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I remember when Instagram was a mere curiosity – a place where photographers who had grown a little tired of its precursor, Flickr, could post their images in a less crowded environment. Flickr too was the place where once all the cool photographers went to get their daily dose of ego-boosting. If you were feeling a tad uninspired, it was Flickr you turned to for moral support.

There was a special jolt of excitement when you saw the little bell icon light up, indicating that someone, somewhere around the globe, had found you worthy of engaging their finger muscle for half a second, to deliver you some creative reassurance that you weren’t just a nobody with a camera. Sound familiar?

The reason photographers tended to outgrow Flickr was that it had become an engine for mutual back-scratching, with little if any feedback that resembled constructive. The comments section was filled with statements like “Incredible!”,  “Unreal!”, “Best photo I’ve ever seen!!!” and other such pronouncements of unbridled adoration. This gets old quickly. And so, in what became a common story in the mid 2010s, I left my Flickr account to gather digital dust in the corner of my desktop.

Instagram, on the other hand, was fresh. It was like an empty Wetherspoons – still a bit tacky but with plenty of room to spread out and revel in the unusual quiet. You’d easily get your thirty likes, but people bothered to at least elaborate on what they loved about your images. It wasn’t a bad place to hang out. 500px was better, but if you wanted to use your phone, IG was easier.

Naturally though, it didn’t last. Of course it didn’t. As soon as people realized money could be made by posting pictures of themselves, posed with little modesty on a beach somewhere warmer, it became more about marketing than making friends. As a side note, pictures of me of that ilk were never created, in fear of crashing the platform.

Story continues

This brings us neatly to the present day. Instagram is a behemoth that rules the world of content creation. Platforms that aren’t Instagram try their best to be. It’s a fake world on there, everyone knows it and yet billions of people, photographers or not, flock to its gates every day.

Why is this such a destructive pattern, I hear you ask. If people want to spend their lives showing the world how they’d like viewers to think they spend their lives, without actually living, let them! Most aren’t content creators anyway, so why the negativity with regard to ‘true’ photographers?

At one time social media was a means to an end. It was just another platform on which to display our images, albeit a particularly pervasive one. When people posted on Instagram, it was a means of gaining a little extra recognition, somewhere you knew someone had seen your work.

Today, for many photographers it is THE reason to switch on their cameras. Everything they ever shoot is bound for ‘the gram’. Whole shoots are planned purely to capture images for the platform. At face value, this might not seem a big problem. If some photographers can successfully make a living out of it, then good on them. It’s another opportunity to break into a competitive industry. However, the real damage is done by the apparent promise of fame and fortune, pedaled by the elite brand of influencers at the very top of the algorithmic ladder.

These people have a vested interest in buttering up Meta, Instagram’s current overlords. Their story is unlikely to be repeated for many new photographers, less so now than ever. IG is saturated, bursting at the seams with content. It’s neigh on impossible to rise to the top these days, so if you set up an account tomorrow, you’re pretty unlikely to be paying off your mortgage with IG-derived income by next year.

Many young photographers won’t believe this though. Fresh-faced enthusiasts streaming out of universities, photography degrees in hand, are desperate to be Insta-famous. It’s their purpose in life. The worst part is, while the photo industry has always been competitive, the platform-specific requirements of Instagram mean files shot for social functions are largely useless off-platform.

Everything is shot in portrait format, to maximize cropping possibilities on Insta. As a magazine editor, it’s all rather heartbreaking – you see a gorgeous thumbnail image packed with colour and drama, only to learn it’s a portrait format image with no alternative options. Photographers are creating entire portfolios of images which have only one function. On a magazine, we’re unlikely to print a portrait shot across a double page so, with this approach, you could very well be kissing off a sustainable income in future.

When Instagram is closed – and it will be as soon as something more profitable for Meta comes along – we need to be prepared. Photographers with good sense shoot multiple compositions of each subject they approach, so there will always be an aspect ratio to fit, should a picture editor request one. Save all of your presets and back up your Lightroom Catalog, so alternative formats can be created with minimum fuss. And never, ever ‘Save for Web’.

In my humble opinion, Instagram has its place but has forgotten what this actually is. If it acts as an encouragement to young photographers to get out with a camera and document what they see, then it earns its keep. But driving everyone who taps the icon on their home screen to shoot the exact same image as the hundreds or thousands before them, in a format that basically dooms their portfolio to editorial exile, will have a devastating effect on the photo industry over the coming years.

Stifling creativity can never be a good thing.

Here are the 25 exceptional photographers who have emerged as the winners of ‘AAP Magazine #31: Portrait.’

