Stunning Photographs From Around The World From The Independent Photographer Competition (10 Pics)

Syrian Umm Mohammed and her husband drink coffee at their destroyed home in the rebel-held town of Douma, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus, on March 23, 2017. Um Mohammed, who is originally from Aleppo, lives with her husband, who due to an airstrike injury, lost the ability to walk. She farms chicken as a source of food and income. Douma, Syria.

Photo: Sameer Al-Doumy, Winner of The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

"The sheer exuberance of youth at play is contagious, intensified by the splashing water and the unrestrained athleticism. The joy of a scene like this is universal, fed by nostalgia for our own childhood or by memories of seeing our children completely caught up in the excitement of a game. The action is artfully framed by the inner tube of the onlooker who has stopped to watch and is given an extra abstract dimension by the reflections on the surface of the water. The photographer, too, is at play." – Elizabeth Krist, judge of The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award.

Photo: Sujan Sarka. Taken in West Bengal, India.

This portrait is part of a long-term project on the consequences of war. In this case, the civil war in Cameroon that started two years ago. Candice rests on the bench after traveling over a thousand kilometer to give birth in the hospital of Édea. The village is located near Bamenda, in the English-speaking part of the country. Due to the war between the separatists ‘Amba boy’ and the army, the area is under siege, the roads are almost all blocked, there are numerous checkpoints and food and drugs are in short supply. For this reason, she decided to travel for almost two days to reach a safe hospital. Cameroon.

Photo: Davide Preti, Third Place in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

A coal mine worker in the Kalariz mine, Semnan province in Iran, takes out his helmet. He works 4 days a week, and his home is about 150 kilometers away from this mine. The miners dig deep into the mountains, working in dark, narrow passageways, where the risk of toxic gases and cave-ins is permanent: a very stressful and dangerous workplace. Abouzar, Iran.

Photo: Azin Haghighi, Finalist of The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

Captured while watching the daily pelican feed during on visite at ‘The Entrance’ in Australia. The tones and colors within the image complement one another so well. I also like the energy that is created by the tight crop, making you feel like you’re in amongst the action.

Photo: Chris Beadle, Finalist in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

Octavio Lopez, an Afro-Mexican artisan disguised as the “negros” of Coyolillo, in Veracruz, Mexico. This tradition refers to the fact that slaves from a hacienda in Veracruz were freed once a year and, on that day, they held a party to celebrate their freedom. Three hundred years later, that celebration has become a carnival that reminds us of the slave trade history in Mexico. Veracruz, Mexico.

Photo: Koral Carballo, Finalist in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

The city as the result of a creative act or construction could be the result definitive of a metaphysics where man “Encounters nothing but himself” and, in meeting, he begins to be afraid. “404 Not Found” is a story in pictures interested in scenarios that we perhaps consider negative, but that in the future will be normality: in this sense, our blame on the future could be a hypocritical forgetfulness of the present.

Photo: ⁠Luca Marianaccio, Finalist in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

This portrait is part of a documentary about a diamond mining city in Yakutia, Russia. “Udachny” is the name of the city, which is translated as lucky because the first Russian diamonds were found there. The series is a portrait of “Udachny” and an homage to its proud inhabitants living under harsh climatic conditions in the far north of Russia. Udachny, Russia.

Photo: Hanne Van Assche, Finalist in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

Taken in Thailand⁠ ⁠.

Photo: Thanasorn Janekankit, Finalist in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award

“Parker in her bed" - From "Runway project"

Photo: Connor Noll, Finalist in The Independent Photographer's Emerging Talent Award