/ 2025 / Portraiture / Other

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Laura Monti, Italy
• Instagram
  https://www.instagram.com/lamontifotografa/

There is a shadow that lives within me.
A hidden desire, an intense urge that pulls me toward what is dark, mysterious, and forbidden.
I fear it—and yet, it seduces me.
I hide, afraid of not being accepted.
I constantly walk the line between light and shadow.

I don’t photograph for a living, but out of necessity.
Photography is how I give shape to the turmoil I carry inside.
Each shot is an open crack, a breath, a way to understand myself — and maybe, to be understood.