2024 AOP OPEN Award
The AOP Open Award is run by the Association of Photographers and is an exciting opportunity for professionals and emerging image makers to compete on equal terms, in a high profile way with still and moving images created by a person, during what is our prestigious Annual Awards season.
Congratulations to the 2024 AOP OPEN Award Finalists who are;
Kherson – It’s personal
In March 2024 I was documenting the work of NOVI, a startup NGO whose stated mission is to ‘restore childhoods on the frontlines of war’. While there I also worked on a personal project, taking portraits and recording the experiences of civilians who had survived Russia’s war of aggression and occupation, with the intent of creating a body of work that represented the war in personal terms, as it had slipped from the headlines in the UK.
The camera makes me a photographer but my craving to explore new places, peoples and experiences makes me a storyteller. I share these stories through conventional media as well as unorthodox forms of display, like gorilla exhibitions and self-published materials that both add context to the work and democratise its scrutinization. In practice, I am both hunter and farmer, working collaboratively to tell the truths of themes while creating nuanced narratives through coding and artistic reference using light and composition.
Missing, 2024.
Missing’ is from a series of images made in collaboration with the artist Deirdre Kashdan, for a project of the same title whose intent is to give voice to those who, unrecognised and sometimes sidelines by the medical profession, care for loved ones with metal illness and addiction.
My Father’s journey,Uganda.
The series is related to my father writing scenes of his upbringing in Kampala, Uganda. I intended to recreate them through my perspective and imagination of what it would been like.
It was a time of hardship my family faced, contrary to belief that all Indian’s were wealthy in Uganda at the time. I lean towards showing unity in the images as till this day remains segregation on a social level between both African and Indian communities. Therefore I felt it’s something also I wanted to address through my family history how they united with locals in order to survive.
I’m a portrait photographer.The series submitted was a quest to reimagine scenes of my father’s upbringing in Kampala, Uganda.
100 Years.
In an historically marginalised part of Stoke-on-Trent, situated besides a derelict brownfield site and two factories, the residents have embarked on a 100 Year Plan to improve their neighbourhood for the community and the planet.
Led by the Portland Inn Project, an artist driven organisation, each short-term project becomes part of the wider community landscape, enabling the residents to think about their place in history, and to feel empowered to move forwards to defend their land and the wider ecology. Through the small actions collectively made today, huge impacts can follow. The 100 Year Plan marks the beginning of a long-term investment in people led change.
Felicity Crawshaw is a photographer of people and places. She creates compelling portraits, and immersive landscape images from the UK and worldwide; images that tell the story behind the people and the places they inhabit. Her work often centres around people’s relationship with the environment, and the essential bonds that link them to the landscape.
Felicity works with leading agencies and brands, as well as collaborating with charities, artists and arts organisations. Her work has been recognised in national and international features and photography awards.
Evie
Evie photographed in traditional Brownie uniform in an original Comprehensive school gym.
“I discovered this nostalgic gym on an unrelated shoot. It reminded me of my old Scouts hall. I photographed Evie in a traditional Brownies uniform I found on Ebay, fittingly belonging to a mother who used to attend a Brownie’s group a few miles away”
I have lots of fun making real people look heroic for advertising campaigns with unique, carefully crafted images.
Winnie winning at dominoes.
Link Age Southwark is a local charity providing support to over 800 older people who are feeling lonely or isolated. They initiate befriending partnerships where volunteers meet up on a weekly basis often just to chat and be company. This is Winnie who enjoys the weekly organised games mornings and is a fantastic dominoes play even at the age of 100!
I’ve been taking pictures for 40+ years and will never tire of it. I mainly shoot people for advertising campaigns on location and in the studio as a profession and anything else for fun. Two years ago I decide to give a little back and started offering up my skills as a photographer to charities in my spare time and haven’t stopped since. It sounds clichéd but you definitely get that feel good factor.
Romería del Rocío.
Every May, thousands of pilgrims across Spain begin the arduous yet joyful journey to El Rocio, a small, unique town in Western Andalusia.
It is a place like no other where elegant, whitewashed houses fronted by wooden verandas reminiscent of a wild west film open out onto sandy boulevards. Immaculately dressed
men, women and families saunter past on horseback as horse drawn carriages rattle down the street. The sound of excited voices and flamenco music filling the dusty air.