As Henry Cartier-Bresson once said, capturing a portrait is a challenging endeavor, requiring the photographer to bridge the gap between a person’s exterior and their inner self. Portrait photography encompasses a vast array of styles and techniques, ranging from the straightforward identification of a subject to the delicate exploration of their emotions. It transcends traditional studio portraits and ordinary family snapshots, evolving into a distinct genre that allows photographers to unleash their boundless creative potential.

A portrait possesses the power to evoke a multitude of reactions, from descriptive and revealing to embellishing, questioning, or unsettling. However, with countless faces in the world, we can only present a few within the pages of this new issue of AAP Magazine. In this edition, we are honored to showcase the perspectives of 25 photographers hailing from 11 different countries across four continents.

Each of these talented individuals shares their unique personal narratives and distinctive approaches to the art of Portrait Photography.

Continue scrolling to discover the fascinating winning images!

You can find more info about AAP Magazine Awards:

#1 The Winner: The Series “Perspective” By Nanda Hagenaars (Netherlands)

Portrait where I shift my perspective and try new ways of looking and photographing. Squeezing one eye, finding composition and contrast.

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#2 The Second Place Winners: The Series “Alex” By Anna Hayat and Slava Pirsky

The photograph Daughter of Chinghis Khan is a part of our larger project, in which we captured our daughter from birth to adulthood. Through it, we explore the process of growing up and the development of one’s personality.

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#3 The Third Place Winner: The Series “Anomium” By Matt Findley (USA)

The Anomium series is informed by the concept of Higonnet’s knowing child – the idea that childhood is a time of both innocence and wisdom, a brief window blessed with this innocence but burdened by the knowledge of an unkind world. This series examines these ideas and seeks to evoke a sense of transformation that is at once haunting while retaining elements of this fading purity, and to serve as a testament to the resilience and beauty of childhood in the face of the journey towards maturity.

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#4 Merit Gallery Winner By Lisa McCord (USA)

Frances was one of the first people I met on the farm with whom I didn’t already have a long-standing relationship. She welcomed me into her home, and we became good friends. I would go back to visit her often and photographed her many times. This is one of the few portraits I made of her using my tripod. When I looked at the film later, I realized the baby couldn’t hold still. From an outsider’s perspective, it may seem strange to make a formal portrait of someone in their bra, but it was normal for women on the farm to dress this way in their homes. The Arkansas heat and humidity led us to seek comfort any way we could. I ended up photographing many women this way.

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#5 Merit Gallery Winner By Alain Schroeder (Belgium)

Belgium, Namur Province, Morialmé (Marche Saint-Pierre), the Marches of the Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse are on the Unesco List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This march takes place primarily in the countryside, notably the route from the village center to the Poucet chapel. The Marchers are dressed in traditional costume consisting of a blue smock, white pants and red scarf.

L’Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse is a historical region that lies between the Sambre and the Meuse rivers in Wallonia Belgium. Situated between Germany and France, two fiercely combative nations, the area endured incessant and often devastating passages for centuries.

The processions that date back to the 13th century, traverse the countryside carrying the relics of saints preserved with great devotion accompanied by armed escorts. During the First Empire, soldiers from Napoleon’s army with their sumptuous uniforms joined the marches to defend cities and honor community ceremonies both civil and religious. The tradition continues today with hundreds of marchers dressed in Napoleonic military attire.

From May to October, processions and marches take place primarily in the region between the Sambre and the Meuse rivers south of the cities of Charleroi and Namur.

Inscribed in 2012 on the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (UNESCO), they owe their enduring popularity not only to faith and historic imitation, but to the magnificent landscapes of this isolated region where customs and traditions have remained unchanged for centuries.

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#6 Merit Gallery Winner By Erberto Zani (Italy)

Naomi, 5 years old, was born with hydrocephaly. At age of 20 days, she was adobt by Wisma Kasih Bunda Foundation (Semarang, East Java, Indonesia, 2023).

Minamata’s disease is caused by chronic mercury poisoning.

This metal, used in hundreds of illegal gold mines in the forests of Java, Indonesia, is contaminating the environment. Miners, who have worked for years in contact with mercury, have developed neurological degenerative diseases. But the spillage of gold mining waste has contaminated also the aquifers upstream: the villages downstream from the mines, have for years used water with mercury for domestic use and to irrigate crops. On Java island, are dozens of cases of poisoning: pregnant women have passed mercury to the fetus without their knowledge, causing irreversible damage to the unborn child with morphological and anatomical abnormalities. The disease is manifested by neurological problems, difficulty in movement, muscle weakness, visual, auditory and cognitive deficits, hydrocephaly. Paralysis or coma can also occur until death. These photo are part of the long-term project Venoms on the subject of pollution created by humans.

