We're delighted to reveal the names of the 24 talented photographers who won ''AAP Magazine #26: Shapes''!
The Winner of AAP Magazine 26 Shapes is Mike Baker (USA) with his project “Urban Architectural Shapes”
The Second Place Winner is Maura Allen (USA) with her project “The West Takes Shape”
The Third Place Winner is Guillermo Espinosa (Germany) with his series “Visual Rhymes”
The top 3 winners will be awarded $1,000.
All winners will have their work showcased in All About Photo Winners Gallery and published in the printed issue of AAP Magazine #26 Shapes.
More info: all-about-photo.com
#1 S-Curve © Mike Baker (USA)
"Staircases have such personality; no two are the same. If one looks closely, several compositional elements can be observed and captured including lines, shapes, curves, and repetition. The image captured here is at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA)."
127points
Ann Jastrab (Executive Director, Center for Photographic Art) and I, Sandrine Hermand-Grisel, chose twenty-four photographers for their different approaches to the idea of Shapes. Their work is diverse: architecture, mixed-media, still life, abstractions... and use different techniques and perspectives but each one showcases a unique point of view.
#2 Untitled From The Series Impossible Installations © Synchrodogs
"‘Impossible Installations’ is a visual representation of humans and technology merging together to create a photographic project of sculptures that are too surreal to exist in real life. The project is a collaboration between Synchrodogs artistic duo and Artificial Intelligence, created in a truly innovative manner via using mixed media art to extract and redefine symbiosis achieved between humans and technology in the last century.
Changing the environment in a surrealistic manner artistic duo aimed to highlight the rapid changes humanity is facing due to the fast flow of innovation and progress. Observing the new ways the Earth begins to look like as a result of human interventions into the environmental processes, they created a series of works that balance between the real and the imagined, and are at the same time a visual reflection on the contrast between the past, the present and the future (which always remains unknown and unpredictable, leaving us some space for invention)."
89points
#3 Leather Strap Study #2 © Barbara Hazen
"Drawn to this old leather carriage strap found in a curiosity shop, I was immediately drawn to its texture and ability to bend into sinuous shapes."
87points
The other winners featured in the Merit Award’s Gallery are: Wayne Swanson (USA), Florian W. Mueller (Germany), Barbara Hazen (USA), Ray Knox (UK), Tom Schifanella (USA), Gregory Spaid (USA), Klaus Lenzen (Germany), Stephen Albair (USA), Beth Galton (USA), Mitchell Anolik (USA), Francesco Pace Rizzi (Italy), Shesaidred (USA), Ellen Konar and Steve Goldband (USA), Jacqueline Walters (USA), Jaroslav Mares (Czech Republic), Tetiana Shcheglova (Ukraine), Torrance York (USA), Ernie Luppi (USA), MG Vander Elst (USA), Golnaz Abdoli (USA) and Claudia Tombini (Italy).
#4 American Alligator Iv © Tom Schifanella
"An ongoing series revealing the inner beauty of these amazing and misunderstood creatures through photography."
87points
#5 Garnet Sweet Potato #1 From Union Square Greenmarket, N.y., N.y.; Propagation Period: 15 Days In South-Facing Window. © Beth Galton
76points
For this 26th edition of AAP (All About Photo) Magazine, we were looking for submissions of works of art that explore composition and form as a fundamental aspect of the photographic aesthetic, be it pure visual formalism or in support of a thematic objective. Understanding shape and form is one of the pillars of photography composition, and it can make even the most common object become a work of art. Geometric, organic, positive or negative, shapes contribute to a photograph’s overall aesthetics and vibes.
#6 San Francisco High Rise © Golnaz Abdoli
"This is an image of the Mira Tower in San Francisco, California. The bay windows of these condominiums gradually twist in different directions to give this 400 feet high rise its dynamic quality."
73points
#7 Poppy Trio © Mg Vander Elst
"Floral images are my new center, through this process, I am learning that by photographing the simple lines and the daintiness of these flowers they become an exercise in form, in juxtapositions and in letting go.
By closely observing these living forms with their shifting shapes who then transition, mature and wilt thus creating this contrast in beauty, when blossoming or dying combined with their shaggy stalk versus the p_e_t_a_l_’s_ _e_t_h_e_r_e_a_l_ _t_e_x_t_u_r_e_ _generate this visual dissonance that captivates me.
I am finding a swell of energy in this newfound freedom of moving in a place I have never been. The flowers become metaphors soaked with my daily emotions."
By closely observing these living forms with their shifting shapes who then transition, mature and wilt thus creating this contrast in beauty, when blossoming or dying combined with their shaggy stalk versus the p_e_t_a_l_’s_ _e_t_h_e_r_e_a_l_ _t_e_x_t_u_r_e_ _generate this visual dissonance that captivates me.
I am finding a swell of energy in this newfound freedom of moving in a place I have never been. The flowers become metaphors soaked with my daily emotions."
66points
All About Photo Awards is open to anyone interested in photography. Photographers, both professional and amateur, are welcome to submit any kind of photographs, around any theme.
Our 28th printed issue of AAP Magazine will feature the best projects showcasing the theme 'Street Photography'. The final deadline to enter the competition is November 15, 2022.
