EDITORS’ PICK
The Other One’s Story
PORTRAITS
PORTRAITS EDITORS’ PICK
Following Robin Hammond’s selection of winning images for our recent Portraits competition, this compilation of 20 images represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
When selecting for editor’s picks we’re always searching for those striking photographs that make for an unforgettable single image, whether from a broader series or not. We enjoy the accompanying text some photographers submit with their images, and while not always necessary it can be relevant when understanding the work in full context.
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
BANNER IMAGE: LEO KWOK
Impressive in color contrast and candor, this portrait of a child amongst men constitutes the beginning of a journey. Cinematic in effect and sentimental, the image documents rather than exposes, shares rather than judges, connects rather than observes. The warm light brings the elements together, creating a cohesive scene and sustaining the bond between the characters. They are joined not only in spirituality, but also in light. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Katmandu, Nepal.
RACHEL EBLIN
A study of contrast, color, and shape, an artful anti-portrait that emphasizes symbols rather than features, this photograph highlights a strong artistic voice and aesthetic vision. Technically, it’s impeccable. Storytelling-wise, it is intriguing, mysterious, and a conversation starter. It gives the viewer the urge to step forward and try to look behind the shadow, which is a sign of great photography. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Reed, 35mm film, 2026.
RICHARD HUGHES
Street portraiture offers photographers the unique chance to capture unique, unspoiled, candid moments like this. The image shows that the decor of a regular bus is enough to have the colors, contrast, and leading lines a good composition needs. It also shows the joy of encounter that we too often miss. The connection is there, on a human level, regardless of whether the photographer knows the subjects or not, and that’s the main role of portrait photography. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Two Girls on the 29 Bus, Belmont, NSW, 2025.
ALEXANDRA ANTHÉA GODEFROY
This fine art anti-portrait addresses an abstract and challenging concept: the photographer trapped in their art, defined by their artistic vision, and vulnerable in every shot. The realization is dramatic and impactful, almost brutally honest, devoid of color, and raw in contrast and texture. There is no other way to take the viewer to the truth, which is that whenever they look at a photograph, they also see the photographer. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Portrait of a photographer.
MALU ORNELAS
A fleeting moment. A glimpse into a beautiful woman’s eyes. A memory. The portrait is so vivid and dynamic that it’s impossible to look away, the subject spinning in front of our eyes, filling the frame and highlighting the impermanence of all external things. We can find steadiness and resilience only within. Simply beautiful! – LIFE FRAMER
HEUN JUNG KIM
Two human beings merge into one through love and connection. It feels like home, a safe place where you can be yourself and get the support you need from the people you love. Gracefully, the photographer removed all distractions and chose lighting and a camera angle that support the connectedness and enhance the emotional response. However, the viewer can feel the photographer’s presence and their profound engagement with the subjects. Well done! – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – This portrait captures my niece, Haru, leaning fully into her great-aunt, Aeng. Dressed for sleep, their bodies merge into a single form, connected through quiet closeness, trust, and care. Set against a dark background, the image removes the figures from everyday domestic space, focusing instead on a fleeting moment of emotional dependence and human connection. Through touch and physical intimacy, the work reflects on comfort, protection, and belonging within family relationships.
BENJAMIN CALLOT
Although its purpose is documentary, the realization is aesthetic and presents a character rather than a group’s generic representative. The subject’s personality and passion for speed stand out just like the vivid colors stand out from the desert-colored background and foreground. Nevertheless, contrasting as they may be, the subject and their surroundings are in sync, which makes for the appeal of the photo. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – From a series on classic car and motorcycle racers in California.
DAMIAN TSUTSUMIDA
One can use portraiture to document life journeys, restore traditions, raise awareness, put certain categories into the spotlight, or embrace diversity and connection. But this image reminds us of the initial and most luminous purpose of this photographic genre: empathy. It shows the people of the world as they are, raw, vulnerable, and willing to be seen. It leaves aside any effect, direction, or personal agenda, and allows the subject to show up and be accepted just the way they are. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – From the series Skid Row, 2011. This series of street portraits attempts to humanize each subject while scrutinizing our empathy towards others. These images serve as a personal re-evaluation of both time and place, 15 years later.
GEET SHARMA
The portrait singularizes a figure, a tradition, and an attitude in the simplest, most efficient way. Time is stopped; the world is standing still. The context becomes irrelevant as all the viewer can feel is this woman’s emotions. A raw form of portraiture in which the subject is the only focal point and the inner world takes over the external one, inviting the viewer to immerse into a meditative state, similar to the experience of a museum visit. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Chitrakoot Dham, India.