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#7 Merit Gallery Winner By Lori Pond (USA)

‘As I See It’ comprises portraits that attempt to duplicate what my brain is seeing, opposed to what my eyes see. With this project, I’m looking at the human face as the starting point. I then try to see that face as my brain would, putting the most important features in the foreground, and bringing the least important to the background. From what I’ve read, the brain quickly sizes up a new face into just a few categories: 1) Will it hurt me? 2) Will it eat me? 3) Will it love me? The “sizing up” occurs before I can consciously register it.

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#8 Merit Gallery Winner By Frank Baudino (USA)

These portraits were obtained while I had the privilege of serving the people of what is now South Sudan 18 years ago. I worked with Doctors Without Borders and was in charge of the therapeutic feeding center in the village of Akuem. The Sudanese, largely members of the Dinka tribe, generously allowed me to photograph them and tell their story. The purpose of this series is to bear witness to the human suffering that occurs in Sudan and surrounding countries due to famine and poverty.

A vignette of my work in Sudan was published last fall in “Intima: A Journal of Narrative Medicine.

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#9 Merit Gallery Winner By Charles Shotwell (USA)

A wet Chamoi wrapped around a manikins head , held on by rubber bands till dry. No retouching was used.

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#10 Merit Gallery Winner By Roberta Vagliani (Italy)

Nelson Mandela said «Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world». This image was taken in a school in Zanzibar, where there are no desks, chairs or school supplies. All these little girls own is a notebook and their own memory. Knowledge is passed on to them by a single master. In every person there is the possibility to transform the world.

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#11 Merit Gallery Winner By Hugo Thomassen (Netherlands)

Walt Disco, with lead singer James Potter, is a Scottish post-punk band known for their unique style and powerful performances. The band members stand up for LGBTQ+ rights and freedom, celebrates individuality and selfexpression and encourages viewers to embrace their own creativity and unique identity. James Potter stated that he hopes Walt Disco can be a source of inspiration and empowerment for other queer people. He also expressed a desire to use his platform to raise awareness of the issues facing the LGBTQ+ community, such as discrimination and lack of representation. Walt Disco’s serves as a powerful statement of individuality and liberation and promotes inclusivity and acceptance for all.

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#12 Merit Gallery Winner By Annemarie Jung (Luxembourg)

The objective of the series is to depict the impact of dogmatism on practical life, and to provoke the audience’s self-inspection about their own beliefs.

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#13 Merit Gallery Winner By Ian McFarlane (USA)

On a hot summer day I meet with Amanda and her daughter Eva that their home. We did photos in their front yard using only natural light. I was amazed at the look Eva gave me in every frame. I was so happy to be able to create this image for them.

Three years ago my sister and I had to place our mother in a home for those suffering from server dementia. My mother no longer recognized me or my sister. We had lost her to another reality, she was not coming back . My goal for this series was to create memories for these mothers and daughters to have and remember each other and for me to face the grief I had just begun to process, letting my mother go.

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#14 Merit Gallery Winner By Nicola Ducati (Italy)

The thousand shades of white told through a trip to the Yamal, the icy Siberian peninsula in the far north of the Russian Federation. This land is inhabited by the Nenets people, nomadic reindeer herders who, guided by the seasonal cycles and the needs of their herds, migrate incessantly in an infinite circle of movements between ice, frozen rivers and neverending winds in search of new pastures in the most remote tundra. The hostile environment did not stop their innate adaptability and gave them prosperity for millennia.

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#15 Merit Gallery Winner By Prescott Lassman (USA)

Off Kilter presents portraits that are slightly askew. In many photographs, the subjects find themselves in situations that are mildly uncomfortable. In others, the portrait may create vague feelings of discomfort in the viewer. In either case, the intent is to present a portrait where the equilibrium is just a little out of balance. In these off kilter moments, the subjects let their guard down briefly and reveal something unexpected and authentic about themselves. And in these moments of dysregulation, something authentic is also revealed about the viewer.

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#16 Merit Gallery Winner By David Dhaen (Belgium)

It’s a picture I have taking on the Gerewol festival in Niger. I was Lucky to be one of the few that attended this beautiful festival, where the fulani gather. This beautiful Girl i saw walking and I asked if i could take her pic. She said yes. I have few of her. Also where she is smiling, but the gaze she gave me here on this picture, took my breath away. The serene beauty she is. With those eyes and skin. A real Nomads Rose.

