Chicago and Wyoming based photographer, storyteller, and humanitarian whose work explores the intersections of culture, spirit, and place. Her photography spans West Africa, 
Southeast Asia, the Americas, along with the American West, capturing images that illuminate everyday resilience, sacred landscapes, and moments of human stillness in dynamic environments. With a background in global human resources leadership and a lifelong commitment to community and the arts, Heather brings a deep sense of empathy, curiosity, and respect to every frame she captures.

Heather Smith

Heather’s photography has been exhibited internationally, including features in Las Laguna Art Gallery, Gallerium’s Save the Planet exhibition, Red Bluff Art Gallery, HMVC exhibition 
in Times Square, along with her freelance work presented on social media platforms for The Abolition Institute, where she works as a Humanitarian Delegate. She is currently creating “Freedom”, a photography book inspired by her time in Mauritania, and co-leads Resonant Journeys, a collective focused on creating a cross-cultural spiritual storytelling 
project through combining visual imagery and sound. Heather is currently the CEO/President of Art of Culture, a nonprofit uplifting community through art, nature and cultural exchange. Her lens is both poetic and purposeful—centering beauty, belonging, and the stories that connect us across borders.

"Shoreline Playground 1."

Ralf Dreier has more than 25 years of experience in photography, during which he has acquired ever more extensive skills through self-tuition. With a particular focus on minimalist black and white photography in the fields of architecture and landscape, he strives first and foremost to convey emotions and moods with his images. 
 
"My pictures are essentially about conveying feelings and moods, so I don't really try to tell a story with them. These moods and feelings are what I feel when I look at a landscape that I would also photograph. It's about relaxation and letting go of everyday problems. But if a story does develop in the viewer's mind, it's definitely positive, because it's their very personal story that they associate with my pictures. However, it makes a difference whether we look at a landscape directly and immediately or whether we only look at a picture of it. Directly in the landscape, our brain is able to block out everything that distracts or disturbs us."

Ralf Dreier

"My favourite subjects are mainly landscapes and architecture. However, for me, the two tend to merge seamlessly. I prefer open landscapes that allow you to look into the distance. From my point of view, this helps me to detach my thoughts from the realities of everyday life. In densely built-up areas or mountainous landscapes, however, a clear view is often only possible in the direction of the sky. For this reason, the sky is becoming increasingly important in my pictures. And it also depends on the structure of the sky. A uniformly blue or grey sky is often somewhat boring, at least in a photo. On the other hand, restless clouds with strong contrasts can attract more attention than they deserve. It's simply important to wait for the sky to be as suitable as possible. In some cases, however, my pictures manage without looking into the distance. Then geometric shapes and structures take over the task of detaching thoughts from everyday life."

"Skagen."

"At least this works if the distractions are not too dominant. In a photograph, small things often distract us and prevent us from finding the necessary calm and relaxation to engage with the image and let the feelings and moods come to us. I therefore try not to include any of these distracting elements in my pictures. I achieve this in my minimalist black and white pictures, for example, through the choice of image detail. Other disruptive elements that create unrest and therefore attract attention can be the sky or uneven water surfaces. For water surfaces, I usually use long exposures of up to two minutes in my pictures. This makes the surface soft and smooth and suddenly even conveys additional calm. With a turbulent sky, on the other hand, the only thing that usually helps is to wait for better conditions."

"Vestmanna Cliffs."

Natasha Navasardian is an artist, photographer and designer based in New York. With a background in graphic design and visual storytelling, she creates cinematic, intimate portraits that explore identity, human connection, and the beauty in everyday environments. Her work has spanned editorial, branding, and personal projects, often blending natural light and design sensibilities to capture emotionally resonant images.

Natasha Navasardian

"Photography, for me, is a way to connect with people, places, and moments that might otherwise go unnoticed. It helps me slow down, observe more closely, and tell quiet stories through light, mood, and expression. It’s how I make sense of the world and share the beauty I see in everyday life."

"Calm Power of Water."

"I'm Rami, an amateur photographer from Egypt. I love capturing creative shots and dream of becoming one of the top photographers in the world someday."

Ramy Ahmed Amer

"The clarity of the sea water and its mesmerizing feeling when it meets the sandy beach give us an immediate sense of peace."

"Heart of the Sea."

Shoreline Playground is a visual meditation on youth, memory, and the enduring rhythm of the sea. Set along the Mauritanian coast, this photo series captures the spirit of boys at play; racing barefoot across the sand, chasing waves, and lingering in the hush between tides. The sea here is both backdrop and companion: a witness to joy, a mirror of freedom, and a keeper of ancestral rhythm. In a landscape shaped by salt, wind, and story, the shoreline becomes a sacred playground where movement, light, and emotion converge. These images explore the quiet power of the ocean to hold life in transition, where the innocence of childhood meets the vast, unknowable beauty of the sea.

"Shoreline Playground 6."

