Sentimentalist A photography project by Matthew Dols

The society we live in focuses on superficial beauty, and as a photographer I am a participant in this as much as anyone else. But I wanted to make photographs that transcend the societal focus on physical beauty and engage with the nature of who a person is at their essence. What they represent and who they are. Not just what they look like.

My impressions of people in my life are an amalgamation of every experience that I have shared with them. No person is perfect, and no memories are all one sided. These images represent the overall idea of a person. The good and the bad, an entire lifetime of knowing someone in a fraction of a second.

This imagery takes the myriad of experiences and expectations and blends all of them together. A single image is created by layering hundreds of images of a single person in order to create a ‘sense’ of that person, and how I see them. Some of the images end up being representational, while others become more ethereal, which is illustrative of the variety of people in my life. — Matthew Dols

– Discover more of Matthew’s work here

Call for entries

fashion fine art studio portrait of woman by Ivana Sunjic
© Ivana Sunjic
2025 Portrait AWARD

Win $2700 Cash Awards & International Exposure

Can you tell a story with a single glance? – in May, we invite all photographers to share portraits that narrate compelling tales, whether captured in the controlled environment of a studio, the vibrant chaos of the street, or the rich landscapes of travel.

  • Win $2700 in Cash Prizes
  • International Exhibition
  • +870k Instagram Feature
  • Free Online Portfolio

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