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#17 Merit Gallery Winner By Emily Fisher (USA)

My ongoing body of work Natural Tendencies studies the complex and symbiotic relationship between humans and the natural world. I am acutely aware of the precarious nature of our shifting environment, of the fragility of life and the ephemerality of childhood and I use my photographs to express this sensibility.

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#18 Merit Gallery Winner By Laurie Freitag (USA)

The Hammock from the series, ‘The Lost Years’, the years that most adults can’t remember before the age of seven-years-old.

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#19 Merit Gallery Winner By Marc Gaillot (France)

That day, I decided to lock myself in the dark, alone in front of my mirror. My wish is to think outside the box and get original portraits straight from the camera. Camera in black and white with hi contrast mode, a light behind me, a few drops of water well lit. Then much patience to find the right shutter speed, fair exposure compensation and the right movements to follow. Here, a powerful rendering, dark, confusing, frightening, poetic, .. everyone be free to interpret them as he wishes. Virtually no post processing, just a cropping, an adjustment of shadows and whites.

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#20 Merit Gallery Winner By Joseph-Philippe Bevillard (Ireland)

Irish Traveller Biddy leans against a horse transport box for the photograph. She lives in a 3-berth caravan on the roadside campsite with her parents and ten other siblings.

In 2009, I started photographing the Travellers who are an ethnic group at a horse fair in Ireland. I returned to the horse fair the following year to meet them again and to give them some photos I had taken. They gained my trust and invited me to photograph their families and other clans. I am intrigued by their nomadic lifestyle so I decided to visit their caravans, halting sites and roadside encampments. In March 2017, Irish Travellers group have been formally recognized as an ethnic group. Today, they are still facing racism, discrimination, hardship by society and high suicide rates. Travellers are very proud of their culture. I want to represent these people through my photographs. My goal is to continue to work with these families as well as other members that I encounter, and perhaps let the settled people have more understanding of their unique culture.

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#21 Merit Gallery Winner By Stephen Hoffman (USA)

Coney Island Beyond the boardwalk is the title of this project . I am a documentary photographer who has who spent the last dozen years working with and photographing the people that live the housing projects in Coney Island . I mainly like to record people in their homes and places of worship. I give each person a copy of their picture. When I started this project, I worked with film and would come on Saturday morning with a group of pictures and people would line at the basketball court on 24th street to see if I had their photo. Many times, a mother or a sister would say that’s my brother or my grandma and I would give them the picture. The projects are like one enormous family. Everyone knows everyone else. Even though I now work with digital I still make photos to give out . My greatest thrill is to go to someone’s apartment and see my photos hanging on the wall.

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#22 Merit Gallery Winner By Rossi Fang (Taiwan)

Underpass worker break moment,Eat full the resting and eating snacks is a short time to relax.

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#23 Merit Gallery Winner By Eliane Band (Brazil)

I arrive, dazzled, at a settlement with 20 families from the Jat Fakirani community. In an increasingly pasteurized world, I am moved by the treasure of these moments. In every detail, I see the symbols of a culture that took millennia to form and is rapidly disappearing. From its magnificent traditional houses called PAKHO, through traditional clothing, its intimate relationship with animals, ancestral knowledge, everything is rare, unique and in the process of disappearing.

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#24 Merit Gallery Winner By Stephanie Eley (USA)

2020 was a year that confirmed a huge divide in the society we live in currently. Why are black men still being vilified unjustly? Stop, look closer, reach out, get to know him. Understand that he is a dynamic being – an educated, kind, and beautiful black man.

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#25 Merit Gallery Winner By Christian Bobst (Switzerland)

Samba Soknhna Ba, Ferlo Desert, Senegal, 2023; The pastoralists in the Ferlo Desert are an important example of people’s ability to adapt to extreme conditions and the importance of tradition and culture in a changing world. Although they face many challenges, they continue to live their lives and maintain their unique way of life.

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Newbury Photography Club are currently exhibiting 50 framed prints by 20 members at Greenham Common Control Tower.

The exhibition runs to July 2 and is open Wednesday to Friday from10.30am to 3.30pm and Saturday and Sunday 10am to 4pm.

The Club have also launchied a photography competition for young people entitled Summer with my camera. Submitted pictures can be taken on any camera or mobile phone and should show any interesting and creative subject taken during July and August. Details are available at the exhibition or on Newbury Photography Club Website, Facebook, or Instagram:

www.newburyphotographyclub.uk Facebook: www.facebook.com/NewburyPC/ Instagram: @newburyphotoclub

The inaugural meeting of Newbury Photography Club (formerly Newbury Camera Club) was held at 7pm on Thursday 01 February 1945 at the Tudor Cafe in Newbury (103 Northbrook Street). The Cafe remained the home of the Club for half a century, and it now meets in The Royal British Legion Club.

