12 Stunning Photos That Won At The 2024 Minimalist Photography Awards
The sixth edition of the annual Minimalist Photography Awards concluded with a few exceptional submissions as well as quite a number of notable entries. Photographers captured images that still spoke volumes despite the bare nature of the subject matter.
Over 3600 submissions were received from photographers showing an extraordinary level of creativity and skill in minimalist photography. Winners were announced under 12 distinct categories, with Eva Chupikova being awarded the grand prize of $2000 as the Minimalist Photographer of The Year for her compelling renaissance-inspired portrait series, ‘Anna’.
More info: MinimalistPhotographyAwards.Com
#1 Portrait Photographer of the Year – “Anna” by Eva Chupikova
“Anna draws inspiration from the Renaissance, a period that celebrated the revival of classical artistic values and principles like harmony and proportion. Garments of that era were designed with intricate patterns, rich fabrics, and luxurious embellishments to symbolize wealth and social status. In our contemporary world, garments are manufactured with cheap labor at low cost to maximize profits. The result thereof is that we are engulfed in material excess and overwhelmed by visual and information stimuli. Materialism is the “new” symbolism of wealth and social status. In all this chaos, we yearn for a new sense of conformity and balance with our environment and ourselves. Whilst Anna conceptually is influenced by the Renaissance era, Anna’s vision is rooted in a more minimalist concept that eliminates the unnecessary, focusing solely on the essential – finding beauty in simplicity.” ~ Eva Chupikova
#2 Abstract Photographer of the Year – “Color Conversation” by Gleici Rufatto
“One of a series of geometric images that explore the interplay of color, form, and material, capturing an essence reminiscent of architectural elements. Each piece is centered on abstract forms within the built environment, presenting a visual journey that challenges perceptions and creates a color dialog that invites viewers to consider how colors interact and influence one another within a structured composition.”
#3 Street Photographer of the Year – “Spectrum” by Daniel Mead
“These photographs are from an upcoming series of mine called ‘Spectrum’. For this series I tried to leverage colour relationships to evoke specific moods, highlight subjects and create a harmonious or dynamic composition intertwined with the natural world…transforming the ordinary into a kaleidoscopic feast for the eyes.” ~ Daniel Mead
#4 Fine-art Photographer of the Year – “Delicate” by Hilda Champion
“Delicate, graceful, elegant, tender, fine, vulnerable.” ~ Hilda Champion
#5 Night Photographer of the Year – “Half Moon” by Andy OFarrell
“Taken from my balcony Dubai Marina.
Camera always on hand.
Just in case.” ~ Andy OFarrell
#6 Architecture Photographer of the Year – “Another Brick in the Wall” by Les Forrester
“It’s not often today you see modern building constructed with bricks so it’s a welcome change from the steel, glass and concrete we normally see.” ~ Les Forrester
#7 Long Exposure Photographer of the Year – “Torii” by Ulana Switucha
“Torii gates in Japan are elements in the landscape that symbolize the essence of Japanese culture and spirituality. In the Shinto spiritual tradition, Japanese torii gates are a symbol of the transition from the secular world to a sacred space. Honouring the natural realm, the simplicity and shape of a torii in the landscape draws the senses and spirit to embrace nature’s power and beauty. A minimalist approach draws the viewer into peaceful meditation.” ~ Ulana Switucha
#8 Landscape Photographer of the Year – “Arctic Silence 5” by Patrick Ems
“A lone musher with his dogs drives through the vast expanses of Spitsbergen.” ~ Patrick Ems
#9 Open Photographer of the Year – “The Unseen Poem” by Richard Bentley
“‘The Unseen Poem’ is a set of photographs taken over a period of 18 months. The last 2 years have been hard both personally and professionally and these images represent a freedom and a release from these confines. These photographs are meant to be seen as the unseen poem might be read during an English literature test… the reader must interpret the images and explain the meaning to themselves and back to me, for I do not always know what they mean as I am creating them, even if they do talk to me.” ~ Richard Bentley
#10 Aerial Photographer of the Year – “Winter Drawings” by Yevhen Samuchenko
“I created this aerial series in the Carpathian Mountains in the Ivano-Frankivsk region of Ukraine. In these parts of Ukraine, the houses are sparsely placed on low mountains, sometimes close to the forest. This allows me to see more minimalist scenes of rural life. The snow-covered mountains resemble a blank sheet of paper, and a combination of elements of rural life and nature creates simple but no less amazing sketches resembling pencil drawings. This is especially noticeable from above, which is why I chose to work with a drone for this project. I spent many days hiking in the winter Carpathian Mountains looking for interesting subjects for this series.” – Yevhen Samuchenko
#11 Photo Manipulation Photographer of the Year – “Innervisions” by George Byrne
“For the Innervisions series, I wanted to explore ideas around the subconscious mind by tapping into dreams and symbols. This process led me to further embrace the less literal aspects of my photographic practice.
The resulting images, while rooted in the urban environments of LA and Miami, are largely dreamscapes. I also tried approaching certain images like abstract paintings, these are impressions, heavily edited and assembled in ways as to promote the composition, rather than the context.
The term Innervisions was inspired by Stevie Wonder’s 1973 masterpiece of the same name – a record about the sensory joys/struggles of the inner self.” ~ George Byrne
#12 Conceptual Photographer of the Year – “Darkness at the break of day” by Kenneth Collins
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