Winners Of The Independent Photographer’s ‘Open Call’ Competition

Enjoy the results of The Independent Photographer's Open Call photo competition!

Alessia Glaviano was the Competition Judge: she is the Brand Visual Director of Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue. She has worked with a wide range of international photographers over the years and she is responsible for Photo Vogue, an innovative online platform where users can share their own photographs under the curatorial supervision of professional photo editors. Alessia is also responsible for the artistic direction of events and exhibitions for Vogue Italia and L’Uomo Vogue.

After receiving photos from more than 50 countries, the Open Call competition was designed to invite photographers of all ages, backgrounds, and experiences to share with us their best images.⁠

More info: independent-photo.com

Title: “Mercedes” - Havana, Cuba 2018

Vitiligo is a long-term skin condition characterized by patches of the skin losing their pigment.

Mercedes, 42 years old is posing in her house. The first Vitiligo marks appeared on her elbows and legs by the age of 35, after her grandmother’s death. Now Vitiligo took over 90% of her body. She used Cuban treatments with good results but in the end, she gave up the treatment as she was fed up with applying the lotion every day. Now she puts black makeup on her face in order to camouflage the white skin.

“Terroni’s Before the Procession” - London, UK

“Il Quartiere”, as it is referred to, is a triangle between Farringdon, Clerkenwell, and Holborn where the Italian ghetto used to be, and where today a large part of the community still resides and gathers. Part of the ongoing project started as a response to Italy’s increasingly hostile position on immigration, from policymakers to a (saddening) majority of the public. Through a series of portraits this project aims to explore, and trace the history of, Italian immigrants in London today.

Title: 'Tonle Sap and Chong Kneas village', Cambodia

Aerial view from a helicopter of Tonle Sap lake and Chong Kneas village in the dry season, Cambodia. Tonlé Sap, literally large river (tonle); not salty (sap), is a seasonally inundated freshwater lake that is connected to the Mekong River. They form the central part of a complex hydrological system in the Cambodian floodplain.

Title: “Tree in Winter”

On the first day of snowfall, a delicate white dusting covers the landscape. The leaves are still showing colors, pleasantly contrasting the white of the snow.

Title: “Emeralds No. 2”

“Emeralds No. 2” is part of a series of photographs that explore the ephemeral quality of light and color in regions that are susceptible to transient weather conditions. In Northeast Brazil, the LenÁÛis Maranhenses is a range of coastal sand dunes that is isolated and temperamental. Though desert-like, it rains 47-inches per year, creating a vast system of freshwater lagoons. Every dry season, the water evaporates and harsh winds cause the dunes to shift. As part of my continuing study of the role that weather plays in how we experience a landscape, these photographs are my testimony to the incredible fragility of the earth as it confronts climate change.

Title: "Vietnam from Above"

A woman is drying incense sticks, a process in making incense. Vietnamese believe that incense is a tool to connect the living with the spirits. When people burn incense, they can talk to spirits and pray.

Title: “Fjallsjökull” - Iceland 2016

Title: “The Road to Kigali” - Beyond the visible light.

The image was taken with an infrared converted camera, creating a winter landscape in Africa.

Title: “Ernie”

Ernie comes from a Gypsy family living in the UK. I met him at the Dereham Horse Fair near Norwich. The day before I went to photograph the fair, the weather was bad and the whole field was covered in mud. It didn’t stop Ernie to run around the field and ride on his horse. He was all covered in mud. Before he washed, I asked him to pose for me. He then took two of his dogs as he wanted to have a picture with them.

Title: “Twins”