A maximum of 12 images that showcase the photographer’s vision or unique perspective. These images can be planned, posed, or otherwise set up. Any post-production and/or digital manipulation must be disclosed in the image’s captions. Must be grounded in the documentary tradition, this project showcases a body of work that offers visual commentary on an issue or idea.
Honorable Mention: Paul Besch-Turner
Solastalgia – While landscapes are traditionally perceived under the egalitarian wash of sunlight or clouds, Solastalgia explores these spaces by night to feel the scale of the environment without the interruption of day. I alter these familiar locations not by manipulating their contents, but by introducing an alternate light source that reveals textures as alien, strange, and illicit. Whether illuminating the indifferent waterfalls of Letchworth or a mountain of urban rubble in Henrietta, the work serves as a meditative intervention into the “human effect” on our surroundings. This series captures a world that continues to exist without an audience, presenting a landscape that feels increasingly distant, as if it should not be observed under these circumstances.
Chimney Bluffs lit from a drone on Apr. 22, 2025, in Wolcott, N.Y.A rock mass lit by a drone in Letchworth State Park on Apr. 25, 2025, in Castile, N.Y.A rubble pile is created after a concrete building is demolished to make way for a new hotel and shopping plaza on Apr. 17, 2025, in Henrietta, N.Y.Chimney Bluffs lit from a drone on Apr. 23, 2025, in Wolcott, N.Y.A Truck parked in a field is lit by a drone on Apr. 22, 2025, in Castile, N.Y.A canyon is lit by a drone in Letchworth State Park on Apr. 25, 2025, in Castile, N.Y.Chimney Bluffs lit from a drone on Apr. 22, 2025, in Wolcott, N.Y.
Posted: April 29, 2026 by Hannah Murphy
2026 Interpretive Project Honorable Mention
A maximum of 12 images that showcase the photographer’s vision or unique perspective. These images can be planned, posed, or otherwise set up. Any post-production and/or digital manipulation must be disclosed in the image’s captions. Must be grounded in the documentary tradition, this project showcases a body of work that offers visual commentary on an issue or idea.
Honorable Mention: Paul Besch-Turner
Solastalgia – While landscapes are traditionally perceived under the egalitarian wash of sunlight or clouds, Solastalgia explores these spaces by night to feel the scale of the environment without the interruption of day. I alter these familiar locations not by manipulating their contents, but by introducing an alternate light source that reveals textures as alien, strange, and illicit. Whether illuminating the indifferent waterfalls of Letchworth or a mountain of urban rubble in Henrietta, the work serves as a meditative intervention into the “human effect” on our surroundings. This series captures a world that continues to exist without an audience, presenting a landscape that feels increasingly distant, as if it should not be observed under these circumstances.
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