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Stéphane Garnavault
Stéphane Garnavault
Stéphane Garnavault

Stéphane Garnavault

Country: France
Birth: 1971

As a graduate of the École Nationale Supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, I found my passion blossoming through studies in graphic design, painting, drawing, printmaking, silkscreen, and photography.

However, upon receiving my diploma, I suppressed my artist's soul and embarked on a career as a designer. For nearly 25 years, I worked tirelessly, forgetting my initial artistic loves.

Swiftly, I achieved success as a designer, thanks to my keen sensitivity. Yet, this success became a bittersweet gift that drained me. Emotions washed over me so intensely that at times, I felt overly attuned to the world around me.

Five years ago, a book opened my eyes and shook me to the core. It was a revelation. I realised I needed to respond. Gradually, my artist's heart reawakened. I purchased the camera of my student dreams—a Leica.

I started wandering, and it did wonders for my soul. Out in nature, I found my place. The landscapes I traversed became as significant as the landscapes within. I observed the world and delved deep within myself, seeking to translate into images how I perceived my surroundings.

My photographic work reveals my distinct sensitivity and attraction to sleek design. My flower portraits, akin to self-portraits, blend blurriness with interplays of light. My urban landscapes capture the sensations of climate catastrophe, depicted in simplified, even abstract compositions.
 

