Sony's World Photography Contest Shortlist Announced and We Can All Learn Something From Them
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From the series “At the end of the day” by Laetitia Vançon, France, Shortlist, Professional, Portraiture, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “This series is a portrait of a territory through the prism of its younger generation. The Outer Hebrides are a string of islands (220km long with 27,000 inhabitants), located in the far North of Scotland, on the edge of what used to be Europe before Brexit. What is the daily life of these young people, in a place where the population is aging and the economy is declining, where jobs and studies but also their choice of partners are limited? Danielle Mac Gillivray 28 years old, raises alone her son Peter, four years old. She works in her father’s souvenir shop in Benbecula, the island where she lived and grew up. A single mother, suffering from multiple sclerosis, Danielle is aware that in her small community it will not be easy to rebuild her life.”
The Sony World Photography Contest broke records this year with 327,000 entries. Out of these entries, the judges have announced the shortlist. Here are our favorite photographs from the professional shortlist for your viewing pleasure.
"Lee Dickerson" from the series "Bonneville" by Sigurd Fandango, Norway, Shortlist, Professional, Sport (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. Ever since the car was invented, people have gathered at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, US, to set land speed records. "The Flats" are the remains of an ancient lake, a dreamlike, vast expanse of salt, where 70-year-old grandfathers zip by at speeds of 450 miles per hour. “Speed Week” takes place in August each year and welcomes amateurs and professional drivers, as long as they can present a car that meets the specifications of The Southern California Timing Association.
“Popular Resistance Icon” from the series “Palestinian Right of Return Protests” by Mustafa Hassona, Palestine, State of, Shortlist, Professional, Documentary, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “A shirtless young protester in Gaza gripping a Palestinian flag with one hand and swinging a slingshot over his head with the other, on the northern border between the Gaza Strip and Israel in the weekly protests organized by Palestinian protesters to protest against the Israeli blockade of Gaza, which has been imposed by Israel for the past 12 years.”
“Transformation” from the series “Capsulated Series” (courtesy of Galerie Number 8) by Djeneba Aduayom, France, Shortlist, Professional, Creative, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “his is an ongoing project/series called capsulated, an interpretation of an imaginary inner world translating numerous emotions and states of minds brought by rejection, solitude, and stereotypes. ‘To be inside a bubble, the world is a bubble. I am encapsulated in my own bubble. Within my own self, connected and disconnected all at once. Express, repress. Rejection makes me fragile and strong all at once. See me beyond the surface, see me beyond my differences. I am an Introvert in a world of extraverts. Movement of expression and self-reflection are the way forward. To touch someone’s heart is to touch the world one drop at a time so that the misconceptions melt away. See me for who I am, don’t judge me for what you see. I am inside a bubble. Capsulated.'”
"The Big Score" from the series "The Big Score" by Thomas Nielsen, Denmark, Shortlist, Professional, Sport (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. Football was invented by the British in 1863, when the Football Association was formed. For the first time, rules for this simple ball game that requires a minimum of equipment were sketched out. Football lives in the British soul. Every week they cheer and support their teams, but not just in the Premier League. Millions of British football fans also shout for their teams in the lower divisions. In West London club Brentford FC - playing in the second best "Championship" league - they are used to not always winning, but the club’s form curve is improving this year and some even believe in the miracle of making it to the Premier League.
“Lithium Mining XXVI” from the series “Lithium Mining” by Catherine Hyland, United Kingdom, Shortlist, Professional, Landscape, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “SQM mine in the Atacama desert in northern Chile. The Atacama is famous for being the world’s driest place. Four thousand meters above sea level in the rain shadow of the Andes Mountains, almost no rain falls here and the people who do live here have historically scraped a living by breeding llamas and goats or knitting hats. So it’s remote and isolated. It’s also the world’s largest source of lithium, home to minerals that provide the power that fuels our modern daily life. Break down a smartphone battery and you’ll find 3 grams of lithium in there. A laptop has around seventy grams. Move up to an electric car and you’ll find twenty kilograms. Lithium is the element of the moment and the Atacama is where most of it comes from.”
