Beyond Categories: The Stories Behind Our Winning Photographers
- The Artist Gallery Team
- 2 days ago
- 3 min read
Behind every great photograph lies a story, and in our Open Theme Photography Contest, those stories are as diverse as the artists behind the lens. With complete creative freedom, photographers from around the world submitted their most powerful and personal work, each image reflecting a unique vision and voice.
In this article, we explore the stories of the winners—diving into their inspirations, creative processes, and the journeys that led them to capture these outstanding images. Their work not only showcases technical excellence, but also the limitless possibilities of photography when imagination is allowed to lead.
JELISA PETERSON
Children play gleefully in Jelisa Peterson's photographs. Choosing to bring forth the beauty and fullness of African people, Peterson found inspiration amongst the people - particularly the children — of Mozambique, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Playfully innocent, her subjects jostle and grin, move and pose softly offering a unique perspective of the people and communities of which they are an integral part.
After many years of living in these African countries and spending a months of time in the region, she believes the media's portrayal of the people to be grossly inadequate and felt the need to represent these communities as the nuanced and textured living societies that they are.
You can find out more about Jelisa in her Instagram.
JEROEN LAGERWERF
My journey into photography began in 2019 when I bought a small camera to document my cycling
trip. Surprisingly, after the adventure ended, the photo that captivated me most wasn’t from the
mountain climb, but one I took while stargazing under the night sky...
Months later, that image inspired me to take photography more seriously. Within a matter of months, I was exploring one of the most demanding disciplines: landscape astrophotography. Talk about a steep learning curve.
Although photographing is all about light, I’m most drawn to shooting at dusk and in the darkness —
being a night person probably explains why. A fascination with the night has become one of my trademarks. Whether I’m capturing star-filled skies high in the mountains or the blue hour over a city skyline, I tend to gravitate toward light that feels mysterious, evocative, and slightly otherworldly. I love pushing my techniques and equipment to their limits, revealing scenes that show more then you can see with the naked eye.
For me, photography is more than documentation – it’s interpretation, imagination and a personal response to place, time and light. These elements guide me both while scouting locations and how I decide to process my work. Unsurprisingly, landscape astrophotography is what I love most. It’s not just a genre, but also how I experience the outdoors. I’m drawn to remote places where I can fully immerse myself in environment and focus on the subject. At the same time, I’d be just as excited to explore fine-art photography with people in a studio setting, creating dreamlike, imaginative portraits.
Last year, I stepped away from social media in an effort to work more freely — uninfluenced and without the pressure to constantly create content just to feed the Instagram algorithm. Instead, I’m steadily expanding my own website with images I truly love, writing background stories, and currently working on how-to guides as well.
If you would like to learn more about me and my photography, please feel free to explore my website:
You can find out more about Jeroen on his website.
Don't forget to take a look to our other open photo contests for more opportunities to showcase your skills and creativity. Explore them here: www.theartistgallery.art/open-contests
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