Photography & Digital ArtJAN 25, 2022

These Photographers Captured Beautiful Women Around The World (25 Winning AAP Magazine Pictures)

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The oversight of women in the history of photography comes from a long tradition of undermining their status. They were acknowledged as models or assistants, not so much as talented artists.

Even the 'Kodak Girl' commercials confined women's use of a camera to a hobby as it was their duty to be the memory keepers of the family. They were not to experiment with photography as a tool of documentation or a space of self-expression.

The perception of women as a subject has also changed over time. Up until the 1960s and '70s, society saw women only as mothers and wives, confined to a very specific role.

Yet, since the dawn of time, they never ceased to transfigure - through their actions or words - our society. From the very beginning of photography, they never relented escaping from the societal norms to question and document the world.

This 23rd edition of AAP Magazine sought not only to acknowledge the strength, beauty, and resilience of women around the world, but also their artistic poetry and talent as demonstrated by the 19 women photographers selected.

The 25 artists chosen for this edition, regardless of gender, gave us - through their different approaches and techniques - a powerful tribute to women.

Selecting the winners was certainly not an easy task, but overall, we hope you will all enjoy this beautiful collection of amazing images of women.

Also, if you'd like to see the previous post featuring our 25 best street photos then think no further and click here.

More info: all-about-photo.com | Instagram

#1 American Beauty From The Series 'Nod Of Recognition' By Jane Levine

119points

Choosing the winner of AAP Magazine #23 Women was not an easy task, especially since there were so many incredible images with very different approaches to the theme. In the end, we chose the image Susanne by the Dutch photographer Susanne Middelberg because we felt that this beautiful portrait displayed the strength and yet fragility, beauty & kindness of women, in a single image.

#2 Babushka From The Series 'Russian Fairy Tales' By Frank Herfort

Babushka Aleksandra, at the home of her daughter Elena at a village between Saint Petersburg and Moscow, near the city of Bologoye. Aleksandra warms up and wears the famous or typical Russian Valenki, felt boots.

98points

#3 Makiko Sugawa From The Series 'Maze Of Metamorphosis' By Silvia Alessi

Makiko Sugawa is an artist, an illustrator. Because of a cancer, she lost her left leg completely, well above the knee. And in fact, her prosthesis must be tied to her waist with a belt. She knows that clothes and fashion can have a big impact on how a woman feels about herself. So if a woman with a disability can be "stylish", other girls in the same condition can follow her example. This conviction led her to parade on the catwalks using Fumio Usui's splendid creations.

94points

Throughout history, traditional gender roles have often defined and limited women's activities and rights but also opportunities as artists. We wanted for this new edition of AAP Magazine to put women in the spotlight, to showcase their importance in our society. We wanted women to share the challenges they often must face and their strengths.

#4 3rd Place Winner: Ranch Sage From The Series 'Natural Order' By Maura Allen

82points

#5 Sophia With Roses From The Series 'Ode To Beauty' By Pat Rose

Studio portrait with natural light.

76points

As in every AAP magazine contest that we organize, we are always finding difficulty selecting the winners as there are many incredible submissions to go through. Our goal is to remain unbiased and select the images that truly stand out regarding the theme. This contest was no different.

Since our competitions are hosted online, the pandemic didn’t affect the said contest. Each theme speaks to certain photographers, which is why it is important for us to find interesting themes that many can find pleasure partaking in, while making sure we cover a large spectrum of what photography entails to give everyone an opportunity to share their uniqueness with us. Our current competition, All About Photo Awards 2022, on the other hand, is open to anyone, so photographers are welcome to submit any kind of images, surrounding any theme.

#6 Hands On Chest From The Series 'Growing Old' By Marna Clarke

73points

#7 1st Place Winner: Susanne From The Series Daylight By Susanne Middelberg

Dancer, actress, photographer. In my portraits, I am looking for honesty and vulnerability. I believe that vulnerability makes us nicer human beings and that this makes the world a little more friendly and more understanding. People who show themselves vulnerable give the other the confidence that they themselves may be who they are. I am most fascinated when I can see opposite qualities of a person at the same moment.

61points

For this magazine, we received more than 1400 images from 160 photographers all around the world, men and women alike, but mostly women. These numbers tend to fluctuate based on the theme we select. The theme of this edition was more appealing to women photographers.

There were so many incredible images submitted, but in the end, we chose not only the featured images that will be published in the winner’s gallery, but also a project, a story that will be published in full in the magazine. The 25 winners chosen for this edition have not only submitted one great shot, but several images that tell a story which makes sense as a whole. It is that overall quality that determined our choice of the winning photographers.

#8 June At Hasenheide From The Series 'German Youth' By Aaron Deppe

61points

#9 2nd Place Winner: Arrangement In Green And Black #10 From The Series 'Arrangement In Green And Black,' Portrait Of The Photographer's Mother By Aline Smithson

2nd Place Winner: Arrangement In Green And Black #10 From The Series 'Arrangement In Green And Black,' Portrait Of The Photographer's Mother By Aline Smithson

This series had serendipitous beginnings. I found a print of Whistler’s painting, and it started me thinking about the genre of portraiture, the strong compositional relationships going on within Whistler’s painting, and the evocative nature of unassuming details. The series is printed in silver gelatin yet becomes richer with the treatment of hand painting. My patient 85-year-old mother posed in over 20 ensembles, but unfortunately passed away before seeing the finished series.

57points

#10 Lost In Thought From The Series 'About Women' By Andrea Torrei

Dire Dawa, Ethiopia 2019.

54points

#11 Shima From The Series 'Neopictorialist ' By Francis Willey

52points

#12 Sister Maria Grazia From The Series 'Habito' By Monica Testa

50points

#13 Julie T’s Feet From The Series 'Embrasure' By Julie Fowells

Julie Tolentino is a modern dancer/performance artist. These are her feet.

49points

#14 Paris 2021 From The Series 'Women Are Still Beautiful' By Giuseppe Cardoni

Tribute to Gary Winogrand.

48points

#15 Reindeer Moss, Cumberland Island From The Series 'Land Of The Yaupon Holly' By Anne Berry

Cumberland Island, 2019, from Land of the Yaupon Holly.

47points

#16 Ruby Red From The Series 'Selfhood' By Vicky Martin

Ruby Red is taken from the series Selfhood, The female characters in this series search for a sense of independent identity crafted through outward appearance and signalled through dress and posture, challenging the traditional assessment of character made via eye contact. Each image contains its own distinctive narrative, separate from the other photographs in the series, connected only through the motif of disguised eyes.

46points

#17 Star From The Series 'The Devils' By Constance Jaeggi

Colette performs a Star during a training session at The Devils Horsemen.

42points

#18 Self Portrait 8 From The Series 'Without A Map' By Marsha Guggenheim

From my series, "Without a Map" How does one move through life with the scars of the past? When I was ten, my mother died unexpectedly from a heart attack. I couldn’t understand where she went or when she would return. Just as I began to comprehend this loss, my father died. I was without support from my family and community. I was lost.

38points

#19 Black Goggles From The Series 'Domesticated Animals' By Prescott Lassman

31points

#20 ISIS Mother From The Series 'Women Of Islamic State' By Lenka Klicperová

When the Kurdish troops liberated the capital of Caliphate Raqqa, I finally met them - women who in a special way frightened and fascinated the world. Women of Islamic State fighters, the wives of the most dangerous men on this planet. They crossed the front lines, some died also with their children. Some of them survived. They were detained in camp Ain Issa near Raqqa, Syria's. Surrounded by their enemies – Kurds.

30points

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