Portrait Award May 2020
– Theme: Portrait Photography / Competition Judge: Dan Winters
Portrait photography has one of the oldest and most interesting histories that harkens back to the early days of the medium. Through portraits of iconic figures or ordinary people, we discover a deep interest in others. This award aimed to discover the most powerful and captivating images of today’s portrait photography.
Join us over on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter where we’ll be sharing all our favorite images from the competition. Congratulations to all the talented photographers who made it to the final!
Finalists
Jury's Feedback
“The work submitted this year is of the highest caliber, each image is worthy of note. It was difficult to assign a numerical order to the images, however, such is the charge. I thoroughly enjoyed the process and found inspiration in working with these photographs.” – Dan Winters
1ST PRIZE: Angelika Kollin
“This photograph deeply affected me from the start and as I worked through the judging, I repeatedly came back to it. We often use references when describing photographs. “Painterly” is often used, but the mere light and shadow interplay as a photograph’s sole justification is not enough. This image, however, is rife with catharsis and deep emotion. W. Eugene Smiths’ “ Minamata” comes to mind. I have a knowledge of the context from the caption, and I do sense the urgency and fleeting nature of the image. There is a palpable urgency, a desire to not only resist imminent demise, but also a desire to shepherd one until the end.” – Dan Winters
2ND PRIZE: Justin Keene
“This portrait is spectacular. As a viewer, I immediately sense the reluctance of the subject to fully reveal his or herself. The photograph feels as though it was made in a safe environment, but the subject seems to be haunted by the stigma of gender orientation. I sense the subject’s desire, but also a deep apprehension to be fully revealed. The color palette is sublime and the powerful use of diagonals heightens the image’s energy. Perfection.” – Dan Winters
3RD PRIZE: Simon Martin
“Whatever a photograph may be, it is always about the relationship between the subject and the photographer. Here the viewer appears to be tolerated yet not exactly welcome, which genuinely enhances our curiosity. Adequately framed, we understand the young cadet’s ongoing duty. However, the crooked tower of hats and the body position reminds us of the young boy wearing the uniform and contrasts with the concept of rigorous military training – it is touching and well-composed.” – The Independent Photographer Editors
- © Travis Smith
Judge: Dan Winters
Known for the broad range of subject matter he is able to interpret, American artist Dan Winters is widely recognized as one of the most acclaimed portrait photographers of his time.
His iconic celebrity portraiture has won him over one hundred national and international awards from American Photography, Communication Arts, PDN, The Art Directors Club of New York & Life Magazine. In 2003, he won the 1st place World Press Photo Award in the portrait category and was honored by Kodak as a photo “Icon” in their biographical “Legends” series. Throughout his career, he was also awarded the prestigious Alfred Eisenstaedt Award for Magazine Photography.
In addition to regular assignments for magazines such as Esquire, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Rolling Stone, Newsweek, Time, and The New Yorker, his work has appeared in five solo exhibitions in galleries in New York and Los Angeles and a book of his work entitled “Dan Winters: Periodical Photographs” was published in 2009 by Aperture.