#8 Expired Palms #2 © Wayne Swanson
"Expired Palms documents the battle in Southern California between two non-native species, the Canary Island palm and the South American palm weevil. The weevil’s larvae eat the interior of the palm’s trunk, eventually killing the trees. My vintage Polaroid SX-70 was the perfect tool for capturing their fading glory."
63points
#9 Oocitos Ovarios © Shesaidred
"Women birth this planet. Period (no pun intended) Oocitos Ovarios photographs help me express my ideas about female bodily autonomy. Females have only so many oocytes upon birth whereas males can supply their contribution till death…. In these photographs, the red represents the oocytes and the decisions that may arise upon fertilization of those eggs. Fertilization is complex and can become more complex depending on circumstances, and a female can find herself fertilized against her wishes… only she should decide what is to become of her oocytes upon fertilization…"
56points
#10 Oriel © Ellen Konar And Steve Goldband
"This image captures a single face of wooded life, the symbols of strength, kinship and even life itself, cut short. We come to this photographic project with a degree of personal responsibility and regret. At the behest of our town, with a building permit in the offing, we removed an outcropping of 'non-native' and therefore 'invasive' redwood trees. The portraits of trees 'cut short' are our tribute to the one-time inhabitants of our property and beyond who are no longer. The raggedly severed cross section serves as a portrait and memorial to the life that once served as animal habitat, reduced the threat of global warming, and provided hope for the future of our planet."
49points
#11 Leaf Cut #36 (Oak), 2018 © Gregory Spaid
"Leaves occur in such abundance where I live as to seem worthless, and yet each one is astoundingly complex and beautiful, both in form and function. I think of each one as a microcosm for all of Nature. The photographs in my Leaf Cutting series are made without a camera. I make the 'negative' by hand, a process from the 19th century known by the French term cliche verre. My process is a hybrid one and an experimental contemporary version of that earlier process. After making the 'negative' by hand, using actual leaves and other materials, I scan it, process it digitally, and then print it as an archival inkjet print."
45points
#12 Light And Shadow #3 © Ernie Luppi
40points
#13 Beach Huts © Mitchell Anolik
"I have had a penchant for minimalism. This series forces one's eye to focus only on the essential elements of the image.
This is accomplished by totally removing all irrelevant material and applying a gradient over these areas."
This is accomplished by totally removing all irrelevant material and applying a gradient over these areas."
40points
#14 Monolith 2022 © Stephen Albair
"This series begins with a photo transfer onto linen in which the original photograph is shredded into individual strands. Prismacolor pencil drawing enhances the photo, creating greater depth in a similar way as the hand-coloring process applied to historical photographs. The result exposes the inherent qualities of both the image and the linen. Once framed, the individual strands swirl as if suspended in mid-air while revealing another dimension to the photograph."
39points
#15 Verticals © Jaroslav Mares
"The series of images 'Verticals'was created during our holiday in Linz, Austria in 2021. The photos show unusual views of the light poles on the highway bridge over the Danube River. The morning backlight highlighted the silhouettes of the columns and their mutual arrangement."
35points
#16 Ranch House © Maura Allen
"It’s easy to get seduced by the wonder of the West—the landscape, the running horses, the excitement that surrounds you at a rodeo. It’s when we slow down that the shapes and patterns of the place reveal themselves."
34points
#17 Untitled 9390, 2020 © Torrance York
"In Semaphore, I explore the shift in my perspective after being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Through images, I consider what it means to integrate this life-altering information into my sense of self."
31points
#18 Archizaha 01 © Francesco Pace Rizzi
"The station F.S. of high speed designed by Zaha Hadid Architects in Naples-Afragola, an example of sustainability, functionality and modernity. The building has large windows supported by steel and concrete walls 'flush' with the Corian cladding. To cover the station, a window covering over 6,000 square meters was created. From a technological point of view, the structure is oriented according to the best sustainability criteria: Solar panels integrated into the roofing of the canopies, combined ventilation and integrated cooling and heating systems make it possible to minimize the annual energy requirement."
30points
#19 Shrouded In Mystery © Ray Knox
"Shrouded in Mystery I started photographing this series shortly after the introduction of the first lockdown as a way of alleviating my restlessness from being confined to home all day.
I would venture out on my neighborhood walks just after dusk when the streets were deserted and eerily quiet.
I would venture out on my neighborhood walks just after dusk when the streets were deserted and eerily quiet.
The solitude I found wandering the streets was an almost meditative experience of simply observing as I walked, It gave me the chance to explore my local surroundings more closely and notice things I had overlooked for years.
What a revelation, streets so familiar during the day were completely transformed after dark.
What a revelation, streets so familiar during the day were completely transformed after dark.
London is a dream location to spot classic cars, some tucked away in shadowy places, while others revel in the glare of streetlights. But the vehicles which really caught my attention and most intrigued me were the secretive ones, covered up, and shrouded in mystery."
26points
#20 Semáforo © Guillermo Espinosa
"This photo was a so-called lucky shot or a reflex shot. After walking for hours in the suburbs of Berlin, I saw the truck crossing the zebra and how the color fit with the traffic lights and the wheels matched with the traffic light shapes. Everything made sense for me in those seconds I was able to grab my camera, frame and shoot what I thought was an interesting image."
21points