Hotshots Our selected highlights from the Portrait of Humanity Awards 3
Our highlights from the Portrait of Humanity Awards 3
‘Wanda’ Suzanna Szamocka
“This photograph was taken just as Poland’s lockdown restrictions were easing. It was the first time I had visited my grandparents in two months, and they had been in isolation for several weeks. My grandmother seemed concerned about the world but calm; happy to see me, but sad to be closed off from the world.”
‘Lhabhum and Arte’ Phoebe Theodora
“Lhabhum is a Tibetan refugee who works in a London care home for people with special needs. He had recently lost one of the residents to Covid-19. It was a huge blow. Here he sits with one of his four daughters.”
‘Protesters’ Virginia Hines
“I encountered this young man at a Black Lives Matter demonstration, less than two weeks after the tragic death of George Floyd and during the height of the pandemic. I live near the station, and wanted to document the confluence of historic events as they played out in my neighbourhood. This being San Francisco, protesters were passionate but socially responsible: everyone wore a mask.”
‘Abdullah’ Rhombie Sandoval
“Abdullah repairs lots of different things, but he specialises in teapots. One teapot has hung in his storefront for two years; the owner has yet to come back for it. He has refused to sell it multiple times, waiting for the owner’s return.”
‘Untitled’ Dave Imms
“In February 2020, I was commissioned by a travel magazine to go to Senegal and shoot Dakar’s growing surf scene. Dekumba was one of a number of young people being taught by Rhonda Harper, founder of Black Girls Surf. I was only supposed to be at the surf school for an hour or so, meeting the students and photographing them, but I ended up spending my whole morning there. It was amazing to see so many happy, confident kids take to the water.”
‘ Tattooed Grandfather’ Noah Shahar
“I met this man while visiting an old-style neighbourhood in Bangkok. I was amazed at the number of tattoos on every inch of his body. He was very proud of them, and immediately took off his shirt to let me take his picture. While we were shooting, his little grandson appeared, and he lifted him into his arms.”
‘The Best Day of My Life’ Davide Bertuccio
“My friends Marta and Alessio sign the documents that will make them husband and wife. Between March and April 2020, 17,000 ceremonies were cancelled in Italy. This was one of the first post-lockdown weddings to take place.
‘Birth of Milena’ Oliver and Ania Ready
“Our daughter Milena was born during the pandemic, on one of the hottest days of the year. She arrived calmly and gently, under the attentive care of all-female staff. There were two photographers present, one giving birth and the other one taking this picture: an act of perfect collaboration.”
‘Lilly and Waltraud’ Mirja Maria Thiel
“In July 2020, coronavirus infection rates were very low in Germany, so I took the opportunity to visit Lilly, 85, and Waltraud, 76, in their holiday residence on the Baltic coast. Lilly (right) is a poet. She and Waltraud met when Lilly attended a creative writing class Waltraud was teaching, 12 years ago, and fell in love.”
‘Pristine’ Costa Corbas
“A girl climbs down from the coalface at the Jharia coalfield, carrying 35kg of rock on her head, but keeping her dress pristine. Over 70 per cent of India’s electricity comes from coal, and its production is increasing. Open-pit mining has had a devastating effect on the environment and local communities. A black market overseen by the coal mafia runs parallel to the official mines; every day before sunrise, women and children scavenge for coal to sell on. For many, it’s their only livelihood.”