Category Archives: Photography

Gone are the days when wedding couples posed passively for photographs; now they create lasting stories

It is said that the cake gets eaten, the flowers get withered but it is the wedding photos that last forever. Wedding pictures are a perfect way to preserve what are arguably the best moments of one’s life, and its value only increases with time. “Wedding photography is an art that stands as a testament to love; it transcends time. Cherished for generations, it is all about encapsulating emotions and not documenting pictures,” says Shrey Bhagat, founder and creative director, Raabta.

Undoubtedly, one of the most important aspects of a wedding is photography, which is getting bigger and better by the day. A multi-billion-dollar market that is growing exponentially, wedding photography has evolved tremendously over the years. From dramatic locations and dreamy photo sets to stunning imagery and visual storytelling, the trends in wedding photography are eclectic and exciting. Here is a look at some of the latest trends in this special genre of photography.

Creative, candid and collaborative

Gone are the days when wedding photography was a strictly formal affair and it was all about awkward posing and forced smiling before the camera. “Earlier, there was no real connection between a photographer and the couple, but now, couples and the photographer are a team and all decisions with respect to the approach and style of pictures are taken mutually.

It is all about capturing real, candid moments that tell the unique story of the wedding day,” says Himanshu Patel, founder, Epic Stories. Couples are totally involved in the creative process and the photography team spends hours listening to each couple’s story to understand the best way to capture the essence of their wedding. “Some couples even opt for a customised song dedicated to them, and this just adds a whole new dimension to storytelling with wedding photography,” adds Bhagat.

With the help of new technology and changing preferences, wedding photography has become more creative and dynamic. Photographers today are more focussed on capturing nuances, subtle expressions and feelings shared between the couple. While it could be casual interactions or intricate details, it is all about embracing the authentic, and even the imperfect, to capture the true spirit of the occasion. “Couples love how this gives them an output that is up close and personal. The beauty of these frames is that it is full of raw emotions, with an overlapping focus on people,” quips Bhagat. As a result, conventional wedding albums have now transformed into beautiful fairy-tales that encapsulate the narrative of the couples’ journeys.

Latest trends for the Midas touch

Apart from candid images, drone shots have become a rage in recent times. With elaborate décor themes spanning from royal, traditional, tropical, vintage and even boho chic, drone shots are used to capture these details beautifully. Most weddings are all about rituals and elaborate ceremonies, and drone shots lend more gravitas to such pictures.

“Cinematic style photography is the trend these days with a focus on candid videography. We work with the couple from months in advance to craft the complete narrative right from pre-wedding shoots, save-the-date creatives and even short, quick teasers with about 10-20 edited wedding pictures or a short film that is released on the same day for the couple to share on social media,” says Palani A, founder, S.A. Digital Studio, Bengaluru. He adds that editing is as challenging as the actual shooting and that the desaturated editing style is gaining popularity. This technique creates images that are artistically minimalistic with softer tones and an earthy, natural feel.

There are a number of couples adopting the vintage and nostalgic aesthetic in terms of black and white images and even hazy images that have an ethereal quality. Most photographers are using a slower shutter-speed to capture these soulful images. “We are also returning to using film to give photos a classic, old-fashioned feel. These dreamy pictures add an extra touch of magic and is akin to viewing the photo through a soft, gentle filter,” adds Patel. Such pictures often feel like they are carrying a memory right in the photo. “Controlled blurriness adds cinematic emotion and movement, focusing on moments and gestures,” says Jayant Chhabra, founder, Cupcake Productions.

Further, first look images are a huge trend as they capture one of the purest moments of weddings and seize that feeling forever through a perfect photograph. It also captures the emotional reactions of parents when they see their children for the first time in their wedding attire. Capturing bridal room chronicles with elaborate shots of the trousseau, jewellery and the whole journey of her getting ready is in vogue as is capturing your pets with you on your special day.

Tantalising techniques

Other trends include groomsmen shoots, veil shots and the use of GIFs. While bridal veil images exude an enigmatic and timeless appeal, pictures of the groom with his groomsmen having fun allows their personalities to shine through. After all, why should brides have all the fun? “GIFs are likely to be quite popular in the coming days. Imagine capturing a small moment from the wedding and turning it into a moving picture. It is like freezing a happy dance or a cute smile and making it come alive. These GIFs are like mini stories that show the feeling of the moment in a fun way in a jiffy,” says Patel.

