“YOUTHHOOD”
ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS
“Who can know the heart of youth but youth itself?” – Patti Smith
We’re delighted to present the results of our Youthhood theme, judged by American social documentary photographer Greg Miller. As a term, “youth” conjures so much – the heady freedom, simplicity and naivety of childhood but also the uncertain state of transition into adulthood and everything that goes with it. Broadening boundaries, self-expression, and the growing understanding of one’s place in a complex world. Emotions of this time are so deeply felt, memories so profoundly etched, and as adults we look back with yearning, contentment, discomfort and a thousand other feelings for the experiences that may be called formative.
This selection of images captures many such feelings – traversing the dreams and the realities of the young from China to South Africa via Mongolia, India, Belgium and Japan. It captures the joys and sadness of the world adolescents experience, and the one they’ll inherit. We witness diverse perspectives, from a range of talented image-makers.
Congratulations to the selected photographers, and thank you to everyone else who submitted. You can join the discussion on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
FIRST PRIZE – KRISTOF HUF
www.kristofhuf.com / @kristofhuf
“These two boys are situated in a doorway out to a bleak, inhospitable world. We would not know that, however, from the young man’s smiling expression which is a mix of mischief and innocence. Their playfulness so defies the setting that one gets the urge, as if watching a film, to warn them of some impending fate. But the multiple scars on his face suggest that there is nothing we know that this boy doesn’t already know and probably worse. He smiles at us in spite of it all, wearing the distant streetlight like antennae he procured from the carnival.” – Greg Miller
“An image where the duality of darkness and light works on two levels – in the striking ‘split screen’ framing, and of course in the contrast between the closeness of these boys and their smiles, and the desolate landscape they inhabit. There exists here both hope and despair, and the central subject – with an expression of knowingness that defies his years – balances precariously between the two.” – Life Framer
SECOND PRIZE – SUZY RASKIN
www.suzyraskinphotography.com / @suzyraskinphotography
“This simple yet effective, handmade, paper mask, one might find in any elementary school class, disrupts our ability to know this person. Our gaze is hindered by layered, peeling, skin-like paper and skull-like eye holes. But the solid return gaze of her visible right eye would indicate that our understanding of who she is doesn’t matter. Our inability to interpret her face doesn’t take away from her ability to know herself.” – Greg Miller
“Captured in austere black and white, this young girl wearing a moisturizing face mask greets us with a penetrating gaze and a seriousness that belies the context. Small and fragile – the face mask far too big for her and stuck down messily against her skin – the scene provides an interesting comment on the ‘beauty’ industry, and ideals that impact even girls of this young age.” – Life Framer
ALEX FRANCO
www.alex-franco.com / @alexfrrranco
“Alex photographs a young Mongolian horse keeper, standing proudly in the surroundings of the Orkhon valley where he practices his trade. Captured centrally and atop this rock he has a nobility that belies his years, beautifully portraying that liminal state of youthhood – the boy becoming the man – in stunning, ephemeral golden hour lighting.” – Life Framer
VINCE LOVECCHIO
“Painted in magical hazy mauve tones, Vince presents a different perspective on youthhood, with the subjects of his image perched on a temple rooftop, watching boats pass by on the Ganges river. Captured from this distant vantage point the body of water seems infinite, emphasizing those feelings of adventure and youthful wonder. Even from afar the excitement in their body language is apparent, and infectious!” – Life Framer
KRIS CHENG
www.krischeng.com / @kristofer.cheng
“Taken from a series documenting the remote Nunivak Island in Alaska and its native residents who “persevere through the collision of tradition and modernity on a daily basis”, Kris presents an exquisitely framed and lit portrait of two boys out seal hunting at low tide. Observing them at work in this sparse grey wilderness, we are offered a glimpse into not only the subsistence-based relationship between community and land, but also the responsibility taken on by young adults in this environment.” – Life Framer
JANINA WICK
www.janinawick.com / @janinawick
“Taken from her series Thirteen, Kimberly is one of several girls of this age captured by Janina. Lost in thought stood on the threshold of her bedroom, it captures so much of what defines that age – of exploring self-expression and who you want to be, and the vulnerability, uncertainty and guardedness that goes with it. The deliberate framing – between a poster of one of her idols and an aptly metaphorical moon and stars – is a clever way of accentuating these feelings.” – Life Framer
ARGUS PAUL ESTABROOK
www.arguspaul.com / @arguspaul
“Cleverly framing the focused face of this gamer in the reflection of the glass arcade screen, Argus captures a satisfying image of a fascinating subculture – one where enjoyment can tip into obsession.” – Life Framer
OLA VATN
“Taken from her series Working Class Heroes, Ola presents a formal portrait of Bikram, a 12 year old boy who sells cotton candy on the streets of Kathmandu. Scraping an existence together while so many others his age go to school, he will have had to grow up fast, facing hardship beyond what most of us will. He sells a dream he’ll get precious little of. And framed here against a pink wall that matches his bags of sugary cotton candy, he seems uneasy, a little wary and vulnerable – doubtlessly not used to this kind of attention offered by Ola, who pays him handsomely for his time and image. He stands as an emblem to the sad, gross injustice in child labor, exhibiting a strength of character to improve his lot.” – Life Framer
