1ST PRIZE: THIBAULT GERBALDI

This image is a haunting yet strong portrait of a young woman, as well as a technically masterful work. The control over the shadows and highlights are very skilled. The composition and use of chiaroscuro allude to Caravaggio, Vermeer and other Old Master paintings. This link between art history and contemporary photography adds to the depth of the work. It’s a beautiful and profound portrait of a young woman that cuts across art history. – VALERIE BLAIR

The photographer depicts a culture where life, work and socialising is mainly observed between sunrise and sunset. The minimal source of natural light gives weight to the portrait, the subject looking outside as if to access the day ahead, this small act adding more meaning to the atmosphere – as if every second counts. A mindful and educated approach to documenting how other communities and cultures live their lives is always paramount, especially when basic necessities like electricity aren’t in supply. It’s a beautifully considered portrait. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – I took this photo in a remote village in Ethiopia in a hut. There is no electricity and villagers use the natural light and favor activities during the day. I took the opportunity to capture this moment at the beginning of the day during breakfast time.

2ND PRIZE: CHRISTOPHER JARVIS

Again in this image, the interplay between technical skill and storytelling lend to the strength of the work. The control over the grey scale, from the dark tree trunks to the steely grey sky and every shade in between shows great control over the medium. There’s also a surreal strangeness to the scene, a wrecked car, a solitary figure. As a viewer, we feel as though we’ve stumbled upon a moment of intrigue or danger. This successfully creates a sense of heightened tension in the image. – VALERIE BLAIR

Both the style and subject of this scene is full of mystery and anticipation – as if it has come straight from a Nordic noir film or book, instantly engaging the viewer’s imagination. The use of black and white is significant in creating the atmosphere for this image. The photographer intentionally invites the observer to speculate the events that have led up to this delicately dramatic moment, and how this story will evolve. A stunning photograph in both a visual and contextual sense. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – While on a road trip through the East Coast I woke up one morning to this incredible fog in rural Maryland. I spent the whole morning driving around making photographs when I eventually stumbled upon this scene on a desolate back road. It ended up being my favorite photo from the whole trip. I find it very poetic and symbolic but I’ll leave it up to the viewer’s individual interpretation.

ALAIN SCHROEDER

Energy and excitement become the foundations of this image as the viewer consumes all the aspects of this action scene, contemplating the what and why of this moment. The photographer’s adventurous spirit is revealed through this brave and remarkable perspective, adding to the apprehension of the image. A truly captivating and original photograph, however more understanding of this culture and on the welfare of both animal and riders would be welcomed. – LIFE FRAMER

ANDREA BRUNO

Beauty emerges from each edge of this arresting scene, leaving the viewer captivated by the detail, movement and strength of the bird in full flight. This striking image is perfectly balanced; from timing to symmetry, exposure to contrast, this is clearly the product of a skilled photographer and makes us as viewers question how you go about achieving such a shot. The work of nature and wildlife photographers – both amateur and professional – is a hopeful act and symbol of our commitment to conservation of our natural environments, and images like this remind us just how important it is. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Angelic Common Tern.

KARS TUINDER

A mild sense of urgency underpins the scene, as tasks and trade take-up priority here on the water’s edge and people gather with intention and importance. The photograph is filled with pattern and movement as each silhouetted figure cuts a unique shape against the glistening water as they fulfil their duties. A wonderful storyful image, centred around this one woman, patiently waiting so she can move on to her next errand of the day. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – The fish market, Tanji, The Gambia. A mother waits for her son to collect fish from the fisher boats. She will sell the fish at the local fish market.

JUKKA MALE

An arresting and amusing scene emerges from this black and white domestic setting. The viewer studies the image for more information on how this situation is possible, the grain and blur adding to the theatrics of the moment. From the accompanying text, it appears as if the photographer has become more of a poet or storyteller of the town, knowing and anticipating as and when these magic moments will appear in their adoptive environment. More images from this vast body of work would be enjoyable to view. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – White is the new dark. Black is our light.

