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Anna Försterling
Anna Försterling
Anna Försterling

Anna Försterling

Country: Germany
Birth: 1995

Anna Försterling is a German photographer specializing in artistic nude and portrait photography. She was born in 1995 and grew up in Saxony, near Dresden. She successfully completed her training as a photographer from 2014 to 2017 and has been working as an independent photographer in Freiberg (Saxony) since January 2021.

Her work is all about minimalism and body shapes. Skin plays an important role for her, as skin is one of the most important and exciting means of expression of character and soul.
She also wants to show emotion and soul in her portraits and usually reduces to a presentation in black and white.
Anna photographs her work exclusively analog and mostly on black and white film and develops her films herself.
 

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More Great Photographers To Discover

Anna Matysiak
Poland
1978
Anna Matysiak, born in 1978, is an independent photographer working in the fine art style. With a keen eye for detail and an innate ability to convey emotion, she particularly enjoys capturing the essence of her subjects through portrait photography. Although her educational background is in economics, her passion for the arts led her to fully immerse herself in the world of photography, a journey she began in 2020. In addition to her striking portraits, Anna's portfolio showcases an impressive array of conceptual and nude photography, highlighting her versatility and creative vision. Her work has gained significant recognition, with photographs exhibited in prestigious venues across the globe, including Tucson in the United States, London in the United Kingdom, Vien in Austria, Siena in Italy and Szczecin in Poland. Through her lens, Anna invites viewers to explore the profound beauty and complexity of the human experience. Matysiak garnering recognition in numerous prestigious international competitions. These contests were judged by a jury panel of esteemed professionals, including gallery owners, publishers, editors, and acclaimed photographers, all of whom brought a wealth of experience and expertise to their evaluations. She has received numerous prestigious awards. In 2025, she won a bronze medal in the Tokyo International Foto Awards in the Fine Art (Other) category and a special award in the Vienna International Photography Award in the Free Subject category. In 2024, she won a bronze medal in the Fine Art category at the Chromatic Awards. In 2023, she received a gold medal in the Fine Art (Other) category at the ND Awards. Since 2021, her works have also been awarded distinctions in the Creative Photo Awards (Siena Awards), International Photography Awards, Fine Art Photography Awards, Annual Photography Awards, and Budapest International Foto Awards. Currently based in Szczecin, Poland. STATEMENT: "When I embarked on my journey into photography, my initial focus was primarily on portrait photography, capturing the essence of people as they were. However, deep down, I yearned to express more than just a straightforward depiction. As time passed, my artistic vision evolved, heavily influenced by the remarkable artists I held in high regard— distinguished photographers and talented painters whose works stirred something within me. I increasingly felt compelled to illustrate people and places through my lens, revealing how I perceive their beauty and intricacies. My aim was to highlight my subjects' hidden depths, enabling them to resonate with viewers on a reflective level. In the present day, my creative process often revolves around symbolism. I cherish the notion that viewers can engage with my images, pondering their meanings and engaging in conversations about them. The nature of my work is significantly shaped by my surroundings. Every photograph I take is a product of the environment and the individuals I encounter throughout my journey. A distinct location may ignite a vision for an artistic photograph, while an intriguing individual might inspire a unique portrait. Even melodies in my surroundings can trigger the imagery I wish to convey and the narratives I long to tell. When approaching the creation of conceptual photography, I immerse myself in meticulous preparation. Each detail is carefully curated to ensure the final presentation aligns with my artistic intent. While the subject matter varies widely, a common thread runs through all my work: capturing the viewer's attention enough to provoke thought and facilitate the discovery of more profound messages. Photography is not just a pursuit for me - it is a rofound passion that fills my heart with joy. This joy magnifies with the reach of my audience. Each accolade, award, and exhibition serves as wings that propel me forward, motivating me to delve deeper into my art. I believe that every artist crafts their work with an audience in mind. As I maintain a critical eye on my creations, the praise and recognition I receive from esteemed figures in the photographic world inspire me to elevate my craft, embrace new challenges, and continue this exhilarating journey of self-expression."