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Caterina Bernardi
I was born in a town called Orkanger on the north-west coast of Norway, the land of the northern lights and long winters. This is where I draw a lot of my inspiration from, with its incredibly dramatic scenery and landscapes, and fairytales I grew up with; stories of moody and mystical Nordic environments brimming with depictions of trolls, princesses and nature.My connection with photography first blossomed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil where I lived in the very early 1990’s. There, I learned Portuguese, encountered very passionate people and discovered my own passion for photography. A friend had found a producer to make her first CD, and I took pictures of her recording music with famous Brazilian artists in the studio. It was an incredible experience that compelled me to pursue photography, which eventually led me to San Francisco, a magnificent city to go to live and work. There, I got my Bachelors of Fine Arts and ventured out on my own to shoot.In the past decade I have created images for clients such as Merck, Genentech, Reebok, The Times of London, Pasolivo, Gilead, Bristol-Myers Squibb, KQED TV., Yoga Journal, Vodafone, and Warner Bros, while my work has appeared in photo publications such as Communication Arts, PDN, Graphis, APA Shows, and Graphic Design USA. Currently I am located in San Francisco, CA, but once a year the northern winds call upon me and I go back home and visit Norway, to feel the breeze and see the midnight sun. Artist StatementI think artists in general have an innate appetite for life, and speaking for myself, I find that curiosity and passion drive me to explore and create, to be mesmerized by life and it’s constant flux of magical encounters, fears and achievements; my vehicle of expression is the art and craft of photography. In this process I aim to intimately connect the subject and me and ultimately the viewer to a dialogue and to linger, to inspire and to create, and to preserve intense moments of emotion and beauty and mystery.What I strive for in an image is to get genuine emotion and expressions from the subject. Sometimes it happens very naturally, and sometimes it is a real challenge to put a person at ease, to make them feel comfortable and enjoy having a camera pointed at them. It is a sensitive moment I share with my subjects while photographing, and establishing a connection with the talent is very important in order to capture striking images, and I work hard to make them comfortable and excited so they give their best. With great collaborations everyone wins and walks away with a sense of achievement.Photography gives my life a purpose and a meaning, to further explore and discover myself, the arts and science, and our mysterious existence.
Marcel Giró
Spain
1913 | † 2011
Marcel Giró was born in Badalona (Spain) in 1913. Since his youth he was fond of mountain trekking and photography. At the beginning of the Spanish Civil War he enlisted as a volunteer on the Republican side. In 1937, disappointed by the constant fighting between the different factions fighting against Franco, he decided to exile. He walked through the Pyrenees to France where he spent nearly two years doing all kinds of jobs. Finally in 1940 he was able to travel to Colombia with two Catalan companions, where they set up a small textile business. He married Palmira Puig, and they moved to Brazil, where they settled. In Brazil Giró resumed his hobby and ended devoted to professional photography. In 1953 he opened his own studio in Sao Paulo, Estúdio Giró. Marcel Giró became one of the leading photographers of the country, an active member of what became known as Escola Paulista. This movement, pioneer of modernist photography in Brazil was born around Foto Cine Club Bandeirante, in the 50s and 60s, with photographers like José Yalenti, Thomaz Farkas, Gertrudes Altschul, Eduardo Salvatore, Chico Albuquerque, Geraldo de Barros, Rubens Teixeira Scavone, Ademar Manarini, German Lorca and Gaspar Gasparian among others. He exhibited his works all over Brazil and around the world. His works are today in collections like the MASP (Sao Paulo Museum of Modern Art), Itaú Cultural (Itaú Bank), the Metropolitan Museum and the MoMA, in New York, among others. Giró was also one of the pioneers of advertising photography in Brazil. In his studio worked young assistants that later become world-renowned as great photographers like Marcio Scavone and JR Duran. After the death of his wife in 1978, he left professional photography and artistic photography. He sold the studio and returned to Catalonia. During the 80's and 90's, he began to paint with a very close criteria to his Photography works of the 50s. He died in Mirasol (Barcelona) in 2011, at age 98. For exhibitions and sales in Europe contact Toni Ricart Giró: toniricart@marcelgiro.com For exhibitions and sales in rest of the world Isabel Amado: isabel@isabelamado.com.br
Ruth Lauer Manenti
United States
Ruth Lauer Manenti received an MFA from The Yale School of Art in painting and drawing in 1994. In 2012, she was given a large format camera and taught herself how to use it. Gradually she accomplished what she was striving for in drawing and painting, through photography. Her mother was also an artist who left behind a legacy of unknown work. Part of Ruth's determination as an artist is to reward her mother for her efforts and to create a continuum. She was awarded a NYFA grant in photography in 2016 and had a solo exhibition at The Center for Photography in Woodstock, NY in 2020. Her book Alms is currently on view on an online exhibition at The Griffin Museum of Photography. Her recent book of photographs entitled Since Seeing You, is a visual diary of the woods behind her house as experienced during Lockdown. The pictures give pause, to process the sorrow of the time, rather than as an escape or erasure. Since breaking her neck in a car crash at the age of twenty, Ruth has developed a spiritual life and practice that has propelled much of her photographic work. She lives in the Catskill Mountains in NY. Shard: This ongoing series of photos called Shard was made over the last 4 years during which time I was wanting to see whether I could place objects on a table as arrangements for unspoken emotions. In 2017-18 I was unwell. It wasn't mental illness but the line between that and trauma was sometimes hard to find. I stayed indoors and at home as much as possible. I spent a lot of time watching daylight enter through the windows in different ways according to the clouds, seasons and weather. The windows are old, and the glass is wavy so that the sun rays come in as ripples. I was interested in using objects as symbols of fragility. I found that the work of making the pictures, and the safe cocoon that I had created between myself and the table, was informed by a kind of benevolent force that accompanied me through my suffering. In some traditions it is believed that when the heart breaks an entrance for Spirit is created. It's a way that trauma or defeat can become a portal; so much so that sometimes people have a nostalgia for the times in their life when they have suffered most. More recently I have been thinking about the process of repairing things rather than throwing them away. I wonder if appreciating something damaged, torn, or saved, even if no longer usable, could have an implied nonliteral meaning for getting through the past year, 2020, gracefully, despite so much loss and depression. I think there is a beauty in the effort of putting one's life back together after experiencing brokenness and I have tried through still life to communicate that.
