VSCO has announced the first 25 images of The Fifty, an initiative to display 50 images from 50 different professional photographers on billboards or large-format out-of-home placements in their home state.
In these times of unprecedented uncertainty for photographers, the photography and social media platform wants to highlight the creativity and dedication from artists all over the country.
“We wanted to use the largest canvas we could find to put photographers front and center,” said Eric Wittman, VSCO CEO, adding that photographers in every corner of the country, not just the main creative hubs, “deserve to be recognized.”
Earlier this year, VSCO began an open call for emerging and well-established professional photographers to submit their work, with the judges on the lookout for “impactful” frames.
Over 13,500 submissions and a breadth of genres later, the judges have now chosen the first batch of 25 shots, which they've said “stop you in your tracks.”
These include Colorado-based Constance Jaeggi O'Connor’s documentary shot of Escaramuza — a female-led equestrian performance rooted in Mexican-American identity.
And then there’s Utah-based Axel Molina’s cinematic frame of a motocross rider, as well as Idaho-based Weston McGhee’s powerful monochrome dance scene.
Judges were also seeking “distinct points of view,” with an image of the Statue of Liberty, from New York’s Joana Meurkens, gaining particular praise.
“As a native New Yorker, it’s easy to get tired of photos of the Statue of Liberty, but Joana Meurkens made it feel new,” said VSCO's Lead Curator, Jon Feinstein. “The photograph is distinctly her own,” he added.
VSCO said that the first billboards went live yesterday, 28 September, and will continue to be rolled out over the coming weeks, starting in Washington (Seattle), Illinois (Chicago), Georgia (Atlanta), and New York (NYC), with all billboards live for up to a month.
The company added that the second batch of 25 images will be unveiled in early November. You can see all 25 of the first batch of The Fifty on the official event webpage.
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