9 Powerful Photos That Won The “Emerging Talent” Contest By The Independent Photographer

Title: “Cabin life” - Norway

1st Prize. $1000.

"From an ongoing documentary project focused on my family life during holidays spent at our traditional mountain cabin in Norway. There are lots of joys, excitements, happiness spending intimate time with the family, but this is not always the case, especially for children of modern age standing against tradition-loving parents. Being foreign and living in Norway, this is still a special way of having a holiday (basic cabin with no electricity and running water) but many can associate with the emotions involving family life.

Feedback from MaryAnne Golon: 'The child in a cabin window with the reflection of the magnificent Norwegian landscape beyond is a gorgeous metaphor for both childhood and identity. Beyond the extraordinary light and composition, the gaze and expression captured here at once combine innocence and strength. Locking eyes with this girl through her sister, the photographer, is a powerful experience and a privilege.'"

Title: “Bubble Lion” - Port Lincoln, South Australia

3rd Prize. $400.

“It’s easy to imagine an image. The alignment of perfect moments when light and composition collide. When you are waiting it feels like a lifetime away and when you are in the moment it feels like time stands still. Will your capture ever live up to what you had built in your mind before you got in the water? Before the two-hour boat ride. It’s easy to forget the energy that gets put into capturing moments. To understand what an image means to its creator. The mix of emotions of enjoying being in the moment whilst still feeling the crazy hunger to capture what you have visualized so many times before. Will you do it justice? I’ve watched them move. The way they interact, play, and express emotion. Before I came to the moment, I knew what I wanted: silky smoothness of fur, the humanistic expression in their eyes, but above all, the bridge between air and water, the trail that connects them to the surface. A small moment in the underwater world where they feel understood and appreciated, something I can take with me in an image. Now you have my insight into this image, hopefully you can feel the bridge that connects us to the surface when you are underneath.”

Feedback from The Independent Photographer Editors: “Matthew Bagley’s subaquatic portrayal of a sea lion is truly astonishing, a somewhat surreal, and deeply cogitative image that effectively articulates the rare poignancy of the moment. Profoundly moving, it perfectly expresses Bagley’s intense appreciation of his subject, whilst engendering the same sense of joy and awe, as all great depictions of the natural world.”

Title: “Migration” - Yamal Peninsula, Siberia

"Located in Siberia, the Yamal Peninsula is one of the most inhospitable places on earth due to its extreme weather conditions where temperatures often drop below -40 degrees. It is in this frozen wasteland that the Nenets settled over a thousand years ago. A community of reindeer herders, leading a nomadic life, Nenets live in their 'chum,' the name of their reindeer skin tents, that are disassembled and reassemble during migration periods while looking for mosses and lichens which reindeer feed on. Although many of them carry on ancient traditions, over the years, fewer and fewer decide to stay. Young people who have the opportunity to study in the city hardly miss returning to live in the tundra. Another factor that threatens Nenets livelihood is the recent local economic development due to gas extraction (1/3 of the gas from all of Russia is extracted in the Yamal Peninsula). All these problems force Nenets to change migration routes, creating new hardships."

Title: “Coexistence” - From “EHA” series

2nd Prize. $600.

"'EHA is a series of portraits of my mother, portrayed in a series of unusual situations, poses, and attire. Eha was born in Estonia in 1950. Widowed, suffering from epilepsy, and lacking great command of English, Eha stayed tightly involved in our lives. In 2015, Eha began to suffer from depression. Life became bleaker. Something had to be done. I came up with a plan to give her something new to focus on, beyond her new procession of doctor’s appointments and medications. The ‘EHA’ project was born.'

Feedback from MaryAnne Golon: 'This series of Eha, an older person suffering from depression, is sublime. This particular portrait, with the modern device and clothing adorning a regal white-haired woman, is a profound statement regarding technology and aging. The soft lighting and curls against the alien devices and red lips are truly haunting. The creativity and love that created this series through the artist is a wonderous experience and memorable feat.'"

Title: “Plitvice lakes Winter fairytale” - Croatia

"Plitviče Lakes National Park is a 295-sq.-km forest reserve in central Croatia. It’s known for a chain of 16 terraced lakes, joined by waterfalls, that extend into a limestone canyon. Walkways and hiking trails wind around and across the water, and an electric boat links the 12 upper and 4 lower lakes. The latter is the site of Veliki Slap, a 78m-high waterfall. After a night of abundant snowing, I was fortunate to capture the iconic waterfalls with a rarely seen face."

Title: “Kathleen and Bridget” - Dublin, Ireland 2020

"Kathleen and Bridget are sisters, standing outside a bonfire. Irish Travelers are known for collecting scrap metals. They melt the covering of copper wires prior to a trip to the recycling center to earn extra cash."

Title: “Suzie during Lockdown” - London, England 2020

"From the series 'Looking Out from Within.' Covid-19 came. Life changed. Probably irrevocably. I felt numb. Couldn’t stand around helpless. I decided to document the new daily existence of millions. I advertised my idea on social media and through my local paper in West London. The response was enormous. Imprisoned in their home, they gaze forlornly out of their window onto a different desolate world outside."

Title: “The Faroes” - Faroe Islands

"Clouds silently drift over the sharp cliffs of the Faroe Islands as snow-capped mountains climb out of the blue water in the distance."

Title: “Surreal kami” - Luoyang, China

Editorial portrait work - 2020