From the series “H o m e” by Felicia Simion, Romania, Shortlist, Professional, Architecture, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “Within the traditional Romanian mindset, the house is considered the nucleus of the family life, a primordial space which generates and preserves vital energies. As a photographer traveling across Romania, I watched villages and towns being architecturally transformed during the last years, as a consequence of cultural appropriation, as part of the globalization process. I photographed the remains of a so-called „traditional” world and also a more „modern” approach to the concept of home, featuring imposing palace-like houses and apartment complexes built at the cities’ outskirts. By isolating them in natural landscapes, as a form of decontextualization, I questioned the meanings and attributions of the habitat, and how they are reflected in the fluidity of the architectural styles. Is the house a primordial site anymore, or have its functions diminished to a utilitarian meaning? Has the house been relocated from the center of the world to its periphery?”
"Bryan, Palm Springs, California 2017" from the series "Plan Américain" by Scarlett Coten, France, Shortlist, Professional, Portraiture (Professional competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. Plan Américain is part of a larger study on the complexities of masculinity and is devoted to a new territory: the United States. Through intimate portraits, this series gives a unique overview of today’s America - the America of my encounters with strangers. Reversing the typical societal roles, this work offers a female viewpoint on men, a transgressive photographic act, exploring the necessity of alternative perspectives and the power of the female gaze in the art. I choose men on instinct and invite them to pose, photographing those who agree in a confidential location selected to match each individual encounter. By focusing on beauty and the vulnerabilities of a gender constrained by stereotypical expectations of masculinity, my work strives to remove any cliché or stigma of sensitivity, recontextualizing gendered identity for today’s world.
From the series “Boxing Against Violence: The Female Boxers Of Goma” by Alessandro Grassani, Italy, Shortlist, Professional, Sport, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “Elysèe, 16 years old. portrayed on the streets of central Goma, she is part of one of the official boxing clubs in Goma. Elysèe tells: ‘I’ve been boxing for 2 years, it’s something that gives me strength and courage to defend myself and makes me feel accepted everywhere. In this city there is so much violence that you must always be ready to react. Under the ashes of this society there are latent conflicts, a violence ready to explode at any moment. Thanks to boxing I feel ready to face these dangers.’ Democratic Republic of Congo. Goma. 29/05/2018.”
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“Birama & Ndeye Fatou” from the series “Pères” by Marta Moreiras, Spain, Shortlist, Professional, Portraiture, 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. “Pères is born as a reflection on fatherhood, to promote gender equality and social development in Africa. We live in a world permeated by stereotypes, of which we are often victims. Pères questions these clichés that we carry as a burden, in a literal way and also symbolically, to create a pathway towards an open dialogue on a crucial and significant matter. Pères aims to inspire social change and strives to support women in their battle for gender equality. It is a symbolic act that implies an invitation to reflect on gender roles. These portraits make the role of the father visible as well as promoting a more balanced family model, where fathers are engaged in the education and care of their children at the same level as mothers.”
"Inner Atlas" from the series "Inner Atlas" by Trent Mitchell, Australia, Shortlist, Professional, Sport (Professional Competition), 2019 Sony World Photography Awards. "Regarded as an art form, the sport of bodysurfing is one of the most primitive forms of wave riding. Historically celebrated for performances above the water surface, I felt intrigued to explore the rider's interaction with the power of the sea from an immersive perspective below. What does it feel like to be there, moving at the perfect speed, intimately connecting with the dynamics of the sea? To ride the formless edge between fear and joy in a single breath? I discovered a physical and emotive space where man, movement and energy fuse during a journey of self-discovery and inner harmony."
The official winners of the Sony World Photography contest will be announced out of the shortlist on April 17th.