Double-exposure photographs, underwater portraits and backlit silhouettes are the other techniques adopted by photographers to incorporate a unique and distinctive vibe. Artistic compositions with the strategic use of reflective surfaces like mirrors helps create exotic, unusual images and so does the use of smoke bombs which creates the perfect ambience for moments like the couple’s first dance. Post wedding shoots are also extremely popular.

Like all things, change is the only constant in the field of wedding photography too. Photographers spend a lot of time researching new styles and technology to stay relevant. “Keeping up with the trends in wedding photography requires a proactive, adaptive and continuous learning approach. Attending meets by photography clubs and other workshops and conferences can help you gain valuable insights. Further, it is imperative to update your camera equipment, lighting gears, lenses and editing software,” concludes Chhabra.

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The Rangeley Friends of the Arts held the awards ceremony for the eighth annual Western Mountain Photography Show on Sept. 9.

The theme for the 2023 exhibit was Perspective.

The People’s Choice award is yet to be determined; people can cast votes for their favorite image.

Gallery hours are from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The show is set to run through Saturday, Sept. 30.

For rules and guidelines, visit rangeleyarts.org.

The 2023 winners:

Best in Show: Joe Wax “Tulip Stairs”

“Tulip Stairs” by Joe Wax Submitted photo

Color Category:
1st Place: John Holland “Winter Whirl”

“Winter Whirl” by John Holland Submitted photo

2nd Place: Samantha Cote “Kennebago Evening”

Kennebago Evening by Samantha Cote Samantha Cote photo

3rd Place: Alex Burke “Walking Purgatory Chasm”

“Walking Purgatory Chasm” by Alex Burke Submitted photo

Black & White Category:

1st Place: Wess Connally “Looking up at a Boy Looking Out, Watching the Boats Go By”

“Looking up at a Boy Looking Out, Watching the Boats Go By” by Wess Connally Submitted photo

2nd Place: Mark Turner “Stand of Pines”

“Stand of Pines” by Mark Turner Submitted photo

3rd Place: Wess Connally “Through the Culvert”

“Through the Culvert” by Wess Connally Submitted photo

For more information, call Rangeley Friends of the Arts at 207-864-5000.

Check out other upcoming area events!

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Like many artists, Klea McKenna felt her creative practice shift and evolve in surprising new directions during the COVID pandemic. 

The San Francisco experimental photographer, whose latest body of work is currently on view in the exhibition “Vessel” at Euqinom Gallery, gave birth to her second child four months before the lockdown. When her studio space in the Minnesota Street Project temporarily closed its doors, curtailing interactions with her creative peers, and the city’s schools shut down, she started working on the rooftop of her Bernal Heights apartment.

Yet, McKenna said that during the time of global uncertainty, she embraced an explosion of new materials and techniques, perhaps in response to everything from the changes in her own postpartum body, psyche and family structure to the disorienting new status quo of a fractured world on pause and effectively holding its breath for better news.

“I could feel I was in the throes of a major shift in my work,” McKenna told the Chronicle on a recent morning in her Dogpatch studio. 

She described augmenting her hand-embossed, black-and-white photograms (camera-less prints on light-sensitive paper) with bold, saturated colors like violet and blood red. McKenna also explored the potential of a wider array of historical and everyday found objects: flea market paintings, vintage handkerchiefs, even mass-manufactured cardboard boxes (which take on a weightier, medical symbolism when one knows they were originally filled with latex gloves or tissues). 

Unexpectedly, the photoreliefs she’d become best known for, of natural elements such as rain, tree rings and spider webs, grew layered with painting, collage and intaglio printing, moving toward an unexpected maximalism and even further removed from traditional photography.  

“Klea doesn’t call herself a painter, but these are paintings,” said Euqinom founder and director Monique Deschaines at the “Vessel” opening reception on Saturday, Sept. 9. “And she doesn’t use a camera, but they are also photographs. Her work is impossible to categorize.” 

In the Euqinom show, womanly breasts, nipples and womb-like curves appear alongside terraced shapes and voids reminiscent of Incan or Navajo geometry.

“I stopped compartmentalizing so much and let my identities and interests all bleed together,” McKenna explained. “I just knew that what I was making reflected my moment. And whatever else the prolonged moment of the last three years has been, for myself and I think for a lot of us, it’s certainly felt pretty chaotic and messy.” 

Embracing that messiness, and continuing to chart her path “away from straight photography” since graduating from San Francisco’s California College of the Arts in 2009, McKenna is now experiencing her own prolonged moment of art-world success and recognition. Just this year, she was one of only 15 American photographers to receive a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship. 

While “Vessels” is on view, she has also released her first monograph, “Klea McKenna: Witness Mark.” Published by Saint Lucy Books, it covers five distinct bodies of her work from roughly 2013 to 2019, and includes an illuminating essay by Oakland photographic historian Corey Keller.

“I love that I have a book now where I can just show you what I’m talking about,” McKenna said, reaching for a fresh copy of “Witness Mark” beside her studio desk and flipping to an image from her “Faultlines” series. The hand-embossed imprints of natural cracks she found in rocks or cement, which she “rubbed” on photographic paper with other women at night in darkness before exposing the images to light, help illustrate her unusual process.

McKenna fell in love with camera-less photograms around 2007, out of an exasperation with an art world smitten at the time with large-format, hyperrealistic color photography. Digital images had never been easier to shoot, retouch and disseminate, and yet she felt frustrated with the medium’s predictability.  

“I would go out and find the perfect thing to photograph, but where was the magic in taking a picture and getting it back only to confirm it looks exactly like what you saw when you took it? I wanted there to be some alchemy in the process,” she said.  

It’s a sentiment shared by other celebrated photographers, like the Bay Area’s Megan Riepenhoff, Chris McCaw and Binh Danh, who have also embraced older, physical and entirely analog processes. 

McKenna said she landed on photograms as her medium of choice because they were a way to make one-of-a-kind images that emphasize touch rather than sight, a distinguishing feature of her work within the primarily visual medium of photography. Viewers can’t help but wonder about the physical labor — all the rubbing, buffing and burnishing — that created it.  

The enigmatic images of tree rings in her “Automatic Earth” series resemble an unknown coastline or topographic map, while in “Rain Studies,” she’s captured abstract swaths of raindrops as they fall through the night sky. Working at night in Hawaii and here at home, exposing the paper by flashlight, some drops read as perfect crystalline teardrops, others blurred in motion or as small pointillist dots ready to burst. 

“They were meant to create a cross-sensory experience, to convey the feeling of standing in the pouring rain, even the sound of it,” said McKenna.

These various bodies of work are the product of touch and were by necessity created in darkness, their final reveal in the darkroom giving McKenna the surprise factor she longed for as a grad student disenchanted with the easy, no-stakes perfection of digital technology.

She ascribes her “comfort with darkness” to a “deeply bohemian” childhood, spent moving at a young age between rural west Sonoma County and an off-the-grid, one-room hexagonal home her parents built “on the side of a volcano in Kona, Hawaii.”

The daughter of ethnobotanists Kathleen Harrison and the late Terence McKenna, a famous early advocate for the transformational potential of psychedelics, she said her parents instilled in her a deep awareness of nature’s intricate and potent patterns. It’s in the unexpected beauty found in texture and in light that still fuels her creative process. 

“At the apex of the wooden ceiling was a giant skylight in the shape of a prism,” McKenna writes in a personal essay on “Light” in her new book, remembering her childhood Hawaiian home. “In the absence of electricity, our days were timed with the sun. Inside my eyelids I still see sunlight filtered through a scarf pinned up over a window.”

Jessica Zack is a freelance writer.

When the contemporary artist Mariah Robertson first started playing around in her darkroom with light-sensitive paper, hand-applying chemicals and trying out different exposure techniques, a whole new world opened up. Colors bled and burst. Streaks and specks were features, not bugs. All the carefully laid out rules of traditional photography now felt mutable. “I thought, This is totally insane,” she says. “I had no idea this was possible.”

In the 15 or so years since those first happy accidents, Robertson has honed her practice of camera-less photography, creating ferocious photograms with explosions of pigment that slingshot you to another dimension. Thirteen such transportive works go on view today at Van Doren Waxter in New York. The featured photograms in “Everything counts & local reality,” all made this year using a type of photographic paper called RA4, conjure distant galaxies.

To make her large-scale experimental pieces, Robertson has to cede much to chance. “A lot of photography is holding on to things,” she says. Her process is the opposite: she has to let go of control. It’s a concept she thought about a lot while making the new pieces for this show.

