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The “Indian Photo Festival” PORTRAIT PRIZE 2021: Discover Your Voice in Photography

Cartin: Winner by Sujata Setia

Portraits are an excellent method to capture a person's essence, as well as their culture and time period. The ‘Indian Photo Festival’ PORTRAIT PRIZE 2021 is a prize offered by the Indian Photo Festival that rewards outstanding portrait photography from Indians. The Indian Photo Festival holds an annual photo contest in which entrants from all around the world are invited to submit works depicting life in India or dealing with the country. Winners will be selected based on creativity, originality, and aesthetic quality.

“I’ve never been posed like this before... with all of my scars, I mean,” Catrin added.

We were both perplexed by the question of how far scars can go? Is there any limit to how much we may observe? Are we all on board with the idea that scars need to be “beautiful” to be accepted? Only enough so that we may remember how blessed we are?

But not too much, so we can endure seeing them?

When the brakes on her coach failed, Catrin was returning from a ski vacation in the French Alps.

She suffered third-degree burns to 90% of her body in a short period, which gave her a 1 in 1000 chance for survival. Catrin defied the odds after three months in a coma, 200 surgical procedures, and four years of rehabilitation.

She reacts to the prying eyes always upon her as she steps out of the house with compassion and understanding.

“If you are made happier by my scars, I am pleased for you. I comprehend your feelings. And that is what I anticipate from you as well. It’s important to show understanding rather than compassion. My scars are part of who I am... they distinguish me from others and make me more appealing than before... they’re the artist’s strokes in life; I’m completely engrossed in this work.”

More on The Indian Photo FestivalInstagram

Watch Repairers: Second Prize by Kushal Gangopadhyay
Layers of the Mind: Third Prize by Ritagnik Bhattacharya
The God’s Word: Honorable Mention by Disha Gupta
Shakti: Honorable Mention by Raggeshre Das
Mother and Child: Finalist by Sandip Dey
We In Unison: Finalist by Aditya Sharma
The soul behind the mirror: Finalist by Akash Ghosh
Finalist by Akshay Nagpal
A portrait of man carries a child: Finalist by Arun Sharma/PTI
Traditions and Taboos: Finalist by Dashawatar Bade
Song: Finalist by Devaraj Devan
Indian traditional sport: Finalist by Jayesh Sharma
Devotees busy celebrating Chhath Puja: Finalist by Mili Paul
Portrait of groupthink: Finalist by Sankar Sridhar
Family Crossing: Finalist by Shibasish Saha
Nothing in Disguise: Finalist by Somnath Mullick
The Spotlight: Finalist by Subhran Karmakar
Finalist by Unnati Sharma
Focused conversation: Finalist by Veeresh Babu Rama