One Good Turn Deserves Another” - Kyrgyzstan
Stranded on a remote mountain road in the valleys of the Tian Shan Mountains, Kyrgyzstan, this young Kyrgyz horseman came to my camp asking for help with bumping his broken down Larda. After an hour of pushing the car up and down we finally got it running and he told me his name was Argen. He graciously let me take his portrait as thanks for helping jump his car. © Alexander Metcalfe

Published December 21, 2021 - Congratulations to all selected artists: Chris Noltekuhlmann, Justin Keene, Mustapha El Basri, Terry Graham, Goran Jovic, Cédric Dasesson, Marios Forsos, Julia Autz, Tom Potisit, Natalya Saprunova, Arber Sefa, René Fietzek, Paolo Barretta, Alexander Metcalfe,

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