Hasselblad Masters 2023 winners
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Hasselblad has announced the category winners of its Hasselblad Masters 2023 photo contest. The six categories are Landscape, Architecture, Portrait, Art, Street and Project//21, a category for photographers under age 21.
To enter, photographers were asked to submit a series of three photos with a unified theme and visual style. Winners were judged on their photographic ability, creativity, and technique by a combination of public voting and a professional grand jury.
Winners receive the title of ‘Hasselblad Master’ and receive a Hasselblad 100MP mirrorless camera, two XCD series lenses and a creative fund of €5000. Additionally, they will be able to participate in a collaborative project with Hasselblad.
Landscape: Weimin Chu (China)
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Photographer name: Weimin Chu (China)
Photo series name: Tibetan Landscape from the Train Window
Caption: The images by Weimin Chu capture traditional landscapes integrated with modern developments in China. Chu creates a frame within a frame, connecting the carriage interior with the outside landscape, inviting us to journey alongside the photographer through landscapes and time.
Copyright: ©Weimin Chu
Landscape: Weimin Chu (China)
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This series of works was shot in the trains of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway and the Lalin Railway. Through the train windows, the traditional natural landscapes and the social landscape photography of the times are combined.
On the way to Tibet by train, I was inspired by Chinese photographer Wang Fuchun’s “Chinese on the Train” and American photographer Lee Friedlander’s “America by Car,” and I came up with the idea of using trains, a large-scale means of transportation in China.
Copyright: ©Weimin Chu
Landscape: Weimin Chu (China)
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At representative locations along the way, the idea of showing China’s contemporary scenery through the train windows. Outside the car window, there are not only the shocking Gobi, lakes, snow-capped mountains, but also contemporary man-made landscapes such as high-voltage power towers, sand-proof walls, plateau highways, etc.
At the same time, I also took in some characters or objects in the train to present their identities and the style of the times through some indirect methods. These photos are the three most representative ones among the hundreds of thousands of train window photos I took more than 30 times in the past few years.
Copyright: ©Weimin Chu
Architecture: Tiina Itkonen (Finland)
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Photographer name: Tiina Itkonen (Finland)
Photo series name: Home
Caption: Tiina Itkonen’s series documents the traditional lives of Inuit hunters and their families, who live in small wooden houses in remote parts of East and North West Greenland. Her images exemplify resilience and ingenuity in extreme conditions.
Copyright: ©Tiina Itkonen
Architecture: Tiina Itkonen (Finland)
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Since 1995 Itkonen has traveled regularly to Greenland to photograph the polar landscape and its people. She has traveled more than 1500 kilometers along the west coast of Greenland by dogsled, fishing scow, sailboat, helicopter, small plane, cargo ship and oil tanker and along the way spending time in small villages and coming to know the Greenlandic people.
Copyright: ©Tiina Itkonen
Architecture: Tiina Itkonen (Finland)
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Since 2017 Itkonen has been documenting the traditional life of the Inuit subsistence hunters and their families to understand how they are affected by climate change.
Copyright: ©Tiina Itkonen
Portrait: Panji Indra Permana (Indonesia)
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Photographer name: Panji Indra Permana (Indonesia)
Photo series name: Bicycle Street Sellers of Jakarta
Caption: Panji Indra Permana’s project, ‘The Cyclist Portrait,’ began in 2020, documenting Indonesia’s cycling trend during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially focused on lifestyle portraits, it evolved to highlight those who rely on bicycles for their livelihoods and those who sell them. Historically, bikes in Indonesia were a symbol of privilege, owned by officials, aristocrats and wealthy merchants. Through his work, Permana promotes a healthier lifestyle and a greener planet.
Copyright: ©Panji Indra Permana
Portrait: Panji Indra Permana (Indonesia)
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Bicycles are clearly not new to Indonesians. They have been part of the archipelago since Indonesia was still called the Dutch East Indies, under Dutch colonial rule. Ownership of bicycles in the Dutch East Indies at that time was limited. Only certain groups, such as colonial officials, aristocrats, missionaries, and wealthy merchants, owned bicycles. Ownership of bicycles is a prestigious title among local people.