DUNCAN DE FEY
www.duncandefey.com / @duncandefey
“A wonderful play on the rule of thirds, with diagonals slicing what is in reality quite a sparse frame, but one full of joy – one boy traversing the rope while the other two watch on with broad grins. It captures something of the bliss of childhood play – freedom and the fun of deriving pleasure in simple games.” – Life Framer
DANIEL NAUDÉ
www.danielnaude.com / @daniel_naude
“In his statement, Daniel describes childhood as “a site of the feral”, during which we are “challenged with many of life’s unanswerable questions, and our instinctive response is often to confront them in ways that seem wild, ferocious and uninhibited.” It’s a fascinating jumping-off point for this image – a young boy from rural South Africa, proudly baring his knife collection that represents the strong, daring and masculine adult life he imagines for himself. These blades and his stern expression are at odds with his slight frame, bare feet and animal print t-shirt, highlighting starkly the dichotomy between boyhood innocence and coming of age.” – Life Framer
LEONOR BENITO DE LA LASTRA
“Using a wet plate collodion process and a number of other analog treatments that create a multi-layered signature style, Leonor photographs his daughter, with a result that is both close and intimate and yet ambiguous and enigmatic. It speaks of knowing and not knowing, of fragility and the passage of time, and the innermost bond between father and daughter. The result is a beautiful ode to childhood, fatherhood, and growing up.” – Life Framer
CHIRSTOPHER JONES
“Christopher presents a stunning portrait of Barby and Becky – teenage girls growing up in the Catskill Mountains of South-eastern New York state. Ready to swim in idyllic surroundings, Barby poses for the camera – solemn and uncertain – while Becky looks out over the water, distant and alone. It’s a quietly fascinating moment, charged with the emotion of that liminal time between girlhood and womanhood. Christopher’s expert control of lighting and the raw tactility of black and white film acts to enhance the mood – somewhat nostalgic and dreamlike.” – Life Framer
MANU DE CALUWE
www.manudecaluwe.com / @manu_dcc
“A simple but creative eye-catching response to the theme – Manu focusing on the subject of youthhood in a semi-abstract way, with a wall of formal photographs of young boys. Laid out with meticulous care, and through the consistency in pose and background (solid red, blue, turquoise or white) there’s a satisfying visual rigour to the image along with an intriguing contextual ambiguity – boys all of the same age, but united by what?” – Life Framer
FERN BERRESFORD
www.fernberresford.com / @fern_b
“With the brash complimentary colors of green background and red hair, and the up-close, upwards framing of her subject, glowering bloody and hostile, Fern presents a shocking but playful portrait that explores traditional ideas of masculinity and alpha concepts like aggression, dominance and power, in a fresh and compelling way. Cleverly done.” – Life Framer
RICCARDO SVELTO
www.riccardosvelto.com / @riccardosvelto
“Alongside a beautiful statement that describes youthhood as a “foggy mix of conflicting emotions, halfway between the love for your family and the desire to leave”, Riccardo shares an introspective portrait of Paco – an adolescent Belgian boy. Topless and scrawny, still growing into his frame, Paco gazes pensively beyond his family garden, yearning perhaps to explore broader boundaries. The broken trampoline makes for a compelling framing device and an apt metaphor – both a symbol of childhood play and a means of escape, if only it was in working order. It’s a meticulously realized and emotive portrait that speaks profoundly of this stage of life.” – Life Framer
HALINA HILDEBRAND
www.halinahildebrand.eu / @halina_hildebrand_photography
“A lovely candid moment of young Israeli soldiers off-duty. Rendered in miniature against the huge concrete structure that towers over them, it provides a comment on the scale (and futility?) of war, but also the nature of youth – girls being girls in a momentary break from the discipline and order of their vocation.” – Life Framer
JULIAN ATANASSOV
www.julianatanassov.com / @atanassovjulian
“Washed with gorgeous neon tones, this is a wonderful, quiet slice of life away from the drama of the fairground – the whispers, smiles and uncertainty across the three subjects capturing something of the trials of teenagehood.” – Life Framer
ARUN NANGLA
www.arunnangla.com / @arun_nangla_photo
“Arun provides no context to what is an intriguing image – the attention of our subjects held by something out of shot, and this young boy framed centrally, dressed like the grown-ups and carrying a sword almost his own height. It’s a clever, absorbing composition with the sword slicing the frame in two, and one that leaves us wanting to know more.” – Life Framer
FENG ZHANG
“Taken in a migrant slum in Maanshan, China, Feng’s image of a young boy in front of a landscape of burning trash is a powerful condemnation of the poverty and environmental degradation affecting parts of the world in the pursuit for progress. Bare chested and holding himself in an embrace, he appears small and vulnerable, looking on to a sea of complexities he has inherited, and cannot be expected to understand. It’s a troubling, sad reality, and one Feng captures with stark simplicity.” – Life Framer
ROBERT DODGE
www.robertdodge.com / @robert_dodge_artist_writer
“Against a stunning backdrop of the Cao Bong Province in far North Vietnam, Robert captures four boys playing in the water – a scene that is at once dramatic and beautifully mundane in their idle, blissful amusement. Creating a linearity to the frame with the raft aligning with the layers of landscape deeper into the scene, it’s an absorbing image, and one that, as Robert puts it “reminds us that we are more alike than different. This is a scene that could just as easily be found on a river or lake in North America”.” – Life Framer
