NPPA student chapter of the National Press Photographers Association ritnppa@gmail.com

Last Updated: April 23, 2022 by ritnppa

Category: Portrait

First Place: Vincent Alban

Dagmar, left, and Kamakazi, who both go by pseudonyms, pose for a portrait at The Aphrodite Group (TAG), a secretive BDSM club in Rochester, N.Y., on Feb. 20, 2022. The duo are “play partners” in a dominant submissive relationship meaning they only participate in BDSM scenes together, where Dagmar is the submissive and Kamakazi is the dominant. “With a DS [Dominant Submissive Relationship], there is a connection in between our souls that the only way I can really describe is that I’ve never felt it before or ever in any relationship and I’ve been in love many times before,” said Kamakazi. “And I cannot envision anything other than Dagmar being part of my life further rest of eternity.”

Second Place: Riley Hayden

Bob Concordia rests on a bench inside the Dimitri House, a food shelter in Rochester, N.Y., near the end of his two hour volunteering time on Dec 8, 2021. “I’ve been here since I retired,” said Concordia. “22 years. Things have changed a lot in the past year though. People used to be able to come inside to eat. Used to play cards and watch TV real loud. It’s not the same anymore. We just send them on their way.”

Third Place: Maya Giron

Donna Hodgins, 64, right, and Abijah Hodgins-James, 8, pose for a portrait in their home on South Plymouth Ave., in Rochester, N.Y., on Feb. 4, 2022. Donna has lived in the same house located in the Plymouth-Exchange area neighborhood, or PLEX, for over 55 years and has seen the neighborhood change drastically over the years. “When I was a child though, it was just, it was a good neighborhood,” said Donna. “…You could hear the laughter and the joy. When springtime came, you knew it was springtime because that’s all you heard, were children…And there’s just something nurturing about having those babies, those voices, in the air. You have nothing now. It’s dead silence. The death of a community.”

Honorable Mention: Vincent Alban

Bonnie MacDonald poses for a portrait with her children, Andrew, left, and Nikki, right, in their home on Sept. 26, 2021. MacDonald lost her nephew, Nazir McFadden, on his 21st birthday in 2020, and her niece, Madison Boorom, 20, in 2021, both to shootings. Neither shooting has had any suspects taken into custody. “I’m depressed all the time,” says MacDonald. “It’s too much loss. But I get up and function for the kids. That’s the only thing that keeps me [going].”

Category: 2022 What We Do Tags: Marielle Scott, Riley Hayden, Vincent Alban