The second month of the American Photography Open 2023 contest brought in more entries from around the world, and today we feature three that caught the attention of our judges: a tender portrait of a fashion student expressing newfound confidence in herself; a dramatic shot of a storm brewing over the turquoise waters of Bimini; and a fine-art image of a crushed beer can found near a manufacturing facility in Queens, New York—a symbol of freedom, perhaps, in its own way.

Now is the time for you to get your entries ready: The contest is open to photographers at any level using any device, from DSLRs and mirrorless cameras to smartphones. All Open winners will receive prizes including selected products and services from our partners Tamron Americas, SanDisk, PhotoShelter, The Photo Closer and  Vital Impacts, whose mission is supporting organizations who are protecting people, wildlife and habitats. (Go here to see more).

The Open Grand Prize winner will receive $5,000, a Tamron 28-75mm F/2.8 Di III VXD G2 (model A063) for Sony mirrorless cameras ($899 value), a SanDisk 1 TB Extreme Pro Portable SSD, the choice of an 8x10 open edition print with a certificate from Vital Impacts, a 2-year Pro account from our sponsor PhotoShelter, and a 2-hour business consultation with The Photo Closer.

In addition, Tamron Americas is once again sponsoring our Landscape and Travel category Grand Prize and runners-up winners. (Please note this is open to residents of USA and Canada only.) The Tamron Grand Prize winner will receive a Tamron 35-150mm F2-2.8 Di III VXD (model A058) for Sony mirrorless cameras ($1,899 value). All Tamron entries will also be eligible for the Open prizes, so there is no need to enter twice. You can enter both competitions as many times as you wish. The deadline is August 31.
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Elena Paraskeva: “Malevi is Bullied No More”

Elena Paraskeva is a photographer and art director (and an official Adobe instructor) based in Budapest, Hungary, who has worked with the Ogilvy & Mather advertising agency, The New York Times and other clients. Her most recently exhibition was at the European Parliament in Brussels. She notes at her website that she loves to create “surrealistic conceptual work that is bathed in rich color palettes and strong graphic lines”—stylized imagery, she adds, that is “permeated with a high-aesthetic, beauty and elegance.”

That is certainly the case with her image ““Malevi is Bullied No More.” Says Paraskeva: This is a personal work, a portrait of Malevi, a fashion student I met while visiting a fashion school. She was bullied throughout her life due to her appearance, but is starting to gain confidence and love who she is, so I wanted to show that. For me, the bugs signify those who bullied her over the years, and her undisturbed and calm gaze lets us know that they no longer have control over her existence and identity.”

Paraskeva shot the image with a Nikon D80 and 105mm f/2.8 lens. See more of her work at her website.
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Bill Schild: “Bimini Storm”

“I tried to play professional golf in my early 20’s wasn’t good enough, so I tried photography,” says Bill Schild, a Miami-based advertising photographer specializing in location lifestyle work. His entry in the American Photography 2023 contest was made as part of a 60-day, 16-island shoot for the Bahama’s Ministry of Tourism. The job included images of smiling fishermen, local personalities and of course sunny beaches. But the photo our judges singled out captured a storm brewing over the turquoise waters of Bimini, a district of the Bahamas about 50 miles east of Miami.

Ironically, Schild notes, an image of a storm over Bimini, though dramatic, is not good for tourism, so it was never published. “The biggest challenge was trying shoot up until the last moment and still stay dry. We got soaked!” he says. Schild shot with a Canon 1D Mark IV with a Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 lens.

See more of Bill Schild’s work at Instagram.
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Pablo Espinoza: “Toil and Forgotten Dreams: Detritus of the New Colossus”

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame/With conquering limbs astride from land to land/Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand/A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame/Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name/Mother of Exiles.” So begins "The New Colossus,” a poem written by Emma Lazarus and first published in 1883 as part of a effort to raise funds for the base of the Statue of Liberty. The poem—along with crushed beer cans found near a manufacturing facility in Queens, New York, also proved to be an inspiration for New York City professional photographer Pablo Espinoza.

“I saw the beer cans and caps littering the sidewalk, and one could hear nostalgic ballads coming from within,” he recalls. “Over multiple days, I stopped to collect the cans and listen to the lyrics, which pertained to feelings of loss and nostalgia. I also made portraits of the people who might have consumed these beverages, with the same lighting.” As a symbol, notes Espinoza, the beer can represents “the brief respite offered by consuming its beverage,” the “only freedom available to some.”

He shot the series with a 4x5 camera, ensuring the cans, camera, and lighting were level with each other and consistent for every image, regardless of subject scale.

See more of Pablo Espinoza’s work at his website.