Średnia Wieś looks like an ordinary Polish village. Even its name could be interpreted wrong – an average or ordinary village. The name comes from the triple village Terpiczów’s middlest village Terpiczów Średni. People here live like everywhere else. But was the village always only Polish?

A very long time I used to watch Średnia Wieś for blindly, not knowing the tough history of the area around it. I came here for the first time just because I wanted to a hilly area the furthest away seen from Finland. I looked for an inspiring environment and so I headed to the hillier regions and ended up in Northern Carpathia. Accidentally and luckily.

My photos of Średnia Wieś are taken during 36 years. The first visit was in 1979 and the last one in April 2015. During that period both Poland and Średnia Wieś have gone through major changes. The collapse of the Socialist regime and later the accession of Poland to the European Union.

Since my first visit the most visible change for the village has been that the three hundred cows and a hundred horses were washed out with the changes. But a bigger change happened in my mind. Because of the invisible.

JUAN CARLOS OSMA

The photographer has taken a subjective and personal approach to this beautiful piece of imagery. Their caption reads as if they are attempting to prove their identity and skill is not just physical, but still unsure how true this is. The grainy quality gives this exquisite structural image a timeless quality, and the staging speaks to both the grace and the frustration of practicing such a difficult discipline as ballet. Both beauty and rawness accentuated in black and white. The wider body of work would be a fascinating series to observe and consider. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Swan Break. The moment we identify ourselves with our bodies, the suffering begins and as ballet dancers is easy to get into that trap. Must of us have a narcissistic persona and is not hard to understand as our main tool is our body and the better we take care of it the longer we’ll dance. In this series I explored separating the legs from the torso using materials to hide their bodies and show them their own artistic quality beyond their beauty. They have something that touches deeper than a beautiful body, they have art.

AXEL SCHNEEGASS

This dreamlike moment welcomes the viewer’s gaze with a soft focus and a wash of pale tones and shadowy shades. The half portrait seems tactile – as if the water is moving – and the subject’s one visible eye holds an intense stare without being intimidating. There is a quality of classic beauty to this portrait, peppered with elements of femininity, youth and self-assurance. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Waterlove.

KIM JIHOON

The accompanying text acts like an infinity mirror, as if the viewer is never seeing the real subject matter, just another version of it through different frames. The photographer gives us a serious insight to the fast paced development of human behaviour and our reaction to technology. An enchanted experience takes place within the main frame, however as the multiple small screens come into view, the perhaps ugly truth becomes more apparent. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Record a firework festival – Gwangalli, Busan, Korea. Many people seem to prefer recording with media equipment rather than actually seeing it. Now it seems that humanity is evolving that way. I am also taking pictures through a media device called a camera.

ELENA PARASKEVA

The viewer is drawn into this person’s world of solitude and somberness. The photographs within the photograph appear as prominent as the woman sitting on the bed, as if she is surrounded by the presence of these people. With the curtains drawn against the daylight and shadows swallowing the foreground, there is an unavoidable bleakness to the scene. More context and understanding of this woman’s story would be interesting, but the universal emotions it captures – loss, nostalgia, the passing of time – are clear. – LIFE FRAMER

JONATHAN MOLLER

An impactful scene full of story and personality draws the viewer into this group portrait. All aspects of the image signify a family or community celebration – the bouquets of flowers and white detailed cape possibly indicate a wedding – however, the facial expressions are worn in contrast to the event. The black and white aspect also removes the joyful elements of this moment. The wider body of work, and the book itself would help give context to this photograph. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – From my ten year project resulting in the book, Our Culture is Our Resistance: Repression, Refuge and Healing in Guatemala, powerHouse Books, 2004.