Membership numbers have been variable over the years reflecting the changes in photography which has progressed through black and white, colour prints, slides, digital and the rapid growth in the use of camera phones and on-line platforms. They have a strong programme of talks and presentations on many aspects of photography by leading professional and amateur photographers. Encouragement is given to those wishing to exhibit their skills in friendly competitions between members and between other clubs, advice is freely given, and problems shared. The club is an active member of the Southern Counties Photographic Federation, and we enter competitions with other clubs in the Federation and the Federation’s annual exhibition.

© Newbury Today
Mara Sundown, Jenny Bailey

They also organise special interest groups, workshops, discussions, and social events during the year. We pride ourselves in catering for all standards of photography, and in helping members to learn and to get the most enjoyment from photography.

Meetings are held every Thursday from 7pm for 7.30pm start at The Royal British Legion in Pelican Lane.

Headshot photography entails creating photos that look natural and authentic for casting directors or employers to see the real you in these photographs.

Light

Headshot photography requires making sure that the subject’s face is properly illuminated. Therefore, for best results it is often shot using natural or soft artificial lighting without harsh shadows and glare, as well as featuring an uncluttered background that keeps the focus solely on their face.

While many assume a quality headshot must include full-length photos, this isn’t always necessary. Some actors prefer head and shoulders shots because they find them easier for conveying emotions and range with their faces.

When posing clients, photographers will encourage them to use various facial expressions such as frowning, puckering the forehead/eyebrows, squinting eyes, crinkle eyebrows or make other facial movements while playing around with different smirks and smiles for optimal results.

Headshots typically call for one light that illuminates all aspects of the subject’s face – either inside a studio, outdoors or both. Adding another light can provide more dramatic or vignette effects behind the subject and ensure a high shutter speed to minimize camera shake or subject movement during shooting.

Composition

An effective headshot will showcase you in their best light. However, in order to do this successfully, lighting and composition must also be considered when taking this image. You can visit this site for more information on taking good photographs.

A photographer will start by talking to you about what you expect out of their session in order to gain insight into its overall theme and style. They will suggest settings and compositions to highlight your best features.

For example, a professional actor’s headshot must feature their face and eyes for maximum impact; on the other hand, those looking to establish themselves as executives or thought leaders might opt for more full-body shots with vibrant backdrops.

Photoshop or another photo-editing software can also help enhance the image quality of your headshots, from fixing white balance and exposure adjustments, to adding contrast that brings out details in eyes.

Furthermore, higher-level retouching may also be used to soften skin or remove blemishes – but take care not to go overboard. A Vancouver headshot photographer may also offer this service as an add-on. Be sure to inquire up front to ensure it is available if you are interested in this service.

Background

Though professional headshots focus on the face, their surroundings also play a pivotal role. A corporate job may require an objective backdrop while creative industries often prefer bold colors or unusual textures. Color and personal taste should all be considered when selecting an ideal backdrop.

White remains the go-to headshot background, but a professional photographer should offer clients alternative choices as well. Grey offers an ideal alternative, giving your headshot a more subdued aesthetic. A dark background has also become increasingly popular for creative industries professionals; creating an ethereal aesthetic and helping outfit colors pop!

Your options for backgrounds range from brick walls, buildings, textures such as lines or plant life; beautiful natural scenery like lakes, woods or flower fields may also work; for more formal headshots you could use your studio or business’s location as the setting. You can visit https://www.pinterest.com/ for more background ideas.

Some subjects may desire photographs with more natural backgrounds that they can use on social media, their website and printed materials to represent themselves more authentically. This may be especially applicable to thought leaders, business professionals and others looking to showcase their personality through photographs.

Getting Started

Before a headshot session begins, it is crucial that both you and the photographer have an understanding of where it will be displayed; this will allow them to plan the most effective shoot in order to obtain the best photo.

Headshots should go beyond mere visual identification; they should convey more about an individual’s character and attitude. The best photographers will have a mastery of people skills in order to help you feel relaxed while eliciting genuine expressions.

Before beginning a shoot, it is crucial that a pre-session consultation be held between photographer and client either in-person or over the phone. This consultation allows photographers to get acquainted with their clients while discussing desired looks as well as any concerns or queries the client might have.

A good photographer will help you bring your ideal headshot to life.

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