COVID-19 gives many of us a new hobby, cycling. Not different from the rest of the world, Indonesia also feels the same euphoric trend. We can see a lot of people buying bicycles as a means for sports or recreation. It is nice to see a lot of people dressed so nicely to ride a bike, especially on the weekend.
Copyright: ©Panji Indra Permana
Portrait: Panji Indra Permana (Indonesia)
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I have started a portrait photography project to document these phenomena, to shoot people with their bikes. It started as a lifestyle portrait project in 2020. The project is called The Cyclist Portrait (Instagram: @thecyclistportrait).
But as time passed, I see something that is usually missed by people, that is the people who make a living with bicycles as their means of transportation. Therefore, I also collect photographs of these bicycle sellers. I want to encourage people to start cycling, to promote a healthier life and a healthier planet. That’s why I use a bicycle to carry all the gear while hunting for these portraits.
Copyright: ©Panji Indra Permana
Art: Jan Pypers (Belgium)
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Photographer name: Jan Pypers (Belgium)
Photo series name: Diorama
Caption: Jan Pypers’ series explores humans’ lost bond with nature, inspired by traditional dioramas and modern representation. By blending reality with surrealism, Pypers creates images that evoke curiosity and intrigue. It urges reconnection with and respect for the natural world.
Copyright: ©Jan Pypers
Art: Jan Pypers (Belgium)
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The series explores our lost bond with nature, inspired by traditional dioramas and modern digital representations. It urges reconnection and respect with nature. I used Photoshop to merge several photos. Contrary to what many think, I do not use 3D or artificial intelligence, but old film techniques such as scale models and forced perspective.
Copyright: ©Jan Pypers
Art: Jan Pypers (Belgium)
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Copyright: ©Jan Pypers
Street: Tom Pitts (United Kingdom)
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Photographer name: Tom Pitts (United Kingdom)
Photo series name: The Commute
Caption: Tom Pitts’ series captures the unspoken emotions of strangers in transit, photographed at bus stops in England. “I wanted to capture and share the stories and moments that take place every day during people’s commutes, and the underlying beauty that passes us by,” says Pitts.
Copyright: ©Tom Pitts
Street: Tom Pitts (United Kingdom)
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This work was taken at bus stops in my home town of Cheltenham and in London during the course of 2023. I wanted to capture and share the stories and moments that take place every day during people’s commutes, and the underlying beauty that passes us by.
Copyright: ©Tom Pitts
Street: Tom Pitts (United Kingdom)
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The apparent sorrow and loneliness of an isolated figure against the rain on the bus, the woman who is holding her head at the end of a long working day perhaps in reaction to what she has just experienced, and finally the man carrying roses with a surgical mask pulled down looking at the women who is oblivious to him at the bus stop – is that who the flowers were for? The love he lost.
Copyright: ©Tom Pitts
Project//21: Efraïm Baaijens (Netherlands)
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Photographer name: Efraïm Baaijens (Netherlands)
Photo series name: Tiny Titans
Caption: Efraïm Baaijens’ micro images capture the extraordinary beauty and detail of the insect world. “Let’s marvel at these tiny faces and remember to respect all life forms, no matter how small. Insects are vital to our ecosystem, pollinating plants and maintaining balance in nature. You don’t have to travel far to witness nature’s wonders—just step outside and look closely,” says Baaijens.
Copyright: ©Efraïm Baaijens
Project//21: Efraïm Baaijens (Netherlands)
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Discover the magic of our world. These insect portraits may seem like they’re from distant lands, but they were all taken right here, in my city. Let’s marvel at these tiny faces and remember to respect all life forms, no matter how small. Insects are vital to our ecosystem, pollinating plants and maintaining balance in nature.
Copyright: ©Efraïm Baaijens
Project//21: Efraïm Baaijens (Netherlands)
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You don’t have to travel far to witness nature’s wonders—just step outside and look closely. Respect for insects enriches our connection to the world around us.
Copyright: ©Efraïm Baaijens
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This article comes from DP Review and can be read on the original site.