The Romeria del Rocio is one of Spain’s oldest and largest ferias. Its roots date back to the 13th century when, according to local legend, a hunter came across a statue of the Virgin Mary inside a hollowed-out tree trunk. A chapel was built where the tree stood, and it became a place of pilgrimage.
Pilgrims travel from all over Andalusia and beyond, often journeying as their ancestors would have hundreds of years ago in ornately decorated ox-drawn wagons. Some pilgrims travel for days on horseback, and many make the journey on foot through beautiful, winding country tracks and sandy plains. The atmosphere is exuberant, chaotic and emotional.
On arrival to El Rocio, pilgrims park up their wagons and prepare for days of celebration and impassioned religious ceremonies. Crowds sing and dance as visitors are welcomed into locals’ homes, food and drinks are readily shared, and celebrations go on well into the early morning.
In the early hours of Pentecost Monday, the celebration reaches it’s finale when the statue of the El Rocio Virgin is carried outside of her church on the shoulders of the crowd. She is carried atop the bustling sea of people long into the daylight hours as pilgrims weep with emotion as she passes them.
Later that day, pilgrims slowly begin preparations for their long and winding journey home.
Exhausted, but spirits held high by songs of devotion and the hardship of the trail – already dreaming of the day they can begin the journey the following year.
Leon Foggitt is a Portrait, Lifestyle and Travel photographer based in the UK. He shoots for a range of publications and commercial clients including, The Observer Magazine, Monocle, Waitrose, Adobe, Channel 4, Samsung and Skoda. Leon has photographed Prime Ministers, Olympians, Premier League footballers and celebrities. His work has been featured in awards including Portrait of Britain, The AOP Awards and The International Photography Awards. Leon’s work can be found in best selling books published by the likes of Phaidon, Hoxton Mini Press and Grand Designs.
The Descendants of Black Civil War combatants.
A four year long project working with the Black history unit of genealogy organisation Wikitree to identify original photographs of Black American civil war Combatants and tracing their descendants and bringing them together from all over the USA and recreating the portraits with the descendants in a northlight studio utilising a 5×7 inch TinType camera from the 1800’s.
Many original period props were used and the costumes were specially by a team of artisan costumiers.
I have been a professional photographer for more than 40 years and I have been working on my descendants project, where I recreate historic portraits with their descendants for 20 years, the resulting images have been exhibited internationally. The latest part of the series was in close co operation with the Smithsonian Magazine and the series was used in the black history month edition of the Smithsonian magazine.
Wine on Wetplate
A series of Wetplate collodion photographs on metal plates celebrating winemakers working with natural, organic and bio-dynamic principles at their core. Shot on location in an itinerant caravan studio-darkroom.
We’re wet plate collodion artist Emma Brown and photographer Michael Harvey, an alternative photography duo specialising in the Wet Plate Collodion process. Both award-winning photographers, ”Wet Plate & Wine” explores our interest in using WetPlate photography to tell other people’s stories. In this case we wanted to bring the makers of natural wine out from behind the bottle.
emmabrownphotography.com (http://emmabrownphotography.com/)
michaelharveyphoto.com (http://michaelharveyphoto.com/)
David after cystectomy.
Man sitting on a hospital bed staring at the camera.
The photo was taken 2 weeks after David’s operation. I went to the hospital to collect him. He was very weak but couldn’t wait to get home.
Kin Ho is an award-winning photographer specialising in portrait, lifestyle, and fashion. His work is held by the National Portrait Gallery, the V&A Museum, and the International Center of Photography, NY. Kin has earned awards such as the Nikon Photo Contest International and finalist in the AOP Awards. His diverse clients include Dr. Martens, NHS, and HSBC. Upcoming 2024 accolade includes a group show at the Fashion Museum of Paris, and image selected for a photo book published by the V&A.
Witnessing Change.
With mountainous regions experiencing advanced warming, there’s an urgent need to balance visitors’ expectations of the Alps with a more flexible mindset. Chamonix, a cornerstone of European mountaineering for over two centuries, is home to France’s tallest mountain, Mont Blanc, and the largest glacier, the Mer de Glace. Annually, it attracts over 5 million visitors. As climate change reshapes the landscape, Chamonix becomes a vivid testament to these changes.
