EDITORS’ PICK
The Charming Repetition
FOUR SEASONS
FOUR SEASONS EDITORS’ PICK
Following Alex Snyder’s selection of winning images for our recent Four Seasons competition, this compilation of 20 images represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
When selecting for editor’s picks we’re always searching for those striking photographs that make for an unforgettable single image, whether from a broader series or not. We enjoy the accompanying text some photographers submit with their images, and while not always necessary it can be relevant when understanding the work in full context.
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
BANNER IMAGE: MAGALI CHESNEL
This aerial shot may be unusual for photographing a field of roses but is effective. It puts things in perspective, allowing us to focus on the bigger picture and emphasizing the season as a subject matter instead of the flower. It’s a celebration of beauty, nonetheless, but also a subtle reminder of the role of repetition in our lives, along with the existence of large-scale industries behind personal gestures. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Roses gateway. Immersion in a small Swiss field with the queen of flowers, the rose. The different varieties of roses in bloom are an explosion for the eyes and the nose. The multi-colored from purple to pale pink via grey and even true blue, and the subtle fragrances make this small place an authentic, engaging and resting one, where beauty and naturalism are an embodied journey to meet with the spirit of the Rose.
MATHIEU SIMONET
Seasons dictate our lives, habits, and mood. The photograph beautifully captures spring’s vibrancy, energy, and freshness. It makes the season the main subject, although one can read multiple stories between the lines. It makes everything seem possible and conveys an overwhelming feeling of freedom. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Spring in Paris, France.
KATHRIN VAZ
The photographer spotted spring in the middle of a busy city, showing nature has its way to get to us. At the same time, spring is not just a season here, but the concept of birth, renewal and growth. The association is underlined by the unusual shooting angle and the crescent leading line, while the black and white aesthetic accentuates the timelessness of the concept. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – New life, New York City.
JUAN SILVA
Although seasons are not always easy on us, humans have found a way to survive and enjoy the longest, coldest winters, the hottest summers, and everything in between. This environmental portrait focuses on culture and traditions, showing how our civilization is deeply rooted in the repetition of the seasons. A wonderful, joyful image. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Taken in the Xinjiang region of China.
ANITA GAIRNS
No one can deny the magic we witness each time the season changes. It’s an amazing transformation, a unique performance that only nature is capable of. This image captures the unique moment between summer and autumn when both seasons are present and display their best features. It takes a good eye and a loving heart to notice this particularly volatile moment. A glorious display of color and scale. – LIFE FRAMER
BRIAN OH
Majestic, silent, unforgiven, but stunningly beautiful, winter is the main subject of this photograph. The black and white season takes over cities and fields alike. Most creatures hide inside warm spaces, slow down, allow their bodies to rest, and plan the future. But some creatures enjoy winter as much as any other season (if not more). They are the restless, the adventurers, the ones that love cold and snow, and indulge in the smell of frost in the morning. This photograph is about them, which shows just how versatile this theme can be. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Etobicoke, Ontario, Canada.
DOMÈNEC FERNÁNDEZ BACHS
This beautiful winter scene seems taken from a fairy tale. The snowy hills, the contour of the village, the curious horses, and the tonal color palette blend in effortlessly. There is a sense of calmness that passes through, inviting the viewer to slow down too. The layered composition works wonders for this shot. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Horses look at the camera while snow falls, Location: Os de Civís, Catalonia, Spain.
MONIKA PAYER
This photograph proves that stillness can make a great subject matter. In a minimalist décor, winter takes over the scene – alive and glistening. The photographer has thoughtfully avoided colors and busy compositions and allowed both nature and human-made objects to speak for themselves. The image is a good example of how less is sometimes more. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Still life on frozen Charles River, Massachusetts, US.
LEWIS ABLEIDINGER
Winter can ground our planes and stop our cars. Its force is commensurable and should be always considered. It’s the message of this simple, black and white photograph, with a symmetric composition and a strong focal point in the center of the frame. Nevertheless, the photograph narrates much more – a complex, almost whimsical story – an amalgamation of endurance and playfulness that winter uniquely inspires within us. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – North of York, ND.
LIEVEN ENGELEN
The photographer chose an environmental portrait to document a life closely tied to the environment. Seasons influence how the land is worked and what is consumed throughout the year, so we can speak about seasons in terms of crops and food too. The photographer notices very well that in isolated environments such as this one, there is a higher degree of vulnerability to seasons but also a stronger connection with them. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – People from the Danube Delta. Most of the people that inhabit this barren land are self sufficient and live off whatever the Delta or their own gardens have on offer. Victorica Bistriteanu from the hamlet of Cardon showing of a freshly harvested beetroot.
ALAN BURLES
This picturesque landscape is how many of us would describe the end of summer: a blue sky, a golden field, and green hills in between. However, because it is a subject matter we are so familiarized with, it becomes difficult to come up with a fresh composition and perspective. In the case of this image, the secret is simplicity. The clean composition, the accurate colors, and the sharp details create the personal style it needs to be a successful image. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – I liked the challenge of finding photographs that immediately spoke of the season they were captured in – without the need for a description.
BENIZI SANTAMARIA
A nice parallel between humans and animals, a spring tableau that includes nature and humanity, a multi-layered composition that slowly reveals itself, this photograph has it all. It’s clear that the photographer took the time to immerse in the atmosphere and had the patience to wait for the decisive moment – the wry, playful moment when two mothers and their young cross paths. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Spring Babies – Humans and swans aren’t that different when it comes to raising their young.