LOUIS MESCHINO
The viewer can almost hear the beat of the streets merging with the subject’s heartbeat. The portrait is dynamic and full of energy, engaging the viewer and making them curious to know more. It seems like a candid snapshot, playful and daring at the same time, conveying a complicated set of relationships typical to big city life. Amazing how the portrait of a single person can open so many leads and build so many connections. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – NYC 2026.
MAURICIO MURILLO
By using a modern take on portraiture, the photographer brings ancestral traditions and cultural diversity to the viewer’s attention. The composition is minimalist, yet efficient in guiding the viewer through a generational story, a narrative that connects the past and the future. All that could distract the viewer is eliminated; all that could be used to add layers of significance is masterfully engaged. Excellent use of simplicity as creative expression. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Flor y Fuerza (Flower and Strength). Monett, like many Latino/a/x Americans in the United States, is embracing their native ancestry. Here her hair is honoring a traditional hairstyle worn by young Aztec females. Her huipil, a traditional garment worn by indigenous women from Mexico and other parts of Central America, was made in Mexico City. The sewing materials symbolize a cultural memory of our mothers and abuelas.
This portrait is the start of a new series Threads of Identity where I delve into the intricate tapestry of Latino/a/x lives in the United States. Each portrait will serve as a visual narrative, capturing the essence of individuals whose stories are woven into the diverse fabric of American society. Integral to this series is the incorporation of sewing materials. They symbolize a shared cultural memory and evoke a sense of nostalgia, particularly resonant for many of us who grew up with mothers and abuelas who skillfully wielded needles and threads. It is an invitation to see beyond the headlines, to engage in a dialogue about the complexities of heritage, belonging, and the indomitable spirit that continues to shape the Latino/a/x experience in America.
PAUL JOHNSON
An individual is a plethora of personas, an accumulation of stories and experiences. Under these circumstances, which face does a portrait capture? Through physical and digital manipulation, the photographer overlaps multiple faces and stories, the past and the present, what is revealed and what is hidden. It’s a very creative approach to portraiture, proving not only excellent technical skills, but also a very strong artistic voice. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Two prints were burned and physically stitched together, revealing a strange interpretation of a portrait of a young woman.
BRANDON
Finding a fresh perspective in portraiture, one of the most popular photographic genres, is a difficult quest. But here it is. Painting with light and textures like a painter does with brushstrokes, building on ancestral histories and envisioning the future, extracting the essence of humanity, and packing it all up in a fashion-editorial style. The close-up angle and the natural leading line created by the hand deliver the ultimate portrait of beauty. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – MAKOII. This image began with a simple question: What happens when you combine something timeless with something that feels like it hasn’t happened yet?
As an African American photographer, I was hellbent on establishing a series of captures that felt futuristic without abandoning the concept of timelessness. I imagined a woman, a warrior, a queen; existing somewhere in the near-distant future. Someone fierce yet vulnerable. Calculated yet eccentric. A presence that felt both familiar and impossible to place. A portrait blurring the lines between sovereignty and science fiction.
Ayan Manyang Makoii was a Sudanese model I had the pleasure of meeting months earlier while working at a photography studio in Los Angeles. She was in town on assignment, and after we connected through conversation and a shared appreciation for imagery, she told me she wanted to work together if she ever returned to the city. When she came back to Los Angeles from New Zealand a handful of months later, she kept her word. The concept was developed specifically for that collaboration. What began as an exploration of futurity gradually became something more personal. Her as a Sudanese model and me as an African American photographer, we brought different experiences to the same creative space. The process revealed an unexpected visual dialogue between continent and diaspora, establishing a creative statement instead of a political one.
These series of photographs were created in Los Angeles with a very very small team and was refined over the course of three full years. During that time, the work evolved alongside me. My understanding of light evolved. My understanding of mood evolved. My understanding of the human condition evolved. What remained constant was the desire to deliver something that felt visceral, existing slightly outside of time.
These portraits live somewhere between memory and imagination, ancestry and possibility. They honor where we came from while reaching toward what we have yet to become. At its core, this series is a continuous effort showcase a type of skin, often ridiculed and disregarded, as an armor of strength, beauty, and wonder. Paradoxically, MAKOII became the light within the dark.
HOLLY JAMES
Portraiture is the means by which photographers put the spotlight on an individual or a group, and they can do it as subtly or as obviously as needed to convey their message. This straightforward portrait belongs to the genre of documentary photography and communicates a message we can neither misunderstand nor ignore. The photograph is impactful and memorable, stirring strong feelings and demanding a reaction.