Ralph Milewski
Germany
1968
My name is Ralph Milewski, and I am a passionate photographer from Germany. Born with Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy (LGMD), despite significant physical limitations, I have found my creative voice. My photographic journey is marked by the fixed positioning of my camera between my legs, just 27 inches above the ground. Photography, for me, is not just a creative passion but a window to art and self-expression. As an introverted individual with a strong curiosity for people and their stories, I find in photography a unique way to simultaneously create intimacy and distance. The camera, my tool of choice, becomes the medium that strengthens my self-confidence and elevates my self-worth. Despite moments of frustration and grappling with my own limits, photography motivates me to creatively transcend my physical constraints and achieve extraordinary results. My work not only provides insights into my world from an unconventional perspective but also invites a reevaluation of existing perceptions. Photography, for me, is more than a visual medium; it keeps my mind alert and inspires me to develop bold ideas, even if their realization often relies on support. Photography compels me out of my comfort zone, helps me overcome social anxieties, and facilitates the forging of new connections. My view of the world through the lens is unique and perhaps exactly what can enrich your photo project. I invite you to consider my photography as a contribution to your project, not out of pity for my disability, but as an enrichment through a distinctive perspective and the creative process that I infuse into each image. Rear Seat Diaries: The series "Perspectives in Motion" is derived from my "Rear Seat Diaries," captured from a moving car – my wheelchair-accessible VW Caddy with a rear ramp. Let me briefly explain the unique setting of these window shots: I sit in my electric wheelchair at the back of my Caddy, facing forward. Until recently, the camera was always fixed on a tripod (gooseneck) attached to my wheelchair, positioned higher in the car to be at eye level with the window. I now use a mini-tripod, which I can position in my left hand, supported on my wheelchair. The camera is positioned at a right angle to me, aimed at the side window of the Caddy. The camera was adjusted and set before the trip began. Due to my physical limitations, I couldn't operate the camera in this elevated position directly. With the mini-tripod, I can now adjust the camera settings during the ride. I trigger the shots via remote control. I can only see the camera display sideways in my field of view, as it is flipped up 180°. The shots are taken while driving. Since the wheelchair is not firmly connected to the vehicle, it is subjected to stronger vibrations and centrifugal forces. Overall, it's a pretty bumpy affair. The idea for this project gradually developed out of necessity. If I could lift my arms like any other person, this series probably wouldn't have come about in this form. From my elevated position in the car, I can only visually capture a small part of the surroundings. I can turn my head slightly left and right but cannot move my shoulders or the wheelchair in the desired direction. Photographing from a moving car proved challenging, especially with a phone and a selfie stick. The results were unsatisfactory as the car window frame was always partially and never fully in the picture. The actual development began on the way to Spain in 2022, when I tried to dedicate photos of his hometown Lyon to a street photographer friend while passing through. Despite improvements to the selfie stick's position, there were still limitations. A few months later, I began photographing my hometown this way. By chance, I moved the phone further away from the car window. Upon later review, I noticed some pictures had the entire window frame as a frame. This caught my attention when I manually corrected the perspective with Lightroom in early February 2023. Since then, I have been continuously working on optimizing and further developing this project. Using an APS-C camera with an extended tripod attached to the wheelchair brought new insights. The mini-tripod and the ability to now change camera settings during the ride have sparked a creative boost. Despite challenges such as reflections, unwanted mirror images, sunlight, and disruptive elements like smeared or rainy windows affecting autofocus. Manual focusing is impossible as I can operate the camera very limitedly, and the subject constantly changes while driving. A self-built shading device now minimizes some reflections. However, there are still difficulties with backlighting and dirt on the windows. The "Rear Seat Diaries" present a diverse mix of my travels and experiences. I invite people to explore this unique perspective and see the world through my windows. It has long become an ongoing project, constantly being developed. Most of the shots are taken during my everyday trips, like drives to the grocery store or the doctor. Occasionally, I make specific trips just for photography. Targeted subject selection requires a lot of planning and time, especially since I need someone willing to drive me when I want to. The compiled images include beginnings with the phone, first steps, and the development with an APS-C camera, up to the latest attempts within the "Rear Seat Diaries" series to create intentional blur in the foreground through motion effects using extended exposure times. This approach aims to depict the outer environment in dynamic blur while keeping the subframe, the interior of the car, deliberately sharp. The challenge lies in the unavoidable vibrations caused by the vehicle while driving, complicating this endeavor. Nevertheless, longer exposure times are deliberately experimented with to add a dynamic and artistic dimension to the images.
Stefano De Luigi