Lorenzo Meloni
Lorenzo Meloni (born 1983) is an Italian Photographer. He joined Magnum Photos as a nominee member in 2015. Meloni is known for his searing, artfully drawn photography covering conflicts in the Middle East. Though he is often working on the frontline—he has covered some of the most pivotal battles in the war against the Islamic State—he is also concerned with deeper themes, such as history and post-colonialism. In 2011, he finished his photography studies and immediately joined Contrasto, a major Italian photographic agency. He lived in Beirut from 2012 to 2014 and dedicated himself to long-term projects regarding the aftermath of the fall of Gaddafi in Libya, the conflict in Syria (specifically the area of Rojava) and its impact in Lebanon, between 2014 to 2016. His work currently focuses on the consequences of the Sykes-Picot agreement and the military and political intervention of the West in the Middle East. Meloni’s work has been exhibited in festivals worldwide including the Venice Biennale, Visa pour L’Image, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Boutographies and Fotoleggendo and has been featured in global publications including The Telegraph, TIME, Le Figaro, Vanity Fair, Internazionale, L’Espresso, La Repubblica.Source: Magnum Photos When proclaimed in June 2014 in Mosul, the Caliphate was then at the height of its power. The Jhiadists controlled a territory that was as big as the United Kingdom and were in charge of a significant arsenal captured from the Iraqis army, composed of volunteers coming from all over the world. Lorenzo Meloni has documented this conflict, getting the exclusive opportunity to cover the battles of Kobane, Palmyra, Sirte, Mosul and Ragga. Five major battles for the same war, a huge number of actors: locals, regional, international ones; a sole enemy: the Islamic State. Each of these five cities embodies a distinct symbolic aspect of this global war against the Islamic State. Kobane, a Kurdish-Syrian stronghold, pro-PKK, was the first great defeat for the Jihadists and the beginning of the intervention of the coalition led by the United States in Syria. The battle of Palmyra is representative of the destruction of archeological sites committed by the Islamic State. Meloni is one of the few photographers to travel there in April 2016 to record the liberation of the city by the Syrian regime and its alleys. Sirte, in Lybia, went from being Gadaffi’s birthplace to the African capital of the Islamic State. Mosul, the jewel in the crown of the Jihadists. The biggest urban battle after World War II and the capital of the Islamic State in Iraq. And ultimately Ragga, an important administrative headquarter and capital of the Islamic State in Syria, liberated by the Kurdish and Arab forces in Syria. Lorenzo Meloni, covering these five battles, offers a unique perspective of five echoes of the same war. He shows the fighting and the ruins, the fury and the silence. The silence of these places where war has estranged life.Source: IMP Festival
Julie Blackmon
United States
1966
Born in Springfield, Missouri, Julie Blackmon studied art education and photography at Missouri State University. She has received several national awards for her photographs, including commendation in the 2004 Santa Fe Center of Photography Project Competition, a merit award from the Society of Contemporary Photography, 2005 B& W Magazine Merit Award for Single Image Contest, 2006 1st Place for Domestic Vacations from the Santa Fe Center of Photograph Project Competition, 2006 Critical Mass Book Award Winner for Domestic Vacations, and recognized as American Photo’s Emerging Photographer of 2008. Her photographs are included in the permanent collections of the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Toledo Museum of Art, Portland Art Museum, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, among numerous others. About Domestic Vacations:The Dutch proverb “a Jan Steen household” originated in the 17th century and is used today to refer to a home in disarray, full of rowdy children and boisterous family gatherings. The paintings of Steen, along with those of other Dutch and Flemish genre painters, helped inspire this body of work. I am the oldest of nine children and now the mother of three. As Steen’s personal narratives of family life depicted nearly 400 yrs. ago, the conflation of art and life is an area I have explored in photographing the everyday life of my family and the lives of my sisters and their families at home. These images are both fictional and auto-biographical, and reflect not only our lives