I am among the finalists of the Fokus International Photo Awards Albania
Good news…
I'm not used. I am not a frequent visitor to competitions, avoiding most of them. I refuse to participate in certain competitions for ethical reasons (I am not participating anymore to the World Press Photo) and because I don't like paying to participate in a competition.
But I often avoif them also for existential issues related to my photography: my type of photography is not the one that is usually awarded in an award / competition where they prefer lacquered photographs, often excessively affected and cloying conceptualism, usually also heavily post produced. My photography is direct and reduced to what I saw when shooting, without excessive constructions, rather instinctive and imperfect. My street photography is old school, far from today's acclaim aesthetics. Meeting the favors of a jury is not easy for my photography and therefore I don’t consider most of the competitions something in which I have to waste my energy.
As a photographer I have never put in front of competitions won (few in true) and rather I carry on the hard work as a message of what a photographer should be. In short, my photography is not competition stuff.
This is one of the few contests I am participating in this year.
On another note it is striking to see me put in as the only photographer from Mexico. Exactly like 11 years ago when I was presented as such in You Are Here in Los Angeles.
This is simply my best year as photographer since I am a professional. If in other years I achieved maybe more important goals for assignments this year is the best for the huge number of good images I collected. And for this reason I think is better. Not anything can be ranked by money and for a photographer photos and consistence is the most precious thing. And 2022 is not even concluded. We will have time to talk about this in the balance sheet at the end of the year because I believe that many things have changed in me.
I don’t know what will be the final result. There are a lot of talented photographers participating anot only in the Street Photography category and the prize is only one. Let’s see what happens. In the meantime you can visit the page of the awards:
