The International Portrait Photographer of the Year 2023...one of the photo contests with the highest standards of work submitted. Basically, many of the big names in the industry are in there...
As the organisers have put it- "the main aim of our Award is to be selected in the Top 101 portrait photographs of the year and be published in our annual book. As judges and successful entrants know, being a prize-winner is partly opinion and partly luck. That’s why we place so much importance on being in the Top 101 as there is plenty of room for a variety of tastes, approaches and styles. And any of the Top 101 photographs could be a prize winner on the day. "
And as part of the contest rules, the portrait entry must have been photographed on or after 1 January 2019.
I made 4 entries for the contest, all 4 scored distinctions with marks above 80% and 2 have made it into the Top 101 Portrait Photographs of the Year and included in their annual book.
Persecution of the Kings is included in the Portrait Story category and Yuki Gomori in the Environmental Portrait category.
Persecution of the Kings is a streetside portrait of my Italian friends Arnaldo and Daniel at the Venice Carnevale earlier this year. When it comes to costumes, most Italians prefer painted faces to full masks. The photo is done using just natural lighting alone. During Carnevale, the whole Venice becomes a real life theatrical stage, and many of these historical costumes carry deep perspectives...
雪籠り Yuki Gomori - Seclude from cold snowy winter and stay indoors as wild animals hibernate - a Haiku seasonal word. In snowy regions, people often stay indoors during the winter. They wait for the long winter to end while reading a book under the kotatsu or making preparations for the spring field work by the hearth.
Yuki Gomori is a friendly portrait for my Geisha friend in Kyoto.
Again, as with most of my travel photos, the portrait is done using only natural lighting alone.
A preview of the annual book by Portrait Photographer of the Year can be found on their website: https://www.internationalportraitphotographer.com/
The photos are also featured on The Times, UK on 17th August 2023: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/from-surreal-to-spectacular-the-worlds-most-striking-portraits-v8cx7t6dd?fbclid=IwAR0xwWi6CH6zCWwq9UWMkh_SmiZi_gQQo8OIg_F3ja53Jk4TzpIZbwa4RJs
And also on the Guardian: