“Afghanistan’s air force is a rare U.S.-backed success story. It may soon fail.” by Marcus Yam (USA). All About Photo Photographer of the Year.
“A soldier surveys the terrain out of the window of a UH-60 Black Hawk during a resupply flight toward an outpost in the Shah Wali Kot district north of Kandahar, Afghanistan. The U.S. has built an army in its own image, with Afghan security forces relying on some 18,000 contractors for everything from buying fuel and bullets to doing payroll to the critical tasks of maintaining the 162 aircraft used by the Afghan Air Force and training the pilots who fly them.”
Photojournalist Marcus Yam was named the All About Photo Photographer of the Year 2022 for his look at Afghanistan's air force. Yam, who is a roving Los Angeles Times foreign correspondent, is one of 41 photographers from 21 countries that were awarded for their talent in the All About Photo Awards‘ seventh year. He will not only take home $10,000, but will also have his work featured in a special edition of AAP Magazine.
A look at the top five winners is a peek at the human condition. From a Greek woman suffering at the hands of a wildfire to a young Irish Traveler girl living on the margins of society, these images often give a glimpse into the struggles of others. At the same time, photographs like Debdatta Chakraborty's Kebabiyana highlight important cultural traditions.
A glance at the winners gallery is a view into different cultures, all captured with a remarkable eye for aesthetics. While All About Photo hosts competions all year long, this particular contest—The Mind's Eye—attracts the highest quality possible, with thousands of photographers submitting their work. Judged by an expert panel that included Magnum photographer Ian Berry, Griffin Museum of Photography Executive Director and Curator Paula Tognarelli, and Center for Photographic Art Executive Director Ann Jastrab, the winners paint an incredible story of our world.
Check out the winners of the All About Photo Awards 2022.
“Kebabiyana” by Debdatta Chakraborty (India). Second Place Winner.
“Khayyam Chowk is an alleyway in Sri Nagar, which is no different from other streets during daytime. But in the evening, as the prayers from the nearby mosques fade away, numerous charcoal ovens are lit up by the vendors and smoke of wazwan kebabs turn this street into a food-lovers' paradise. The atmosphere of the total area becomes aromatic.”
“Woman from Evia” by Konstantinos Tsakalidis (Greece). Third Place Winner.
“Kritsiopi Panayiota, 81 years old, reacts as a wildfire approaches her house in the village of Gouves on Evia island, Greece on August 8, 2021. Following a long heatwave period, the hottest weather Greece has seen for 30 years, thousands of residents were evacuated by boat after wildfires hit Greece’s second largest island.”
“Racing The Storm” by Landry Major (USA). Fourth Place Winner.
“A cowboy on a ranch in northern Colorado, races the edge of a hill before an approaching storm.”
“Alesha” by Rebecca Moseman (USA). Fifth Place Winner. “Alesha from the series ‘The Irish Travelers, A Forgotten People. Alesha, a pre-teen Irish Traveler arrives back from school at Labre Park, her family’s halting site outside of Dublin, Ireland. Labre Park is the oldest traveler halting site in Ireland. Alesha has lived in this halting site her entire life alongside around 20 other Traveler families.”
“Untitled” by Daria Troitskaia (Italy).
“Untitled” by Ajuriaguerra (Spain). Merit Award.
“Migration” by Alessandro Malaguti (Italy). Merit Award.
“Yamal Peninsula, Siberia. In a wasteland covered by ice, where temperatures can drop below -40 degrees, lives a nomadic people that breeds reindeer, Nenets. They move during migrations looking for mosses and lichens which reindeer feed on. Nenets move on sledges pulled by reindeer following ancient arctic routes, in this transhumance travel about 1200 kilometers each year, making it one of the longest in the world. Young people, over the years fewer and fewer decide to stay.”
“Jousting With The Dragon Swarm” by Eric Seidner (China). Merit Award.
“In the jungles of Nepal live tribes of honey hunters. The honey they seek is produced by the world’s largest honey bee. It is a perilous task. Nests, nearly as large as the men that hunt them, are shingled with thousands of irascible bees high on sheer cliff walls. Honey hunters descend twisting rope ladders into a plume of smoke which sends bees into a black blizzard. Armed only with tool-tipped poles, they joust against the swarm in attempt to sever the honey bearing portion of the nests.”
“Sacred bodies” by Kelly-Ann Bobb (Trinidad and Tobago). Merit Award.
““Sacred bodies” is a body of work that explores the black body. This body of work, including this image focuses on debunking the controlling images that have been imposed on the identities of black bodies. The black male body conjures many emotions. Reclaiming and redefining all identities associated with its form, is the goal of this series.”
“The Eye, Dubai, Desert” by Paolo Nigris (Switzerland).
“Best Friend” by Andi Halil (Indonesia). Merit Award.
“A friendship between snail and lizard”
“Nesting flamingo” by Pedro Jarque Krebs (Peru). Merit Award.
“Gel Doy” by Dovlet Annayev (Germany). Merit Award.
“It started snowing a lot, and I took my camera and run outside to catch some moments. And I see this mysterious guy who was watching others buying kebap. The kebap place's name is “Come and Eat” in English.”
“Homeless Traveler Girl, Dublin, Ireland 2021” by Joseph-Philippe Bevillard (Ireland). Merit Award.
“This girl and her family became homeless after a dispute between the council and the Traveler group causing a 5-year delay to build a state-funded home on their halting site. Currently, there are over 600 homeless Travelers in Dublin alone.”
“Latidoamerica” by Javier Arcenillas (Spain). Merit Award.
“Nestled between street borders and mired in permanent social oblivion, the Gangs impose their law on the streets of Central American cities with extreme violence. The new programs such as “Yo Cambio” ( I Change) in the prisons of El Salvador intend to help many young people out of a complex and dangerous environment.”
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