today and as children growing up in a large family, but also move beyond the documentary to explore the fantastic elements of our everyday lives, both imagined and real. The stress, the chaos, and the need to simultaneously escape and connect are issue that I investigate in this body of work. We live in a culture where we are both “child centered” and “self-obsessed.” The struggle between living in the moment versus escaping to another reality is intense since these two opposites strive to dominate. Caught in the swirl of soccer practices, play dates, work, and trying to find our way in our “make-over” culture, we must still create the space to find ourselves. The expectations of family life have never been more at odds with each other. These issues, as well as the relationship between the domestic landscape of the past and present, are issues I have explored in these photographs. I believe there are moments that can be found throughout any given day that bring sanctuary. It is in finding these moments amidst the stress of the everyday that my life as a mother parallels my work as an artist, and where the dynamics of family life throughout time seem remarkably unchanged. As an artist and as a mother, I believe life’s most poignant moments come from the ability to fuse fantasy and reality: to see the mythic amidst the chaos.
Rena Effendi
Azerbaijan
1977
Jean-Pierre Laffont
Jean-Pierre Laffont attended the School of Graphic Art in Vevey, Switzerland, where he graduated with a Master's Degree in Photography. He was a founding member of the Gamma USA and Sygma Photo News agencies. For more than five decades, Laffont traveled the globe, covering the news, the people, and the social and economic issues of his time. His photos were published in the world's leading news magazines, including Le Figaro, London Sunday Times, Newsweek, Paris Match, Stern, and Time. He was named one of the one hundred most important people in photography. Among the numerous awards Laffont has received are the Overseas Press Club of America's Madeline Dane Ross Award, the World Press Photo General Picture Award, University of Missouri's World Understanding Award and First Prize from the New York Newspaper Guild. In 1996 he was honored with the National French Order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (a Knight in the National French Order of Arts and Letters). In 2016 Jean Pierre was named International Photographer of the Year of the Pingyao Photo Festival in China. In 2020 he received The Lucie Award for Achievement in Photojournalism and The Visa D'Or Award du Figaro Magazine for Lifetime Achievement. Laffont resides in New York with his wife Eliane, his daughter and his two granddaughters. Awards and Honors: 1962: Cross for Military Valor for his humanitarian acts during the Algerian War 1979: First Prize: New York Newspaper Guild, for "Child Labor"; Overseas Press Club: Madeline Dane Ross award, for originating the use of photography to raise awareness of child labor conditions around the world. 1980: World Press: First Prize, General Picture category; University of Missouri, School of Journalism: First Prize, World Understanding Award 1996: French National Order of Merit: named Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres 2016: International Photographer of the year of The Pingyao Photo Festival; China. 2020: Lucie Award for Achievement in Photojournalism. 2020: Visa D'Or Award du Figaro Magazine for Lifetime Achievement. Bibliography: Contribution to the A Day in the Life Series (HarperCollins): 1983: A day in the life of Hawaii 1984: A day in the life of Canada 1985: A day in the life of Japan 1986: A day in the life of United States 1987: A day in the life of Spain 1987: A day in the life of USSR 1989: A day in the life of China 1990: A day in the life of Italy 1991: A day in the life of Ireland 1992: A day in the life of Hollywood Other Selected Publications: 1986: The Long March (Intercontinental Press); in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of Mao Zedong's historical Long March 1989: Trois Jour en France (Nathan/France) 1992: America Then and Now (Cohen/HarperCollins) 1999: Les 100 photos du Siècle (Editions du Chêne) 2003: America 24/7 in Manhattan (NY State) 2011: The New York Times Magazine: Photographs (Aperture Foundation) 2013: 40 ans de Photojournalisme: Generation Sygma (Editions de La Martinière/France) Monographs: 1976: CB Bible, Porter Bibb (Doubleday) 1981: Women of Iron (Playboy) 2008: Jean-Pierre Laffont Foreign Correspondent (Editions C.D.P/France) 2014: Photographer's Paradise: Turbulent America 1960-1990: (Glitterati) named best picture book by The Lucie Awards 2017: New York City Up and Down: (Glitterati) 2019: Nos Stars en Amèrique Cartes postales de Jean Pierre Laffont: (Editions de La Martinière) For special print requests please contact us directly.
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