Documenting 2022
2022 was quite a year. It had its ups and downs, its hardships and its joys. We wanted to see what 2022 looked like for you – in all its everyday glory. You’ve shown us moments of strength, tenderness, humour, connection, beauty, challenge and chaos. You’ve shown us the everyday and we’re here to celebrate that.
Thank you to everyone who submitted. It was a joy to look through your images and to curate an online exhibition that we feel represents the best of documentary family photography in our community in 2022.
Congratulations to our exhibited and shortlisted photographers.
Jurors: Alice Chapman; Emma Collins; and Antonina Mamzenko.
Time passes by unstoppably. My little girl has grown. I always ask her what she did with that cute little kid she used to be. I am actually proud of her independence, her self-reliance, her drive. The picture was taken in my parents’ backyard, watching the neighbour with the dog. She looked at me for a moment and I was happy to take a picture of this face that will change again so quickly.
This one means a lot to me. We went on holiday for the first time after the pandemic. We took the night train to Amsterdam and also made it to Den Haag. Here we could finally watch the waves, hear the seagulls sing and smell the sea. What a beautiful day!
So here they are, my two boys. Moments of intimacy, closeness, and experiencing a relationship with a sibling. For me these are the most precious. As an only child I didn’t have a chance to build this kind of relationship, so I admire it everyday in my sons.
A portrait of us, the little chaos in the bathroom before bedtime.
This environmental portrait captures how I want to remember my daughter at 13. Not quite ready to leave the childhood books, stuffed animals and face paints behind, in contrast with her direct gaze and long legs. Specific ideas about art and music while refining her techniques in drawing, creating and design on a desk that barely has room for a pencil.
Portrait of a neighborhood kid. One of the only positives of the lockdowns for us was the resurgence of neighborhood playdates and old school fun outside. I’m forever inspired by the neighborhood kids hard at play.
Red dragon in silence. This picture is documenting a kindergarten carnival party.
Two weekends a year, our in-person church services are replaced with eight hours of broadcasts of inspirational messages and songs. Yes, eight. Despite many entertainment options (and one snarky banner) it is chaos in our house by the end, yet I love this time together.
The fisherman mends his net; the teen fishes in the net – the worldwide net.
This photo was taken during the first dance tournament of the girls’ team. They dance modern jazz. There is a community created within the girls. At the same time the color unity is created in the room by colorful tiles and the girls’ costumes and hair. But above all the most important thing is that they are together as a team; a common passion that brings them together during training and shows.
I’m always attracted to moments that capture the bizarreness of childhood. This scene of my daughter walking (dragging) her doll around the garden using a dressing gown belt tied to her ponytail seemed to sum that weirdness up perfectly!
That’s how I found them together. My son with sunburn and a yoghurt compress on his back and our dog licking the compress. I couldn’t not capture it.
Our dog Sasha is so sweet until she sees another dog. In this photo, my son was on the swings and Sasha was barking at a dog. I liked my son’s calm expression next to her animated one.
Juror’s pick – Emma Collins:
There were so many strong submissions that it was hard to pick just one favourite, but this image jumped out at me as it manages to combine a timeless, fine art aesthetic with what feels like an everyday scene.
The well chosen focus point initially draws my eye laterally through the layers, deeper into the frame to settle on the boy, giving me a chance to explore his body language and expression. His slight frown, the delicate tension in his limbs and the way he is pushing the chain add a subtle energy to the moment; I love how this contrasts with the overly dynamic figure of the dog. As a dog owner, I also appreciate the humour brought by the low vantage point and how it exaggerates the physicality and presence of the animal, who no doubt takes the job of protecting his territory very seriously.
I particularly enjoy the strong composition, bouncing my eye from the boy across the frame along the abstract line of his gaze. When coupled with the tension in the dog’s lead, the photographer has created an abstract arrow, literally propelling you out of the right side of the frame. This simultaneously creates visual balance and an unsettling feeling of mystery. I think this is what I love most about the photo, it’s bigger than the sum of its parts, the elements are intricately woven together to take you beyond the confines of the edge of the frame, creating questions and giving you space to make your own narrative. Congratulations, it’s a wonderful image, thank you for sharing it with us!
A typical capture of this boy who has unexpectedly run off to chase a pigeon (just out of the frame) in the market as we were all eating lunch. I love how it depicts his impulsive nature and the way he shapes his body, in some clear space.
Photography from my series State of Play which documents the everyday of two brothers and their puberty. 2022 for my sons was characterized by feelings of isolation, indifference and rebellion, but also of friendship and love. Moments of empathy between brothers are something very precious.
Summer in upstate New York with two young boys is full of dirt and mud, exploration, and the endless entertainment of a simple garden hose. This year we tried to spend as much time in the natural world as possible, helping relieve boredom, anxiety, and pandemic fatigue.
Sadie rests in her mother’s arms after an afternoon spent playing in the backyard. It’s one of the “nothing” moments. They aren’t once-in-a-lifetime shots, they could be happening right now, or tomorrow – again and again – until the children grow out of drinking milk and resting in their mother’s arms. It’s the beauty in these mundane moments that epitomises to me the value of documentary family photography.
A typical summer shot – who is napping now? Our kids are overactive, and we are taking it in turns to nap when they keep going in the swimming pool.
