WINNERS

Not Quite Me

  • Photographer
    Carolina Bottacin, Portugal
  • Prize
    Gold Winner in Human/Portrait

These photographs began as simple selfies and slowly turned into something less predictable. Working with mirrors and instant film, I realized the image almost never matched how I felt in front of the camera. The softness, exposure shifts, and small imperfections of the film became part of that feeling, distorting my face in ways I didn’t expect. The process made me think about who I am, how I see myself, and how I believe I appear. Moments where I recognized myself and, at the same time, didn’t, caught between reflection, shadow, and what the image can’t fully hold.