Many of the works are spliced together from cut rolls of paper, with their jagged, curling edges exposed. These are part of Robertson’s ongoing Lost Puzzle series. In 364, 365, 366, 367, 368, 369, 370, 371—Robertson’s titles nod to her image-sequencing process—the glossy blues and greens erupt like algae bloom. The luxurious 481, 482, 483, 484, 485, 486 reminds me of melted, molten candy.

I am Showrav Chowdhury, hailing from Habiganj, Bangladesh. Currently, I am pursuing my undergraduate degree while passionately pursuing photography. Growing up in a middle-class family, pursuing my passion for photography was quite challenging. My journey into the world of photography commenced in 2019 when I completed the Basic Photography Course offered by the Shahjalal University Photographers’ Association (SUPA).

However, it wasn’t until the end of 2020 that I truly grasped the profound art of photography. At that time, I used my father’s mobile phone because I did not have a camera of my own. Gradually, I found myself immersed in the captivating world of street photography. I am committed to learning and growing every day, drawing inspiration from every source, and actively sharing my knowledge with others. This continuous process has significantly contributed to my growth as a photographer.

My work has had the privilege of being exhibited in numerous national and international exhibitions. Notably, I achieved the First Runner-Up position in HIRAERH 5 – An Intra SUST Photography Exhibition and clinched victory in the Sylhet Photo Contest organized by the Sylhet Photographic Society (SPS). Additionally, I was honored with the title of ‘The Best Shot of 2021’ by FRSTHAND.

My accomplishments also include being selected as a finalist in the HIPA “NATURE” 2021-22 Season 11 General Category (Color), earning the distinction of Finalist in the Documentary Family Award in 2020, and receiving the prestigious Best Story Award in 2021 at the ‘Photography for Social Change’ event, arranged by the International Republican Institute (IRI).

You can find Showrav Chowdhury on the web:

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At its Wonderlust event on 12 September 2023, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 lineup with primarily incremental improvements. In keeping with last year’s approach, Apple introduced the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Plus along with the 6.1-inch iPhone 15 Pro and 6.7-inch iPhone 15 Pro Max. The third-generation iPhone SE, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 remain available to provide lower-cost options (see “Apple Unveils Four Models of the iPhone 14,” 7 September 2022). The iPhone 13 mini disappears from the mix, sadly marking the end of Apple’s 5.4-inch iPhones.

You can pre-order the new iPhone 15 models on Friday, 15 September 2023, and they’ll be available a week later on 22 September 2023.

iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus

Although Apple continues to innovate more on the Pro end of the lineup, the basic iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus improve on their predecessors in various ways, some in part due to the adoption of the A16 Bionic chip from the iPhone 14 Pro.

• USB-C: The most apparent change, shared by the Pro models, is the replacement of the Lightning port with USB-C for charging and data transfer. Unsurprisingly, Apple focused on the benefits of USB-C and made no mention of the EU’s requirement that all electronics use a common charger starting in 2024.
• Dynamic Island: The iPhone 15 gains the Dynamic Island that debuted last year in the iPhone 14 Pro. It’s a subtle but effective way to display alerts and Live Activities in the area surrounding the camera and sensor package at the top of the screen, eliminating the need for a distracting notch.
• 48-megapixel camera: In a significant jump, the iPhone 15 gets a 48-megapixel camera that promises better photos than the previous generation’s 12-megapixel camera. By default, it combines pixels for a 24-megapixel image bolstered by computational photography. It also provides an effective 2x telephoto option by using just the 12 megapixels in the center of the sensor, giving the iPhone 15 optical-quality zoom levels of 0.5x, 1x, and 2x.
• Computational photography improvements: The camera now detects people, dogs, and cats and captures depth information for Portrait mode, which can be applied after the fact. It’s also possible to adjust the focal point after the fact. Other changes improve photos taken in Night mode and using Smart HDR.
• Roadside Assistance via satellite: This expansion to Emergency SOS via satellite enables iPhone 15 users suffering car problems in areas without cellular coverage to call for assistance. Access to satellite services is included for 2 years, and AAA membership in the US covers the roadside service. Those who aren’t AAA members will be able to purchase service separately.
• Second-generation UWB chip: Apple’s second-generation Ultra Wideband chip enables Precision Finding at three times the range as before when used to locate other devices with the second-generation chip. That makes Precision Finding with Find My Friends practical in crowds.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in pink, yellow, green, blue, and black in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB storage capacities, starting at $799 and $899, respectively.

iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max

As much as many people bemoan the cost of Apple products, Apple does very well selling premium products at premium prices. Nowhere is that more evident than with the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, where Apple charges $200 more than the base model for innovative features. Along with the Roadside Assistance via satellite and second-generation Ultra Wideband chip, the Pro-only features this year include:

• A17 Pro chip: The latest version of Apple’s iPhone (and likely iPad) chip offers 10% faster CPU performance (than last year’s A16 Bionic), twice the Neural Engine performance, and a new 6-core GPU design that’s 20% faster. There’s also a dedicated AV1 decoder for better streaming video experiences. If you do things on your iPhone that seem slow now—video streaming or mobile gaming, perhaps—you’ll appreciate the new chip. Either way, it will quickly become the new normal.
• USB-C with USB 3 speeds: Although all iPhone 15 models have a USB-C port, the iPhone 15 Pro models support USB 3 transfer speeds of 10 gigabits per second. That also allows video output up to 4K at 60 frames per second.
• Wi-Fi 6e and Thread support: For those needing maximum wireless performance, Apple says the iPhone 15 Pro’s support for Wi-Fi 6e can provide up to twice the bandwidth. Thread support could enable future opportunities for Home app integrations.
• Titanium exterior: I’m not one to gush about different materials, mainly because most phones end up in protective cases, but Apple made a big deal about how the iPhone 15 Pro features an aerospace-grade titanium exterior and aluminum interior for strength, durability, and reduced weight. Both models are only 19 grams lighter—about the weight of four credit cards—and while that’s welcome, it’s not game-changing.
• Action button: Apple replaced the Ring/Silent switch with a customizable Action button, activated by pressing and holding. By default, it still puts the iPhone into silent mode, but you can set what you want it to do, such as activate Voice Memos, set Focus modes, access the camera or flashlight, enable Accessibility options, or launch a Shortcut. It features haptic feedback and shows visual cues in the Dynamic Island.
• Better photos: Both models of the iPhone 15 Pro get an even better 48-megapixel camera and receive the same computational photography upgrades as the base models that provide 24-megapixel default photos, better low-light photos in Night mode, more vibrant images with Smart HDR, and automatic Portrait mode. But the iPhone 15 Pro Max gains a 5x Telephoto camera thanks to a tetraprism design—the rumored “periscope” camera.

The iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will be available in four finishes: black titanium, white titanium, blue titanium, and natural titanium. The iPhone 15 Pro starts at $999 for 128 GB, with 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1 TB storage options. The iPhone 15 Pro Max starts at $1199 for 256 GB, with 512 GB and 1 TB storage options. Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro Max started at $1099, but that was for 128 GB, which is no longer an option, so the prices are comparable. Or, if you take inflation into account, lower.

Upgrade Decisions

Last year, we suggested that there wasn’t much reason to upgrade to the iPhone 14, but the iPhone 14 Pro, with its 48-megapixel camera, Always-On display, and Dynamic Island, was more compelling. This year, I think the reverse is true.

Because the iPhone 15 gains the A16 Bionic chip, 48-megapixel camera, Dynamic Island, and computational photography improvements, it’s an easier upgrade decision if you’re coming from an iPhone 12 or iPhone 13. It’s harder to recommend upgrading from an iPhone 14 that’s only a year old, but even that jump is likely something you’ll notice.

However, the improvements in the iPhone 15 Pro over the iPhone 14 Pro are likely to be appreciated mostly by professionals. Most people won’t notice the increased performance of the A17 Pro, USB 3, and Wi-Fi 6e. As always, the camera improvements will gain a wide fan base, but the 5x Telephoto camera is available only on the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and many people (like me) who would otherwise appreciate it would never consider such a large phone.

As such, I can’t recommend most people upgrade from an iPhone 14 Pro, and only the camera improvements and Action button tempt me to trade mine in. If you’re using an iPhone 13 Pro or anything older, it’s an easier decision because you’d also gain the features that set the iPhone 14 Pro apart.

Where do you come down on the upgrade decision?

COLUMBIANA, Ohio (WKBN) – A Columbiana-area school offers opportunities outside the traditional classroom.

The high school photography class at Heartland Christian was taking pictures downtown around noon on Tuesday.

