Portraiture has always held a unique place in photography, a space where identity, emotion and story converge. The newly released AAP Magazine #48: Portrait reaffirms this, gathering 25 photographers from 12 countries across 5 continents to explore what it means to depict an individual or group of individuals.
Selected from over a thousand portrait photography submissions, the winning images span continents and genres, from raw street encounters to carefully composed studio captures. What unites them is a shared intimacy, a quiet invitation into the lives and experiences of others.
The top prize in this issue went to Australian photographer, Carole Mills Noronha, for That Place He Goes, a tender series documenting her father’s final years living with dementia.
Shot during the isolation of Australia’s lockdowns, Noronha’s images are infused with absence and affection. Through soft light and stillness, they reflect the slow erosion of memory and the stubborn persistence of love, offering a portrait of both personal loss and universal connection.
Second place was awarded to Spanish photographer, Jesús Umbría Brito, for Retaguardia, a vivid and defiant look at post-pandemic youth embedded in punk subculture.
There’s a duality to his work; part protest, part confession. In each frame, a fragile rebellion pulses beneath the surface. Brito captures not just fashion or attitude, but a longing for identity in a world that’s shifting too fast to hold onto.
Third place went to American photographer, Paul Adams, for his masterful Wet Plate Collodion Portraits, which breathe new life into a 19th-century process.
In a time of digital ephemera, Adams’ work feels carved in silver and glass. His portraits are not only technically exquisite; they’re hauntingly alive, revealing a sensitivity to the act of being seen.
The wider selection of photographers featured in this issue broadens the conversation. Artists from Vietnam, Wales, Italy and the United States offer their own interpretations; some poetic, some political, some deeply personal.
From East Los Angeles to Melbourne, their subjects become mirrors for the viewer, drawing us into stories of vulnerability, resilience and defiance. Collectively, the issue maps a global landscape of portraiture that is as diverse as it is emotionally relatable.
"Portraits have the power to stop time and reveal something essential about who we are," says Sandrine Hermand-Grisel, editor-in-chief of All About Photo.
"What moved me most about this edition is the quiet honesty behind so many of the images – each one a gesture of trust between photographer and subject. This issue is not just about faces, but about presence, memory, and connection across borders."
AAP Magazine #48: Portrait is available in both print and digital formats, with all winning images also presented in a dedicated online gallery.
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