Torben Weiss is a 27-year-old German photography student at the University of Applied Sciences in Munster. He says of the winning image:
«The exhibited picture was taken in a German psychiatry, where I stayed for one week. I was able to take pictures of the patients in their rooms and also document daily life in the ward. The «faces» on the wall and ceiling in this image are mostly from newspapers and magazines but also a lot of pictures of himself as a small boy, his family and of his little rabbit. While I was in the psychiatry I felt, that I as a photographer, had a responsibility towards the people I photographed.»
The runner-up for the Best in Show is Nick Ballon for his image of the Chacaltaya ski lift imported to Bolivia from Switerland in the 1930s.
Foto8 and HOST Gallery are pleased to announce that the award for Best in Show at the Foto8 Summer Show 2009 goes to Torben Weiss for his image “Mr Brohr in his room full of pictures” and the Public Vote has been awarded to Sofie Knijff.
The panel of judges (see below) were impressed by the high standard and diversity of all selected entries and discussed the considerations that constitute the success of a single image: formal qualities of composition, technical competence of the photographer and originality. Yet, the deciding factor was ultimately the context of the image.
As described by judge Graham Wood: “This image is asking questions. The assumption is he’s in prison, but he may not be; he might just be lonely. You imagine it is sinister, yet these are images from everyday magazines. It&rs...