FLORENCE LEYRET
The photograph documents the celebration of rain in communities that depend on it for survival and showcases how a phenomenon many despise can be a blessing for others. The frame is crowded with symbols and reveals story after story, without getting away from the main subject: the rain. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The rainy season in Mexico’s highlands lasts for six months, but in the indigenous villages of Michoacán, celebrations persist come rain or shine. This image was captured on August 10th, during San Lorenzo’s feast day–a time typically marked by heavy afternoon rains after sunny mornings.
Despite the downpour, nothing deters the villagers from expressing their deep faith, an integral part of the cultural and religious fabric of the region, especially within Pur?pecha communities. In the background, the saints’ images, lavishly adorned with flowers, are carried in procession. Women laugh and smile, draping their heads with rebozos (traditional shawls) as they prepare to continue the journey.
Here, rain is seen as a blessing and is met with gratitude. No storm can hinder the vibrant manifestation of their faith.
BASTIAN PETER
Seasons are the settings of our stories, a fact this photographer knows very well. The cinematic composition cleverly uses contrast to create a strong focal point but also to increase the visual weight of the snowy background. Change it, and the story will unravel completely different. This is the art of photography, to show us how changing any tiny detail of a moment will trigger a chain reaction that changes everything in the end. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – I am a candid street photographer from Basel, in Switzerland. My photographs are part of my ongoing series “Poems of the Passing”. I think with these particular photographs, the seasons play not only a leading role, they also create the setting for my storytelling.
MIGZ PEREZ
Who knew winter can display such an intense shade of fuchsia? The photographer shows us not just a unique face of a season and a magical place on earth but also how photography can be a means of expressing our love for nature. It’s clear that the photographer isn’t there by chance, looking for a good shot, but is deeply engaged with the environment and loves every aspect of it. Even the cold. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Palmer, Alaska – a mountain bathed in a fuchsia-pink sunset unlike anything I’ve ever seen. Winter is my favorite season. The cold winds, the feeling of stepping on fresh snow, the way the sunset shifts to a cooler hue, and how the snow creates a stunning contrast against everything not white–it all feels almost magical. I’ve been lucky enough to witness winter in many places.
LEE KILHWA
By focusing on details, the photographer takes us closer to nature. There is beauty everywhere, in the novelty and repetition. The simple composition, the soft color palette, the delicate subject matter, all working together seamlessly to produce an artful image and convince you it’s worth looking around and being present. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – South Korea.
MARIA SEMMER
It is impossible to discuss seasons without mentioning water, the essential element that sustains life on Earth. This fine-art portrait demonstrates exceptional technique, compositional skills, and storytelling capability. The various layers of transparency lure the viewer into an intriguing realm, awaking a desire for further exploration. The work is akin to a visual poem, a dream, or a subtle whisper. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The Dream Ballads play inside of a hidden lake surrounded by trees where the evening light and dusk reveal a special mystical atmosphere. Thereby the water exerts a magnetic force of attraction to me, for it’s origin relates to the space of unconsciousness, the darkness, the night. Immersions into this water lead us back to this infinite space. The water surface represents the border of both worlds, the world of conscious- and unconsciousness. It is fascinating for me to dissolve the borders between those two worlds on my photographs by immersing people and objects into the water. Diving into this water also means to visit another world full of secrets, like in our dreams. It is an invitation for you to travel to mystical worlds and to see them through the eyes of a dreamer.
DAVID PICKENS
A fine-art take on seasons, this colorful, vibrant environmental portrait is impossible to forget. The composition is complex, rich in visual elements – almost hiding the model -, impactful, and full of imagination. This is probably how we’ve imagined the seasons’ gods will look like if we were to meet them in person. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The Autumnal Chair. Seasonal portraits of Florist Ash Claydon…
Four portraits of Florist, Ash Claydon in the four seasons with the available flora. I became interested in how different flowers could affect the feeling of a portrait and therefore by extension, the importance of seasonal change. The four seasons evoke different feelings, and I am inquiring how seasonal change affects us, both externally and within. A collaborative personal project with just 2 of us, where I was Ash’s floral assistant and she was my lighting assistant. Photographed over two years with virtually zero budget.
PATRIK PAPES
The photographer allows the scene to dictate the composition and makes the gloomy weather the main focal point of the frame. One can almost feel the humidity in the air, the cold fog, the frozen mud under the boots… it speaks volumes about the photographer’s ability to interact with the environment and narrate its story rather than imposing a story on it. – LIFE FRAMER
MAURICIO HOLC
We’ve made celebrations of the seasons again and again, unstained by the passing of time. Spring is probably the most celebrated one because it brings nature back to life and gives us the hope of a new beginning. This portrait skilfully emphasizes the deep connection between man and nature, the seasons’ influence on our spirituality, and the continuity and repetition of our traditions. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Four Seasons: Blossoming Ñanderu (From the project “YVY-MARA EY (Land without evil / Tierra sin mal))
Portrait of Marcelo Ramirez covered with mud, flowers and plants in the indigenous Mbyá Guaraní community “Tekoa El Chapa” (Colonia Alberdi, Misiones, Argentina) representing their Creator “Ñanderu” and the intrinsic relationship with spring season and the beginning of life. According to the beliefs of the Mbyá Guaraní people, Ñanderu is their creator, who first created himself in a vegetable form, like a tree, thus extending to nature itself and to the beings that live in it. In the Mbyá Guaraní culture, nature and its creator are the same thing. The tree, honey or a bird have a spirit; they are manifestations of Ñanderu. For them every year begins in spring and it marks a spiritual rebirth and a new cycle of nature, this ancestral event coincides with the blossoming of the trees and symbolizes the renewal of life, connection with the earth and respect for nature. The Guarani indigenous people are great ecologists; the care, love and respect for nature have been entrusted by Ñanderu, their relationship with the earth and nature is fundamental to understanding their worldview.
