Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013

The other exhibition I had the chance to see yesterday was the complete display of the photographs selected for the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2013  including the four winners. Photography, as the moving image, has the capacity of bringing people's stories in front of a spectator, of building a scene out of real lives, and of using subjects whose eyes communicate the world. It was a great exhibition (£2 only with the student concession, or £3 normally) and you can see it until February 9th at the National Portrait Gallery.
I will show you the winners, and my selected favourites, even though I was unable to find all the pictures, but I will give the details.
Here are the winners with the judges' comments.

Winner of the 1st Prize

Katie Walsh, by Spencer Murphy

I think the quality of the photography  – the colours, the colour balance and the palette that he’s used – really stood out from everything else in the over 5,000 images we looked at. Her expression is almost one of defeat, she seems exhausted and looks so female, and clearly emotional, in what is a very masculine sport. All sorts of reasons: primarily the photography; secondarily the portraiture and thirdly the celebrity, make it a winner.

Rebecca Valentine

Winner of the 2nd Prize

Kumbh Mela Pilgrim - Mamta Dubey and Infant, by Giles Price

What struck me about this portrait was that it is not a typical portrait of an Indian woman, photographed in India. Because of the plain, contrasting backdrop it could have been taken anywhere – it doesn’t have the busy background of a street scene or crowds typical of photographs made there. But the light is so beautiful it has to be in India and the combination of fabrics, the way she is isolated and the expression on her face as she looks at the camera, really caught my attention.

Suki Dhanda

Winner of the 3r Prize

Kofi Annan, by Anoush Abrar

The reason this particularly resonated was the power of the use of black and white and his expression. Ordinarily when people are photographed with their eyes closed, they look very serene and rested whereas he doesn’t. He looks troubled – he seems to have the weight of the world on his shoulders. I thought it was the perfect portrait of Kofi Annan.

Rebecca Valentine

Winner of the 4th Prize

The Twins, by Dorothee Deiss

What’s interesting about this portrait is the composition and the layering of different colours in what is, on first glance, a very quiet picture. The restricted palette of tones that have been used for the bed sheets and the dressing gowns all seem to reflect the colour of the twins’ hair – these combined elements all made this portrait stand out. The way the two women are entwined means that they seem to merge. It’s complicated, but it doesn’t feel contrived.

Suki Dhanda

Winner of the John Kobal New York Award

Elza and Nellie, by Hana Knizova 

And here are my favourites: 

Sofía, by Nestor Díaz

Grannie Mary Mokhethoa with her Three Orphan Grandchildren, by Johnatan Torgovnik

Janet Manderson - Lupus Sufferer - 1, by Luke Watson

Returning Home, by Kate Eshelby

Choir Master, by Rosie Hallam

Those I could not find:

Three Colours Red, by Tom Stewart

Three Generations, by Sipke Visser

Little Heart, by James Stroud

Memories of Childhood 5, by Ian Atkinson