Maria Portaluppi from Ecuador, a finalist in the Professional competition, captured a poignant image of Olaf, a howler monkey rescued from a farm. Olaf is waiting to be transferred from the Foundation to a reserve, but he will never be released back into his natural habitat. Portaluppi’s work also features Pumira, another rescued subject.
Pumira was rescued as a baby and now waits in a cage to be transferred to a rehabilitation center. The Foundation has specific cages for the rehabilitation and release of margays like Pumira. Nicolás Garrido Huguet’s image captures Dionisia, Nilda, and Braulia washing recently dyed fibers in a lake in Peru.
This unique aspect of natural dyes and their environmental harmony is an integral part of local artisanal traditions. Garrido Huguet also captured a portrait of Ruth, one of the seven Pumaqwasin artisans.
Critical environmental photography stories
This image represents the beauty of variation in both natural dyeing and analogue photography, embracing the nuances of organic artistry. Seido Kino’s work from Japan highlights the drastic reduction in student numbers with images from the once populous elementary schools in the mountainous areas of the San-in region. Kino’s photographs, juxtaposed with archival images, show towns diminishing in population as youth move to cities.
Cristóbal Olivares from Chile captures the Cerro Tololo Observatory in Vicuña and the issue of light pollution from nearby cities significantly affecting the once pristine night skies. Lalo de Almeida’s striking photographs showcase the environmental devastation in the Pantanal and Amazon regions of Brazil. His images depict the largest tropical wetland facing a historic drought and the widespread destruction caused by fires.
Mischa Lluch explores the emotional landscape of broken dreams in her work “Fading.” Shot in the South Bay area of San Francisco, this contemplative piece invites viewers on an introspective journey. The finalists’ works reflect critical environmental concerns and the impact of human actions on natural landscapes. They offer powerful visual narratives that engage and inspire a global audience.