It’s an elective class to help fulfill an art credit needed to graduate. Students either have their own camera or borrow one from the school.

On Tuesday, they were learning about filling the frame with their pictures and eliminating distractions in the background.

“It just takes the theoretical stuff that we learn in the classroom and then they can apply it outside. So there’s times when it’s raining, we’ll go around the halls and take pictures in the halls. When it’s nice out, we like to try to get them outside and be able to take some pictures outside,” said Eric Hosler with Heartland Christian.

Each student needed to take a minimum of 20 pictures. They will submit their best five to be graded.

Panasonic has announced the Lumix G9 II, price tag £1,699, which boasts a new sensor design, upgraded image stabilisation and phase detection autofocus.

At the core of the new Panasonic G9 II is a 25.2-megapixel Live MOS Micro Four Thirds sensor coupled with a high-speed processing engine, marking an upgrade in resolution over the original Panasonic Lumix G9‘s 20.3-megapixel Micro Four Thirds sensor.

Notably, the Lumix G9 II is the first camera in Panasonic’s Lumix G Series to incorporate Phase Detection Auto-Focus (PDAF) technology. What’s more, the Panasonic G9 II utilises new AI-powered recognition technology, developed through deep learning, to improve precision in recognising subjects like cars, motorcycles and animal eyes.

In terms of performance, the Panasonic G9 II excels at capturing fast-moving subjects and decisive moments, offering burst shooting at an impressive 60 frames per second in AFC mode. What’s more, a new SH pre-burst recording feature can begin shooting up to 1.5 seconds before the shutter is released, capturing approximately 113 consecutive shots so that you don’t miss any crucial moments in fast-paced environments.

Panasonic has also upgraded the camera’s stabilisation, combining an 8-stop Body Image Stabilizer (BIS), a 7.5-stop 5-axis Dual IS 2 and advanced Active IS system for video shooting.

A new REAL TIME LUT function allows for personalised colour expression, while a LEICA Monochrome mode enables enhanced black and white photo styles. Other specialised modes include a hand-held 100-megapixel High Resolution and Live View Composite mode.

For videographers, the Panasonic G9 II supports a range of hrecording formats, including 4:2:0 10-bit 5.8K (4:3) full sensor recording and 5.7K (17:9), as well as slow-motion videos in 4:2:0 10 bit C4K/4K 120p/100p. Additionally, the Panasonic G9 II offers Apple ProRes video support and the capability for recording and playback through an external SSD via USB.

Panasonic G9 II Price & Release Date

The Panasonic G9 II price tag will be £1,699 with a release date set for November 2023.

A captivating celebration of global beauty took home the top honor at the 2023 Creative Photo Awards, hosted by the Siena Awards. “Aesthetics from Africa” features a mesmerizing portrait of African-American model and influencer, Sonia Barbie Tucker, captured through the lens of Chinese photographer Frank Zhang. This breathtaking image triumphed over submissions from photographers representing 133 different countries.

In addition to Zhang’s remarkable achievement, nine category winners were also recognized. Notable among them is American photographer Patty Carroll, who claimed the Series category with her project, “Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise.” This series of images humorously delves into the societal pressures women face in their quest for domestic perfection.

The Creative Photo Awards shine a spotlight on the profound artistic potential of photography, demonstrating how artists can not only document the world around them but also expand the boundaries of creativity.

You can view all the winning images at the “I Wonder If You Can” exhibition, taking place in Siena, Italy, at the Palazzo Pubblico from September 30 to November 19, 2023. If you’re unable to attend in person, you can still enjoy a selection of our favorite images and explore the complete gallery on the Creative Photo Awards website.

Scroll down and inspire yourself, Check their website for more information.

You can find more info about Siena Photo Awards:

#1 Photo Of The Year: Aesthetics from Africa by Frank Zhang

The world of beauty has witnessed the celebration of diverse aesthetics. For a long time, the fashion industry’s perception of beauty was seen through a Eurocentric lens. However, in recent times, African American model and influencer Sonia Barbie Tucker, originally from Ghana, has been showcasing the rich and vibrant aesthetics of Africa.

#2 Open Theme – 1st Classified: Sound of light and glass by Iwona Czubek

The photo was taken in 2022 using the “Haruhisa camera,” which was designed and constructed by the Japanese photographer Haruhisa Terasaki. It is a great honor for me to have the opportunity to use this camera. Terasaki is known for his unique method of photographing, which he refers to as new pictorialism. This image is projected onto a dry plate and captured with a digital camera.

