Photography News Issue 29

35 Competition

Photography News Issue 29 absolutephoto.com

Pro focus

Well worth the Hassel There were 10,700 entries to this year’s Hasselblad Masters. Read this exclusive extract from Professional Photo magazine to find out what three of the winners have to say about their success

Written by Jemma Dodd

When it comes to photography competitions the HasselbladMasters Award is considered one of the most prestigious in the world. Having originally started out as a selection process for naming a newHasselblad photographer as the ‘Master’ each month, it has since turned into a worldwide competition. Open to pro photographers who have been active for more than three years, or photographers under the age of 21, the competition has ten categories, plus the Project//21 category, open to all amateurs or professionals aged 21 or under. “Each Hasselblad Masters competition runs on a two-year cycle, with entries open every other January,” says Perry Oosting, Hasselblad CEO. “Anyone can apply as long as the images they submit meet the criteria. The images don’t have to be captured on a Hasselblad, but they do have to be shot with a resolution of over 16 megapixels. “The current voting for the competition is in three main stages – the internal jury, the public votes and the Masters Jury (a selection of photographers, past winners and industry experts). The public vote acts as a seat on the main Masters jury, so only forms a part of the main result. Whoever gets the most votes from the Masters Jury in each category becomes a Hasselblad Master for that category.” Jake Reeder, who won the Project//21 category, spoke of his delight at winning: “It’s an honour. It’s really the highest accolade I can imagine. It’s been the only photography competition I’ve ever entered, and I’ve worked since 2013 toproduce a series that I’dbeproud to submit to Hasselblad. Being named a HasselbladMaster is surreal.”

Above Natalia Evelyn Bencicova’s Portrait winner. Above left Iranian entrant, Ali Rajabi’s snowy New York scene won the Urban/Street category. Far left Lars Van De Goor captured a striking image of the Speulder Forest in his native Netherlands, winning Landscape/Nature. Left Giorgio Cravero from Italy won the Product category.

It’s a view shared by John Paul Evans, this year’s wedding category winner, who was extremely pleased to be selected: “It means a great deal to have this recognition as Hasselblad are such an iconic name in photography.” he told Professional Photo magazine. Roy Rossovich, winner of the fashion/beauty category, has been entering the competition every year since 2008. “Ever since the start of my career it’s been one of my goals to win, it’s a mark of excellence and quality, and something to aspire to,” he says.

While it’s still early days since the winners were announced, Jake Reeder has already started to see some commercial benefits. “I’m booking more work that draws on my personal style more, which is great! ” he told us.

hasselblad.com

Read the full version of this article and seemore of the winning shots in the latest issue of Professional Photo. Use the voucher below to buy your copy at WHSmith and save £1 off the regular issue price.

You’ll findmore insight in the latest Professional Photo – the UK’s best magazine for full-time and aspiring pro photographers

Powered by