Laia Ros
PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris 2024 – State of the World
Curatorial Selection – Queer resilience
Q: How has your personal background or life experiences influenced the global issues and stories you choose to capture through your photography?
I studied journalism and humanities at university. From the beginning, I was always drawn to personal stories that opened the door to reflection on deeper, global issues.
As I grew and learnt, I also became more interested in collaborative approaches—inviting the people I photograph to participate in the process. Because I’m interested in the story and want to tell it, but my experiences may differ from those I photograph, I wanted their input so they could be active participants in how they are represented and perceived by the world.
Q: What inspired you to submit your work to The State of the World competition, and how has receiving this recognition from PX3 impacted your journey as a photographer?
I’ve always looked up to the contest as a platform that showcases compelling stories through captivating images. Being selected in 2024 was an incredible honor, for which I’m extremely grateful. I’m also thankful that it helped spotlight the situation of queer rights in Kenya.
This recognition led to further opportunities, as my work was later featured in other publications after being discovered by editors through the PX3 platform.
Q: Can you take us behind the scenes of your winning series? What was the story you aimed to tell, and did any unexpected moments shape the final result?
This project aimed to provide a glimpse into the queer community in Kenya, where same-sex relationships are criminalized. Despite these hardships, queer individuals reclaim their right to exist and celebrate their uniqueness through drag shows, fashion runways, and ballroom events. These gatherings become demonstrations of queer resilience, and we wanted to capture the community’s joy and strength through portraits and handwritten statements about their performances.
I collaborated on this story with journalist Myrto Vogiatzi, who wrote the article accompanying the images published in the Spanish newspaper El País.
We spent about two months on preproduction—researching, contacting associations, and reaching out to key people we hoped to interview and feature. We wanted to approach the topic responsibly and with consent, so we held virtual calls to introduce ourselves, explain the project, and collaborate on creating image consent forms to ensure informed participation. The safety and comfort of the community were always our top priorities.
Initially, we thought no one would be comfortable to pose for portraits, so we proposed creative methods to protect their identity. To our surprise, most participants agreed to reveal their faces, as they often do on social media.
We were also incredibly grateful for the amazing parties we got to attend: they were very fun and we felt very welcomed. It was inspiring to witness the creative and skillful transformations that turned people into catwalk-ready performers.
I believe the openness and honesty of those who welcomed us into their lives allowed the photos to feel both intimate and joyful.
Q: Your work highlights some of the most crucial and pressing issues in today’s world. How do you balance technical precision with the raw emotion needed to create a powerful, thought-provoking image?
When I know I’ll be working on a topic, I try to research as thoroughly as possible and check if similar stories have already been photographed. I look for references and begin visualizing how to structure the story.
Whenever possible, I contact the people involved ahead of time to brief them, plan the shots I need, and determine what equipment will be necessary.
However, you can prepare all you want, but things rarely go as planned—so I try to stay open-minded. That flexibility can be challenging, but it also brings depth and emotion to the story.
Q: Photography has the ability to raise awareness, shift perspectives, and even inspire action. What role do you believe visual storytelling plays in addressing global challenges?
Photography has the power to bring stories closer to audiences around the world. It can reveal realities that were previously overlooked.
Visual storytelling can spark conversations that lead to action—and that, in turn, can play a role in addressing global challenges.
Q: Your winning image is a reflection of an important moment or reality—how do you approach the responsibility of documenting such impactful stories?
My goal is to be honest with the people I photograph about the purpose behind the images. It’s also important during editing and post-production to carefully select photos that do justice to the story and convey the experiences of those portrayed, so they don’t feel misrepresented.
Q: Looking ahead, are there any social or environmental themes you feel compelled to explore further through your work?
There are several projects I’d like to develop, but in particular, I’d love to revisit this story and explore it further.
Q: What motivates you to continue capturing the world through your lens, and where do you hope to take your work in the future?
Connecting with the people I photograph and involving them in the storytelling process is my main motivation—something I want to keep developing in my visual work.
I hope to continue having the privilege of documenting stories that help us better understand the world we live in. However, the current state of the profession is difficult. Developing stories carefully requires time and funding, which many journalists and photographers, especially those from underprivileged backgrounds, often lack.
As a result, many valuable perspectives on current affairs remain unseen, leaving the public conversation less nuanced, less diverse, and ultimately, less representative of reality.