MIRKO CAMPEGGI

The viewer is met with a tactile scene, one that appeals to the senses while conjuring up feelings of a dreamy escape and memories of another life. The silhouetted figure anchors the image at the centre of the fabric frame-within-a-frame and adds a sense of familiarity – as if the photographer is observing a friend, or even themselves. The subtle contrast in shades and carefully captured details of shadows allows texture and pattern to animate the photograph. – LIFE FRAMER

JAN STEC RUSSO

Form, tone and pattern dominate the image, elevating it to create this visually pleasing aesthetic. As the viewer absorbs the image, questions on consumerism, climate and environmental impact take center focus. The black and white repetition enables the reality of the situation to take hold. This unusual snapshot of the modern world gives an insight into the future of our natural world. – LIFE FRAMER

SERGIO VOLANI

This atmospheric portrait could easily be a still from a period drama or acclaimed theatre production. The photographer’s exquisite use of light and shallow depth of field elevates the authenticity of the people within the image, their expressions unavoidable. The absence of color allows the viewer to focus more on the detail of their embellished garments, while pondering the success of their continued cultural traditions and what the future brings for these girls and young women. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Young girls in Olympos, Greece.

MUHAMMAD AMDAD HOSSAIN

The viewer would be forgiven for thinking they are observing an illustration, or even an archival image from a century ago, the agricultural tools – scythe and cart – grounding the image in a time gone by. The black and white reducing it to its bare silhouetted elements. However, it can be a dangerous, prejudiced perspective to assume all cultures and communities can access or choose more modern equipment. The photographer skilfully captures this misty morning landscape, full of tradition and necessity – working and living off the land. The photographer’s style of work is hauntingly beautiful. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Beginning of the day, Bangladesh.

ANDREA TEDONE

The image is void of people, allowing the observer to truly consider the aftermath of these acts – how almost instantaneously violence and wreckage can occur but how long it can take to repair and resolve. It’s not uncommon to observe protest and riot images in black and white – it aids the viewer to take on the gravity of the destruction and chaos. A thought provoking image full of detail and symbology that very much speaks to our tumultuous times. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – April 2023: thousands of people gathered in Sainte-Soline (France) against the construction of mega reservoirs. Thousands of tear gas canisters and grenades were thrown by police: two people in a coma.

XAMARA MAISONET

At first it seems as if the little window sits quietly in the background like a small painting on a dark gallery wall, however as the viewer studies the scene more shape and form come into play. The depth of focus allows details of this fortressed room to slowly appear in their true sense, as the interior of a castle or fort reveals itself. Although the perspective takes place above an historic piece of artillery – an immediate reminder of the destruction of war and conflict – the photograph reads like a note or reminder of hope in a dark time, that there is always light to reach for. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Through the Window.

DAVID MONCEAU

The photographer raises a very poignant topic – loneliness. It can be difficult to contemplate how loneliness can be so prevalent in a place populated with millions of people, however this portrait depicts the situation in a tangible perspective. It appears as if the surrounding crowded streets, full of busy people, buildings, signs and shops are unable to distract the subject from their inner thoughts. The image invites the viewer to take time to observe the scene and consider the complexity of this situation and the accompanying emotions. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – My Tokyo Silence project explores daydreams and loneliness inside the biggest city in the world.

LUCCA LEANDRO BARBERY

Silence secures the scene as the viewer considers the silhouetted subject in their contemplative moment. A stillness echoes throughout the image, even the water appears like glass – only the slight ripples indicating the lake’s presence. The photograph is accomplished in a precise and thoughtful manner, each layer composed with the perfect amount of detail, shade and focus. The photograph is almost like a postcard but there is a deeper understanding of life on these coastal and lakeside communities, beyond the picturesque vistas. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Lake Nyabikere II – The precise silhouette of a fisherman stands out in a crater lake, framed by the contours of palm leaves and a misty haze. The scene, almost artificial in its composition, lends the picture a mysterious intimacy. Ground and sky merge, and the clear line of the fisherman contrasts with the diffuse surroundings, which envelop the picture in a silent tension.

SÉBASTIEN DURAND

This photograph appears like a collage, as if the scene is cut out and placed on another background – almost mirroring the photographer’s caption on ‘two separate worlds’. The perspective has a sneaky element, as if the photographer keeps themselves patiently hidden, waiting for an opportunity to capture a moment of everyday life in an abstract sense – removing it from context and studying the literal aspects of these mundane actions. A weird and wonderful piece of photography. – LIFE FRAMER

Photographer statement – Stairway to… Man leaving a parking lot for a business center, via a staircase seeming to separate two worlds.