Você já tentou lavar o nariz de uma criança? Pois é. Normalmente é o caos. Esse momento faz parte da vida da Lis há tanto tempo que me surpreendeu o fato dela pedir para a mãe para lavar o seu nariz e faz isso feliz da vida.
Have you ever tried washing a child’s nose? Usually it’s chaos. This moment has been part of Lis’ life for so long that it surprised me that she asked her mother to wash her nose, and did so happily.
I like how the frame is divided with warm and cool colors. The air humidifier vapuor adds a hint of mystery to a simple scene where a little boy plays with a phone at his great-grandparents’ house.
This shot showcases their personalities and the love between them. Ruby leaps without caution, and frequently gets into pickles. As she realized she was stuck in the mud, she cried out for her brother, and he ran to her aid.
This is how life goes… and there are days like this; fast, confusing, intense… both teenagers and parents feel that way… these ups and downs inspire me to take photos that speak to me. There is always movement.
This is one of my favourite captures of 2022, maybe because of its subtle simplicity but at the same time so meaningful. I love how this detail can tell so much about the personality of the subject. I felt like a stalker until I finally captured this detail as I had envisioned but that’s part of the process…
Juror’s pick – Alice Chapman:
This image is of my son on holiday as he showered before getting in the pool. As I photographed him I got a glimpse into the young man he was becoming but for this year he was still my boy.
Just like 2021, 2022 also took its toll. Within this context, the photograph shows the vulnerability and innocence of a whole generation portrayed by a child recovering from COVID-19. At the same time, it expresses the sarcasm of family life: the cot is used for everything – except for sleeping.
Juror’s pick – Antonina Mamzenko:
It was really hard to pick a favourite but this image stood out to me immediately, and reading the caption only confirmed my choice. 2022 was a third exhausting year in a row for many of us, and I think the image expresses the sentiment that every parent can relate to – both personally and globally. I also love the subtle humour of it amongst the chaos of family life and the traumatic events of the past three years. On a visual level, it’s clear the photographer throughtfully observed the scene in front of them, documenting and editing it with care. I like how the child’s red fevered cheeks are echoed in the magenta tones in the bedding and the book. The image also includes visual references of childhood which are universal, but at the same time let us in on what this particular child is interested in at this stage of their life. A yellow pillow behind the child’s head acts as a sort of halo, speaking to the innocence of childhood.
Finally, a thoughtful composition makes my eye stay with an image longer, travelling from Peppa Pig to the tray of uneaten food before finally finding the child and then back to Peppa Pig again, slowly taking it all in and discovering new elements along the way. Thanks for sharing and congratulations.
Sometimes all you need is a cardboard box. My son was unimpressed with his cousin’s position in the box. I like how it looks weirdly like one child in the box.
9:52 p.m. Summer exhaustion.
The day after the queen died in September, pretty much every single billboard in London showed her famous portrait, whilst life carried on as normal: a passenger walks out of the station; a woman in a photo booth has her passport photo taken.
Typical Saturday morning. The only day when parents, tired after a hard week of work, just want to sleep for longer. Full of energy and ideas, the daughter often has completely different plans.
A five year old gazes off into space as he nuzzles close to his mom while she nurses the new baby. To be an only child for five years and then to be inside this moment: a life change can seem so mysteriously big and yet so normal all at the same time.
Some things don’t change much from year to year at my house, and my boys wrestling is one of them. However, I know there was a last visit from the tooth fairy and a final shared bathtime. This photo reminds me that in 2022 they were still wrestling.
This little guy’s face was hilarious. It reminds me of a feeling that I had a lot of in 2022: a mix of “what in the world is happening?!” and “are y’all seeing what I am seeing?!”
This is an image of a dad who got abandoned in the fort but was too tired to get out. As a parent, every time I look at this photo I see the humor kids bring into our lives. I also see that big love every parent knows; the kind of love that always shows up – even if just to pass out.
Barbara’s adventure in wardrobe. The head and wardrobe of a teenager are nearly the same thing. You can find too many things there: clothes; meals; some school papers; a little rage and a lot of love!
City fight with handmade paper weapons.
My daughter Matilda on her birthday. 20 candles for 20 years. I love this photograph because it represents progress and mental courage: Enough hope to wish for something.
Documenting 2022 Shortlist
Congratulations also to our shortlisted photographers: Agnes Bledowski; Aiko Wakao Austin; Allyson Klein; Amanda Dalby; Amy Keljo; Anne-Britt Sommer; Anouk Briere-Godbout; Ashlan Alderton; Azure Mahara; Christine Passler; Danielle Jacobson; Diana Pirraglia; Dominika Pałęcka; Elisa Cesca; Emilia Ostapowicz, Friederike Mueller; Inna Fuetterer; Jordan Lyall; Judyta Wejha; Justin McGregor; Karlijn Goossen; Katie Haslam; Kirsty Larmour; Krista Cox; Leanna Ramsey; Lisa Murray; Lisa Winner; Lisa Hu Chen; Magdalena Węgrzyn Choroba; Michaela Strivens; Nicole Lapointe; Nimrod Mankovski; Patrycja Szuplak; Rebecca Thompson; Rhiannon Davis; Sofia Freitas; Tasha Ford; Victoria Kevans; Wanda Leung; and Zuzanna Jach.
Exhibition Logos
Exhibited and shortlisted photographers can download these exhibition badges to use on their own websites and social media.