I was born in Koln and spent all my life so far, between Rome, Milan and Paris. Even if we are living in a time where is not really trendy, I feel myself deeply Europeen. I choose photography to became my language, because I felt it is universal, the only filter you have to use is your own mind-eyes. Below the essential of my biography I am a photographer since 1989. I attended 2 years of courses at ISF (Instituto Superiore di Fotografia) in Rome between 1987/89 and moved, for the first time, to Paris from 1989 to 1996, working, among others for the Louvre Museum. Back and forth from France to Italy In 2000 I received the Honorable Mention of Leica Oskar Barnack Award. That same year I started the project Pornoland, a photographic journey on pornographic movie sets around the world. In 2004 Pornoland became a book enclosing 16 pages of text by English writer Martin Amis. Pornoland has been published by : Thames & Hudson, Knessebeck, La Martinière and Contrasto. This work has been exhibited at REA gallery (Paris 2004), Santa Cecilia gallery (Rome 2005), Lanificio (Naples 2006), Festival Transphotographiques (Lille 2007), New York Photo Festival (NY 2011). Personal exhibitions in these years, among others, include WHO Headquarter (Geneva 2010), VII Gallery (New York 2010), 10b Gallery (Rome 2010), Museum of Modern Art (Rovereto 2011), Photofestival (Athens 2011/15), Fondazione Stelline (Milan, 2013) FotoIstanbul (2015) , Candiani Cultural Center ( Venice 2017) Plenum Gallery ( Catania 2018) Museum of Palazzo Ducale ( Genes 2019) Image Gibellina 2021, Photolux (Lucca 2022) Planches Contact (Deauville 2022). From 2003 to 2010, I worked on Blindness-, my main work, which lasted 8 years. A photographic project on the life condition of blind and low vision people, around the world. Blindness received the patronage of Vision 2020- World Health Organisation and won the W.E. Smith Fellowship Grant in 2007. In 2006 I embarked on the project Cinema Mundi, a World Cinema exploration of the alternative cinematographic scene external to the Hollywood dream factory including China, Russia, Iran, Argentina, Nigeria, South Korea and India. Cinema Mundi has been also transformed into a 7 minutes short movie screened at Locarno International Film Festival on August 4th, 2007. I have been awarded in the World Press Photo contest four times in different categories (1998-2007-2010-2011). In 2009 the Moving Walls of Open Society Foundation exhibited my work in Washington and New York. In 2010 I was the recipient of the Days Japan International Photojournalism Award and the Getty Grant for Editorial Photography, Syngenta Prize 2015, CNC grant for the documentary"Mare Amarum" 2019, Planches Contacts grant 2021 and I was the recipient of Strategie Fotografia grant from the Italian Ministry of Culture in 2022. I published 6 books Pornoland (Contrasto 2004), Blanco, (Trolley book 2010) iDyssey, (Edition Bessard 2017) Babel with Michela Battaglia (Postcart 2018) Pornoland Redux (Self-published 2021) Il Bel Paese (L'Artiere 2023). T.I.A Africa is a continent. But Africa is also a well-defined place in my mind. Africa is unique. Every time I have had the opportunity of going there I have come face to face with incredible tragedies but also with the unwavering hope of its people. Ever since my first journey to South Africa in 1989, where I saw Walter Sisulu walk free in Soweto after years of imprisonment, I continue to be both deeply moved and deeply shocked by all the stories I have witnessed and heard. Every time I step onto African soil I know I will experience something deep, something that inevitably leads to a search for the meaning of life, something that, for me at least, surfaces from deep within when I am in Africa. The questions raised call for humbleness, since often they are without answers. We know that the truth often lies in the middle folds of things. This project aims to raise questions and provoke thoughts which could, perhaps, lead to some answers and which in turn could correspond to some truths. I have tried to conceive this project as a poem. Or perhaps it would better be described as a ballad. The ballad with verses which challenge and play with each other. In the space between two facing photographs there is a story. One of the thousand stories I witnessed in Africa, one of the thousand questions I asked myself, one of the thousand experiences I was fortunate to live. The photographs represent the two extremes of the story that links them: the beginning and the end. I couldn't find a better form of expressive language to convey how Africa is an all-encompassing experience for any human being wishing to embrace it to its full. A painful yet joyful ballad of my personal and ongoing relationship with this continent. This is why I have called it "This is Africa". I should probably have called it "This is my vision of Africa" but it didn't sound the same. By no means does this mean it is the only view of Africa. I know it may seem inadequate and subjective. But so is everything in life, I guess. So, This is Africa. Blanco How does the look of a blind person look like? Can the blind show joy, happiness, disappoint, pain, suffering, pity, regret, with the only use of their eyes? The absence of sight can mean also the absence of complicity behind the camera's lens? We always use the term blind to characterize a person, such as blond, fat, poor, rich. And maybe, in some way, it is the truth. It doesn't matter if it happens in Africa, Asia, or the old Europe. The fact is, they cannot see the light, the colors, the daily scenes, how awful or gorgeous they can be. The blind are a contrast. It is easier to ignore them, their handicap is hidden, but they do have it. It's not necessary to turn the face to something or someone else, they won't see it. They seem 'normal', but they're not. They have their own world, the same and another than ours, made of different feelings, different images, different colors. And dark.
S. Gayle Stevens
United States
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Exclusive Interview with Anastasia Samoylova
Anastasia Samoylova is an American artist whose photographic practice is shaped by close observation and a deep attentiveness to place. Working between documentary and formal exploration, she photographs landscapes, architecture, and everyday scenes with a sensitivity to light, structure, and atmosphere. Since relocating to Miami in 2016, her work has increasingly focused on how environments—both natural and built—carry social, cultural, and emotional traces. We asked her a few questions about her practice and her way of seeing, to better understand the thoughts and experiences that shape her work—while allowing the images themselves to remain open and speak in their own time.
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Marijn Fidder is a Dutch documentary photographer whose work powerfully engages with current affairs and contemporary social issues. Driven by a deep sense of social justice, she uses photography to speak on behalf of the voiceless and to advocate for the rights of those who are most vulnerable. Her images have been widely published in major international outlets including National Geographic, CNN Style, NRC Handelsblad, Volkskrant, GUP New Talent, and ZEIT Magazin. Her long-term commitment to disability rights—particularly through years of work in Uganda—culminated in her acclaimed project Inclusive Nation, which earned her the title of Photographer of the Year 2025 at the All About Photo Awards. She is also the recipient of multiple prestigious honors, including awards from World Press Photo and the Global Peace Photo Award. We asked her a few questions about her life and work.
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Call for Entries
All About Photo Awards 2026
$5,000 Cash Prizes! Juror: Steve McCurry