Grand Prize Winner : Ross Andersson

Advertising Photographers of America holds a photo competition every year to recognize the commercial talent of photographers in different industries. APA is a great resource for anyone looking to book photographers for advertising and other commercial media. I spent a great amount of time diligently looking through the portfolio’s of all 26 winners of this year’s competition and came up with this edited synopsis of my favorite winning portfolio’s. Note : Some of the winner’s were recognized in different categories than the work selected for this feature. This is an exclusive selection of the winners so all winners are not featured here, for a full list of the winners you may visit 2009 PHOTO COMPETITION WINNERS.

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Have a look at some works I have selected from the talented makeup and hair portfolio of Aeriel Payne. She was one of this years North American Hairstyling Awards finalists and is a great source of inspiration for beauty concepts.

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From left to right (click on Link to buy): Alexander McQueen Knuckle Duster Clutch, Burberry Argyle-print wool-blend Snood, 3.1 Phillip Lim Rhinestone Print Tank and Proenza Schouler Leather platform ankle boots. Eugenia Kim Maxine Rabbit Fedora Hat, Proenza Schouler Jacket, Supra Sneakers, Iosselliani Bracelet, and Opening Ceremony Coat.

TrendLand Exclusive Illustrations by Dan Mututina aka Twisted Fork. To see Feature on Dan Mututina click HERE

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I’m loving Adam Sennett’s photorealistic paintings of over the counter drugs and homemade grenades. The lighting and style makes the paintings reminiscent of 18th or 19th centuries household remedies and weaponry. See more of Adam Sennett’s painting here.

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It comes as no surprise after graduating with an MA from Royal Academy of Arts and working as the accessories designer at Lanvin that Holly Fulton is the winner of Young Designer of the Year Awards at the Scottish Fashion Awards, and this is her second season showing with Fashion East following her debut in February 2009. Deeply inspired by art deco and 1960’s pop art her graphic aesthetic morphs into somewhat of a Futurist Robotica, a femme equipped with all the armor she will need to take her mission from day to night. Her philosophy borrows concepts and technique from couture fashion and translates it to ready to wear.

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I discovered Swedish photographer Peter Gehrke when I was reviewing the FW 2009 Sandra Backlund collection awhile back. There was a magic present in those pictures that sparked my intrigue. It seemed as though the the clothing and the models were shot in different light and then merged together, but to be honest I was even questioning if it was a photo or an illustration because of softness of the girls. He images often portray a feminine heroine that is both striking and depicts a kind of nonchalance in her demeanor. I really could have featured almost every picture I saw, but Ill leave you some space to explore on your own. Check out Peter Gehrke’s website for many more photos.

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Australian born and based self-taught painting addict Shane Devries has given into painting full time in the last year. He has one solo show under his belt and preparing works for his second show entitled, “From Somewhere Else”. The exhibition takes a peculiar journey through curious landscapes and introduces bizarre characters. The overall theme of floating and weightless objects invites our minds to wander and drift, while exciting our own imagination and curiosity. Along the exhibition he will be releasing a book of all his work and the sketches that led him to his final pieces. I can see his style developing into a great 3-D cartoon.
The show opens at Gallery 139 in Adelaide, 26th November 09.

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I would describe Thomas Barbey’s work as a process of surrealistic narration, in which he combines photos he has taken over a span of 20 years from places near and far, into fascinating imaginary worlds. His stories really come together once he titles them, bringing to them a whole new meaning. Like in the photo above you see a montage of a bedroom scene and a beach scene, which he titles, “Wet Dreams” and you think, well of course what else would it be, but clearly only the vision of a true artist could marry those two contrasting images into such a seamless concept.

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Alex Prager’s photography sends you in a backward time capsule of retro imagery, perfectly executed through context and styling. California born and based Prager does an amazing job portraying the iconic vibe of the California lifestyle in her photos to a degree that makes me jealous. Her images often have a very cinematic quality that remind me of Hitchcock’s style in ways.

Prager has released two books in the last few years, one in 2007 titled, “Polyester”, of which some images are featured here, and another in 2005 titled “The Book of Disquiet, The Seven Deadly Sins”, in which she and Mercedes Helnwein illustrate the concept by the juxtaposition of comedy and tragedy.

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A few months ago we introduced you to the fascinating work of photographer and environmentalist Chris Jordan. Here his newest project entitled, “The Message from Gyre”, shot at Midway Atoll, a tiny stretch of sand and coral near the middle of the North Pacific. To portray the pollution in the waters of this area he photographed deteriorating albatross chicks who had died from eating toxic waste. The photos  illustrate the contents in their stomach without any exaggeration. On this diet of human trash, every year tens of thousands of albatross chicks die on Midway from starvation, toxicity, and choking.

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Australian wardrobe stylist and former Australian Vogue market editor, Tiana Wallace’s portfolio covers a full range of meticulously executed style. Her work as a a stylist has contributed to magazines including Oyster, Harper’s, Pages, and Grazia. She has traveled to many countries in developing her portfolio and this is major factor in the quality of her work. You can see in these photos I have highlighted that her inspiration comes from many unlike places. To see more of her work visit Viviens Creative Management’s website.

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Here is some nice still life/set design work by Swedish artist and set designer Malin Gabriella Nordin. To see more of her art and other works visit her website.

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Are you guys ready for this?.. Gucci pops-up its Gucci-Icon Temporary Shop on Crosby St. in New York’s Soho tomorrow morning at 10 am with no intention of sticking around for long. “The boutique, its white-washed walls covered in the signature Gucci evergreen and red stripes, will pack up as soon as its wares — which include the Gucci Ronson sneaker, a collaboration with celebrity DJ Mark Ronson — are sold out.” says WWD…”the company is hoping to close the space even before its two-week run is over.” So if this event sparks any interest to you I suggest making it over this weekend, cause i’m sure it will be feeling even more bare bones after the first few days of sell through. See address below.

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Elliot Wilcox’s series entitled “Courts”  is an in depth visual study of indoor playing courts. His abstracted framing of the courts turns something that would never be percieved as art into art in its purest form. Wilcox reinterprets these spaces into meccas of graphic balance and symmetry. “Much like a gallery space is missed to the artwork, the space of these courts is missed to the sport. These large format images are slow and deliberate. The non-judgemental image creates an experience to explore, a path to revealing the unnoticed and exposing the unexposed, consequently romanticizing the courts.” I am absolutely taken aback by these images, its like seeing the abstract expressionism of Mark Rothko for the first time. So Refreshing!

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These beautiful pencil and gauche fashion illustrations were created exclusively for Clear Magazine by Japanese art director and fashion illustrator Masaki Mizuno. In this series the artist interprets looks from some of our favorite top fashion houses including Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, Maison Martin Margiela, Miu Miu, Nina Ricci, Givenchy, Prada, Christian Dior, Balenciaga, and Alexander McQueen. For more information on the artist visit his website here.

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