– LIFE FRAMER
ISABEL PINTO
A portrait of two people is always a story about connection and shared experiences. It may be about the past, present, or future. This photograph is definitely about the future, the light on their faces bringing hope and the diagonal composition leaving room for the part of the story that hasn’t unfolded yet. The photographer’s approach is gentle and warm, true to the only purpose of portraiture: to tell the story the subject wants to tell. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Mother and 12-year-old burned son, Nepal.
Aayushisa suffered severe burns from an open fire cooking accident, leaving him with extensive scarring that made it difficult for him to open his mouth to eat or use his hands for daily activities. Not long after the accident, the father left the the familly, leaving his extraordinary mother Sarita, to fend for her self and their son. Hope came when Sarita met Resurge coordinator Hemanta Joshi while selling vegetable soup at her market stall. Hemanta brought Aayush to Resurge nearby out reach clinic. There , Aayush future was rebuilt with reconstructive surgeries that restored function in his lips and hands. Today, Aayush is surrounded by neighborhood friends, loves to play soccer and dream to one day meet Cristiano Ronaldo.
ANABELLE DECAIX
The exterior aspects match the subject’s inner state perfectly, conveying a profound message and lifting the viewer’s heart. One feels grateful to be allowed to experience this intimate, very sensitive universe. The composition has all the necessary ingredients: alignment and harmony, lines that lead to a bright future, and a strong color contrast, for sketching a story about hope, enthusiasm, and the joy of living. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Embrace the World. Beneath the bright blue sky, she raises her arms as if opening herself to the world. Her kimono moves gently in the light, carried by color, softness, and the deep sense of freedom that has always lived within her. Behind this luminous image lies a journey shaped by challenges, silent battles, and incredible strength. My daughter moves through life in her own way, with a rare sensitivity and a determination that amazes me every day. Through this photograph, I wanted to capture what she teaches me: lightness is not the absence of hardship, but the ability to keep embracing life despite it. This image speaks of freedom, hope, and the endless possibilities still waiting ahead of her.
SUSANNE BARTELS
To create a great portrait, two abilities are required: to find a subject who fills the frame with energy and story and to find a way to capture it. This photographer has done both beautifully. The character takes the viewer by surprise and captures their full attention. The shot is cinematic, a concoction of blurry shadows and crisp edges, light and darkness, movement and incredible stillness. Mesmerizing to say the least. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The Last Flaneur. Sometimes you meet someone on the street whose presence bends the light a little. A woman who carries her own weather, her own rhythm, her own unapologetic truth. She doesn’t walk through the world, she rearranges it, even if only for a heartbeat. An apparition of style, wit, and a touch of beautiful confusion.
Bern, Switzerland, November 2025.
MARIANNE CHUA
Visually, the main focus is on the subject’s face and attitude, but conceptually, the focus is on connection. This environmental portrait reveals so much of the model’s life, passions, and relationships, but also so much about the photographer’s connection with the subjects they photograph. The image evokes humanity, empathy, and a strong desire to bring to light the stories and feelings we’ve forgotten. The beautiful lighting and the chiaroscuro effect create just the atmosphere this portrait needs. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – “Mummy why do you always talk to strangers”- inspired by my 4 year old’s revealing question, I decided to shoot intimate portraits of strangers that I felt have interesting stories to share. The world is very detached and boxed up- it should be simple and normalised that people are out there living a variety of lives.
Anna and the dollhouse. Anna works as a prop fixer for one of the largest film and TV prop hire companies, she was telling me about how the British film industry has been hit post Brexit.
ANGELIKA JAKOB
The low camera angle empowers the character and puts things in perspective wonderfully. It also connects the viewer with the subject via an almost tangible thread. The viewer gets to see a strong role model, activities rooted in tradition, and an exotic environment, all in a single image, and not like a distant observer, but as someone directly experiencing the scene. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Seaweed farmer in shallow water, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
NICOLAS CASTERMANS
A portrait that tells a thousand stories, revealing the history of a people, both written and unwritten. The framing puts things in perspective, creating a rich environmental background, but focusing the story on the future. “Where do we go from here?” is the question many generations and peoples have asked before. The subject’s calmness, acceptance, and serenity pave the way for a future that leaves room for the past and the cultural baggage that comes with it. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The Face of Qoyllur Rit’i. This image is part of my long-term project Breath of Modernity, which was shot in the alpaca herding communities of Peru’s Cusco highlands. Rather than offering answers, the project reflects on what progress brings, what it erodes, and what may still be worth preserving.