#3 Open Theme – Runner Up: Still life with oysters and artichoke by Hester Blankestijn

#4 Open Theme – Highly Commended: Oranges by Paolo Mascagni

#5 People – 1st Classified: The girl with the spiky hairstyle by Giorgia Corniola

The girl with ebony skin frees herself from the chains, and some of them remain attached to her, as she escapes. In the gesture of liberation, the shapes of her hairstyle and neck take on elongated forms.

#6 People – Runner Up: Scent of Texas by Ziesook You

#7 People – Highly Commended: Suzhou Chronicle-Idyll by Du Yi

#8 Animals/Pets – 1st Classified: “White Beauty” by Lurdes Santander

I aimed to capture the elegant movement of a horse in a free rein jump, experiencing the sensation of the snow beneath its feet and its inherent desire for freedom, much like humans yearn for it. This moment was extraordinary, and I persisted through several attempts on my camera to find that elusive shot, a challenge many photographers face.

#9 Animals/Pets – Runner Up: Tango by Pedro Jarque Krebs

#10 Animals/Pets – Highly Commended: Djaxx by Pieter Clicteur

#11 Architecture – 1st Classified: Capital Gate Tower Abu Dhabi by Frank Loddenkemper

The Capital Gate Tower in Abu Dhabi was captured in a unique moment from a moving bus. As we traveled on the highway during late afternoon, the sun’s rays cast a mesmerizing glow, creating the perfect lighting for the shot.

#12 Architecture – Runner Up: The rear window of the Guggenheim by Soraya Sampedro Bores

#13 Architecture – Highly Commended: Circles by Margit Lisa Roeder

#14 Wedding – 1st Classified: The cake kid by Steven Herrschaft

I captured this photo during a beautiful summer wedding in the red wine region of Germany. The majestic Castle on the hill was stunning, and the moment I captured was fleeting yet magical. Sometimes, as a photographer, you need to be in the right place at the right time to create art.

#15 Wedding – Runner Up: Generational Harmony by Samuele Ciaffoni

#16 Wedding – Highly Commended: Last rain by Krzysztof Krawczyk

#17 Nature & Landscape: 1st Classified: Spirit of the Universe by Peter Lik

Capturing this image took patience and perseverance. It started with the search for a single tree amidst a lavender field at sunset. Then the wait for the night sky to unveil its beauty. Combined with a second, long exposure, the light invisible to the naked eye, revealing a truly enchanted world.

#18 Nature & Landscape: Runner Up: Flock by Zdeněk Vošický

#19 Nature & Landscape: Highly Commended: Tracks by Tomas Tison

#20 Advertising – 1st Classified: Spotless Elegance by Cheraine Collette

Featuring a Mercedes-Benz 300 SL Gullwing from 1955, this photograph was captured at the private collection of Museum METROPOLE Druten in the Netherlands. It prompts us to ponder how humankind would have been and still be without the presence of the natural treasures that inspire us to dream and surpass our limits.

#21 Advertising – Runner Up: Red by Andre Boto

#22 Advertising – Highly Commended: Black on Black by Yuliy Vasilev

#23 Fine Art – 1st Classified: Human Skull by Alexander Sviridov

A black and white surreal photo-art piece featuring several female models whimsically blending together to form a skull. Symbolizing the defiance of mortality, the composition conveys a powerful message of unity in the face of death, evoking reflection and challenging perception.

#24 Fine Art – Runner Up: Can not see by Haruka Nishizaki

#25 Fine Art – Highly Commended: Horror Movies Story by Hardijanto Budimanv

#26 Series – 1st Classified: Anonymous Women: Domestic Demise by Patty Carroll

The subject is the conflation of woman and home. A lone woman is surrounded by her domestic objects, activities, and obsessions. The still-life narratives created in the studio for the camera comment on the mania of collecting, accumulating, and decorating a home. In the series, the woman is overwhelmed by her possessions, leading to disaster and mayhem. Growing up in suburbia provided the basis of my work. I photographically create worlds that critique and satirize claustrophobic expectations of perfection that women continue to face, despite contemporary life and careers.

#27 Series – Runner Up: The Right To Play by Lee-ann Olwage

#28 Series – Highly Commended: Hopper Essence by Andres Gallego Bellido

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