The Mer de Glace glacier and the mountain permafrost are critical components of a fragile ecosystem. Historically, the glacier, sustained by winter snow and ice, stabilized the permafrost that binds the towering summits. However, the warming climate disrupts this balance, resulting in less ice and snow to insulate the permafrost. Thawing permafrost, in turn, increases rockfalls and instability, posing significant challenges for climbers and guides.
Since 1900, the Mer de Glace has lost about a third of its volume, around 1.5 cubic kilometers of ice. In 1988, it took three steps to reach the ice from the gondola. By 2023, a 550-step walkway was required to descend to the glacier. A new gondola, completed in February 2024, now reaches the ice 600 meters up the mountain, attempting to stay ahead of the melting glacier. However, this solution is expected to last only ten years, after which the glacier will have retreated out of reach.
Chamonix faces the dual role of spectator and host to climate change’s impact on tourism. Its efforts to maintain its status as a premier alpine destination while adapting to environmental changes reflect the broader challenges of alpine tourism. The critical question is: how will alpine tourism adapt to the escalating effects of climate change? Innovative solutions and sustainable practices are essential as Chamonix navigates its future amidst these unprecedented changes.
Joseph is a British photographer working on projects across Europe with an interest in cultural and environmental identity. His works often focus on our custodial role in the Anthropocene era and reflect how we both affect and are affected by the environments we inhabit.
His long-term projects are made in areas of cultural conflict, utilising the dense cultural complexity found when our natural spaces interact with our modern world. Drawing on his passion for exploration and the mountains, this often leads him to photograph remote and wild spaces that he juxtaposes with images that reflect our social identity.
These themes have been applied to commissions in documentary projects as well as portraiture and advertising, bringing a depth of colour and a strong use of tone and form to build complex narratives in the stories he creates.
Chonti
From my series titled “Second Skin” which explores how fashion is used as a form of armour from modern society.
London based fashion and portrait photographer with a keen eye for detail. I aim to capture the confidence of my subjects whilst blurring the lines between fashion and art. My goal is to create timeless images that invite contemplation and connection beyond the surface; images that will linger in the mind.
Behind Closed Doors.
An ongoing personal project depicting activities that people indulge in behind seemingly ordinary looking facades.
Deep connection and humanity are at the heart of Jason’s work. A natural storyteller, Jason is expert in creating atmospheric compositions, conveying spontaneous emotional moments in a curated environment. He draws us in, making the ordinary extraordinary, he loves to celebrate people, in all shapes and forms.
Through his beautifully crafted photography, mixture of ambient and enhanced lighting, avid attention to detail and drawing on multifaceted skills, Jason expertly creates atmosphere in his imagery, bringing people and their environment to life.
Skilfully directing motion with his DOP while simultaneously shooting stills himself, he engineers an environment where all players and assets are perfectly captured at key moments, to coalesce in the final, ever-magical result.
Through his calm, patient and easy going manner, Jason quickly builds rapport and trust with everyone on set. He puts his subjects at ease in front of the camera, and makes every shoot a pleasure not just for the subject, the client but for all concerned.
A passionate, driven perfectionist, Jason brings his expertise, talent, professionalism and exceptional hard work to each shoot. For those who haven’t worked with him, rest assured, he is the safest pair of hands in the industry. He meticulously plans, organises and executes each shoot, working tirelessly to any brief and consistently exceeding expectations, to happy clients.
Life-Lines Throughout the United States.
This body of work is a companion series to my project, “Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY,” to demonstrate how communities throughout the United States are facing the same dire situation. Throughout the United States, many individuals are being left behind by technology, whether that is for communication or Internet access. Our society has become one in which you must have access to these tools to be provided support services and a job, or you are left behind, widening the gap between the lower and middle classes.
Often, this outdated technology is also used to label individuals or areas of a community where they can be found as social markers without further knowledge. The individuals I have met who still rely on payphones have stated, “I hate how people look at me like I am doing something wrong when I am using the payphone.” Those individuals have explained that they are typically calling their families to check in or for support.
My work aims to raise the following questions: how do we ensure access to basic needs for a sustainable community, such as communication, shelter, and food, without labeling those relying on support?
Why has the United Kingdom decided to save their iconic payphones, convert them to digital ones, and install other emergency necessities such as defibrillators in the red booths?
