Featured artist: Laurent Nicourt

Copyright Laurent Nicourt

Why we liked it: this image captures with a unique style the joy and light-heartedness of children playing in the streets of Varanasi. The viewer is drawn into the picture following the stare of the smaller child and feels compelled into following their happy march out of the frame.

Laurent, a few words about yourself.
I’m French, I live in Paris, and I’ve been interested in photography since I was a teenager. Before making photography, I developed a passion for photobooks of all sorts. I bought a lot of them and now I have a lot of rare publications.
I think I found the inspiration for my style by melting of all those books together. I tried to understand the composition, why a certain photo was better than another one. I remember, when I was a kid, I didn’t read my father’s newspaper but I stared closely at all the pictures.
When I started making pictures I never took many of them. I loved the feeling of big cameras like the Linhof and that forced me to take a lot fewer shots.
Now with digital I like to photograph with a casual attitude. Not unlike my eye: I cross, I capture. All my last pictures have been made with a “snap eye”. I m always near my subject, because I photograph the subject I cross.  If you want to see more you can check www.laurentnicourt.fr.

What about this picture?
It was taken in the streets of Varanasi, I was walking and these two kids overtook me. Click.
What I like about this picture is that it could have been taken anywhere in the world but as soon as you look at it you understand it comes from India. Also, I think it is quite fascinating shooting such a colourful country in black and white.

Have you been to India many times?
It was my first time in India last year. I’ve spent there just ten days and I ended up staying… in Varanasi only! I’m fascinated by this town and by the people who live there. I’m not a mystique, I’m not looking for spirituality, but I love the city: the agitation, the quietness, death, life, the smell of cow dung and the perfume of incense, the chaste women and the cunning children. I love all these contrasts brought together.

Your style is very peculiar, what are your influences?
I have no specially influence. All photographs in a way or another influence me.  For instance, all my photographs are black and withe but every colour photographer has influenced me. If you really want me to name names I can say it starts with Philip Blenkinsop and finish with Mitch Epstein.

What is your next planned destination?
I will go back to Vananasi in March. I’ll stay there for another ten days, just my camera and myself.

What is your long-term goal with photography?
I would like to keep making the photography I love with the same passion, the same sincerity, with a small dose of nonchalance and without having to deal with clients or curators. Being able to live with my photography would be a dream, which would be completely different from living through photography. Even though photography is always on top of my thoughts, I hope it will remain there without becoming a burden.


1000for1’s International Photography Competition is open until the 29th of December, join Nicolas in his journey by creating a profile and submitting your pictures!

Featured artist: Vanessa Vettorello

Copyright Vanessa Vettorello

Why we liked it: the projection room of an Indian movie theatre turns into three separate spaces where light, shadows and the human element form into composing a very insightful portrait.

Vanessa, tell us about you.
I’ve started taking pictures ten years ago, a few years after I won a scholarship to attend a three-year course in photography at the IED of Turin (Italy). I graduated last year with honors and I’m now a freelance photographer. I am represented by Phos Agency (http://www.phosfotografia.com/vanessa-vettorello).

What can you share with us about this picture?
This photo was taken in May 2011 in an old cinema in Pune. The old cinemas are closing down and big cineplexes are replacing them, a lot of people will lose their jobs and most people cannot afford the ticket for the multiplex.
This picture is part of the Bollywood Cinema series, which was my final project for IED that I plan to continue in the future.

What motivated you to participate in our contest?
My project on Bollywood is quite new and it’s a work in progress, so I wanted to show it to somebody.

Do you travel a lot? where have you been recently?
Not as much as I would like, I travel a lot in Europe because of my work but I’d like to go even farther.

Have you been to India many times?
Only in the area around Bollywood, but I’d like to see the other parts of the country.

What is your take on the country and its people?
I like very much its people, I have some friends there, we keep in touch.
I have been very well received and I also like their ways of always being late for appointments, like me and my countrymen! It’s a slow and fast country at the same time, complex and fascinating.

Do you have any other projects you are working on now?
I will soon go to Teheran for a photographic project on women and music.

What is your long-term goal with photography
I’d like to live only by portraits and reportage. I’d like to leave commercial photography.


1000for1’s International Photography Competition is open until the 29th of December. Would you like to be featured in our blog like Vanessa? Then create a profile and submit your pictures!

Featured artist: Shanth Kumar

To start our series of featured artists we’ve selected an Indian participant and his quintessentially Indian picture.

Copyright by Shanth Kumar

Why we liked it: this picture shows the love Indians have for their country in an unusual way, the silhouette of the child against the national flag and the shadow projected on the ground provide a nice black contrast against the green and orange colours. 

Shanth, tell us more about yourself.
I was born in Bangalore in 1986 and photography has always been my passion. I took up photography in 2000 when I started as a dark room assistant in a studio and have since then dabbled with various forms of photography. I finally found my true calling in photojournalism and have been practising it since 2002 as part of various publications in India. I have covered the political and social changes extensively, particularly in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. I see photography as a medium for bringing out the truth as well as for creative expression. I currently work as senior photojournalist at The Times of India, the largest English daily in the world.

Where was your picture taken?
Love for the country runs deep in India. Flags are on display during the cricket matches, numerous festivals or during days like Independence Day as seen here. In this photo, a child is seen hugging the tricolour on the eve of independence day in a market in Chennai where such sheets are sold.

What are your interests in photography?
I’m interested in life on the move, people’s survival for existence, festivals and colours.

Do you travel a lot? What is your next planned destination?
I travel when my time and work permit. The last international visit was to London to collect the Wisden award I won in 2012. I’m planning to go to Africa sometimes soon.

What is your long-term goal with photography?
Simply to excel as a photojournalist.


1000for1’s International Photography Competition is open until the 29th of December, join Shanth in this adventure by creating a profile and submitting your pictures!

Featured artists’ gallery coming soon

With just twenty days before the end of the competition, we would like to give you a little preview of the many entries we’ve received so far. So, in the coming days we’ll publish the profiles and the photos of the most notable participants.

Please note that publication of these profiles doesn’t mean that featured participants or their entries are finalist in the competition or eligible to win: the contest is still open and we’re looking forward to receiving your photographs before the 29th of December 2012.

India! – Deadline extended

Dear Photographers, the issue we had with our account has been solved and now it is possible to submit your pictures again! To give extra time to all the people that have tried to submit their images in the last days we’ve also decided to extend the deadline to the 29th of December 2012. Good luck with your submission!

India! – PayPal payments temporary down

Last night we accessed our PayPal account from Myanmar which prompted PayPal security policies to block payments processing for the next 24/48 hours. The issue should be solved soon, we apologise for the inconvenience and we’re looking forward to seeing your pictures!

India! – Keep submitting your pictures!

Dear photographers and lovers of India, we’ve received some outstanding submission so far yet there are many places available for those who would like to participate! Create a profile and submit your pictures to win the camera of your dreams!

India! – We respect your rights

1000for1 is now officially listed in the rights-on whitelist at ArtistsBillOfRights.org.

To put it in a nutshell this means that our competition rules respect your moral rights and copyright and that the pictures you’ll submit will not be used outside the scope of this competition.

Artists' Bill of Rights

Submit your pictures if you haven’t yet, we’re looking forward to seeing them!

India! – Let’s roll!

The submissions are now open to 1000for1 first international photography contest.
The theme of the first competition is: India!
You can check the rules and the competition details straight from our home page.

Welcome to 1000for1

Hello folks, we’ve just started this blog to make it easier for you to keep up to date with the competition’s progress: do not hesitate to leave a comment if there’s anything you’d want to ask!

Happy shooting 🙂