Once the payphones are gone, how will we communicate in a natural disaster similar to Hurricane Katrina & Sandy?
The payphone may be a symbol of a different era. Still, we must remember how we use technology as a social marker and often forget those individuals who cannot keep up with fundamental technological advancements.
Eric T. Kunsman (b. 1975) was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. While in high school, he was heavily influenced by the death of the steel industry and its place in American history. He is a photographer and book artist based out of Rochester, New York. Eric works at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an Assistant Professor in the Visual Communications Studies Department at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and is an adjunct professor for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences.
Rose City Raindrops.
Artistic swimmers in IGLA happening Palm Springs, California.
Born in Finland I became interested in photography at an early age of 8. By 21 I had a studio in my hometown of Tampere, Finland and soon after in London UK. A career as a commercial photographer became the reality, that would eventually lead me to Los Angeles. My photography ranges from pure painterly to complex technical composites. I enjoy working and traveling for both American and European clients and my love of photography also inspires a constant stream of personal work that is largely inspired by the values I hold dear: joy of life, peace of mind and a sense of humor.
Creative Mothers
Creative Mothers’ is about women who run their own creative business while raising children. I became a mother in 2020 and have sought connections to women who are in a similar position to me, working for themselves, pushing their own creative business and career forward while being a mother. Over the past 2.5 years I photographed a variety of empowering women with their children in their homes or studios. Everyone’s story is different but what they all have in common is the unconditional love towards their children as well as their profession, a love that unites us all.
Dunja is a London-based photographer, specialising in portrait, interior, and documentary photography. Her approach centres on authenticity and mood, allowing her photoshoots to unfold naturally, while keeping the brand narrative or editorial storyline at the forefront. She combines her love of people and places to document the nuances of individuals, businesses and their surroundings for both editorial and commercial clients such as Telegraph Luxury, LSA, FORA and Monocle. With an observant and intuitive way of working the images unfold naturally and her approach to photography is capturing the mood and feeling while maintaining a great emphasis on authenticity and intimacy.
Originally from Hamburg, Germany, Dunja moved to London in 2011. Over the years, before transitioning into photography, she has gained a wide range of experience and understanding in various creative processes and disciplines through her work in Art Direction and Creative Advertising in a number of agencies and photography studios in London, Shanghai and Hamburg. When she’s not working or spending time with her four-year-old daughter you’ll find her playing table football which is her secret passion.
Colour Correction #1.
Londoner David Parfitt discovered early on his love of photography and the power of incredible images.
Over the last four decades he has been sought out by the likes of Vogue, Dior, Estee Lauder, De Beers Diamonds, Bentley Motors for his keen eye for composition, exquisite attention to detail, and masterful command of lighting.
Beyond his commercial work his personal projects reflect his passion for exploring the beauty in the simple everyday things around us, taking a closer look to reveal the intricacies and hidden patterns. Moments that cost nothing, nothing for sale.
Owen Pick – Moving Forward
This is the inspiring story of Owen Pick, a former frontline soldier in the British Army. Owen served with the 1st Royal Anglian Regiment for four years and was deployed to Afghanistan at the age of 18. His life took a dramatic turn when he stepped on a live IED, resulting in the loss of part of his leg.
Refusing to be defined by this setback, Owen discovered a passion for snowboarding. Through sheer grit and determination, he rose to become a world champion, winning numerous competitions. Owen’s journey led him to compete in the Paralympics, where he proudly carried the flag for the United Kingdom at the opening ceremony. His story is one of resilience and inspiration, showing how perseverance can turn adversity into triumph.
Director/DP: Louis James-Parker
Music & Sound Design: Jeff Moberg
Colour Grade: Cam Sander
Snowboard Footage Supplied By: Daniel Gale
Racing Commentary: Ewan Dunlop
BTS: Harry Harper
I am a director and photographer who specialises in capturing raw emotion.
This is the inspiring story of Owen Pick, a former frontline soldier in the British Army. Owen served with the 1st Royal Anglian Regiment for four years and was deployed to Afghanistan at the age of 18. His life took a dramatic turn when he stepped on a live IED, resulting in the loss of part of his leg. Not letting that deter him, he went onto become snowboard world champion.
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