"I use photography to tell stories that honor the spirit of everyday life and landscapes; centering people and places often overlooked, and capturing the emotional texture of lives 
in motion and moments that resonate beyond the frame. Rooted in documentary, fine art, and portraiture, my practice weaves together visual poetry and lived reality. I approach the sea not just as a setting, but as a character; shaping memory, solitude, and connection. In my series Shoreline Playground, I explore how bodies, borders, and belonging are held in conversation with water. Taken along the Atlantic coast in Mauritania, West Africa, these images reflect scenes of youth at play, reflection, and spiritual stillness; where joy and complexity meet at the water’s edge. Through these images, I seek to elevate the quiet, expansive power of the sea as both sanctuary and global stage. It is where breath returns, where stories surface, and where we are reminded of our own tides."

"Shoreline Playground 11."

Katrina Buckles is an American photographer. Her photography is focused on both finding and creating unexpected images. She seeks to combine fantasy and reality, allowing the viewer to experience something entirely new. She hopes that her art inspires others to be mindful in their daily life and to “see beyond” what is right in front of us.

Katrina Buckles

"This series was taken in 2025 on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Maryland, USA. Although the sea can be wild and untameable, I sought to capture the peaceful and serene side of the water through this series. By playing with natural light and in-camera double exposure, my goal was to illuminate the inherent magic beneath the waves."

"Horizon."

"Seaweed Evening."

"I have been capturing the world through my lens since 2015, drawn to the raw, unfiltered essence of human expression. My work oscillates between black-and-white and color photography, but at its core, it is always about storytelling, finding meaning in the seemingly ordinary. I frame my subjects in both visually uneased compositions and conventional simplicity, allowing each photograph to narrate its own unique tale. I often photograph people in transient moments, where reflections blur the line between reality and illusion or in everyday spaces that hold unspoken stories. My work also explores the presence of animals still used for commercial purposes, such as horses and camels on beaches, capturing their quiet endurance in modern life. Through my photography, I strive to preserve fleeting moments, revealing the poetry in everyday life. Each image is an invitation to pause, reflect, and connect with the deeper layers of our shared existence."

Neehith Mamidi

"A farewell in black and white. This series is called Held by the Shore because that’s exactly what this beach has always done for me. It held me when I was happy when I was lost, when I didn’t have the words to explain how I felt. Since the age of five, this place has been a constant presence in my life. For 23 years, it stayed unchanged while everything else around me shifted. I knew every corner, every sound, every rhythm of the tides. On my last day in India, I returned one final time. From morning to night, I walked every inch of this familiar shoreline knowing that I wouldn’t be back for a long time. It was a tough goodbye. This beach wasn’t just a spot on the map, it was home to a part of my soul. I chose to capture it in black and white, not out of nostalgia, but to show the peace I’ve always felt here, unfiltered. These images are not about dramatic sunsets or bright skies. They’re about stillness, memory, and presence."

"Held by the Shore."

"I’m Hemanth Vaddi, a passionate photographer based in India. For me, photography is a way to share how I see the world through moments that often go unnoticed. I’m drawn mostly to wildlife, birds, and the quiet beauty of nature. With every photo, I try to capture the emotion, story, or stillness hidden in the scene, whether it’s in the wild or in everyday life around me."

Hemanth Sandesh Vaddi

"Through my lens, I try to celebrate the connection between living beings and their surroundings. My work is rooted in observation and patience, waiting for that one moment where everything aligns naturally. I believe photography is not just about what we see, but how we feel when we see it. Whether it’s the delicate behavior of a bird, the vast calmness of a beach, or a fleeting human gesture, I aim to capture scenes that are simple, honest, and quietly powerful."

"Wings Over the Blue."

"I am a British-German photographer (born 1989) with a background in psychology and information processing. My photographic practice focuses primarily on architectural landscapes. I’m drawn to the quiet meaning of places when no people are present, what spaces reveal in stillness. The submitted works were taken along the coast of Normandy in 2022, a place that is both historically significant, being near one of the major WWII remembrance sites and deeply personal to me. The sea there symbolises not only the weight of history but has long been a personal point of connection for me, as I have frequently travelled between Germany, where I live, and England, home to part of my family, often crossing the Channel."

Elke Smith

"Normandy #1."

"Normandy #2."

Photography followed Bo Colin like his own shadow, through his varied and creative life. After many years of working in creative areas, such as the design and the manufacturing of unique and bespoke pieces of furniture as well as sculptures, he decided to try a new field of expression and swapped from design to photography and picked up his camera. Born and raised in Germany, he felt early on that borders had to be crossed in order to fully develop. To manifest this destiny he undertook uncountable trips within Europe, spent years living in Scotland, Cornwall as well as on board of his boat in the North and Baltic Seas, that was his home for yesrs. This sharpened his eyes and opened his mind for the aesthetic, beautiful and special. Now, Bo currently travels a lot in Europe and Brazil. His photos are always unadulterated, raw and technical simple with no photoshop or AI involved.

Bo Colin

"Photography has become multifaceted. Within the artistic aspect, for me, it should show a realistic testimony of it's time. For me, it's about capturing a moment as it was, without AI, without Photoshop. Especially today, it's important to preserve our environment for future generations as it is and not as we would like it to be. The sea is the most fascinating element. To me it can calm and give energy, inspires my thoughts and purifies my soul. Each time with joy and longing, each time with awe and always with respect."

"Stranded in Norway."

Joshua Loftus is a photographer based in San Francisco, California, originally from Pennsylvania. His journey on the West Coast began in the world of mapping technologies, but his enduring connection to the natural world led him to pursue photography full-time. 
 
Inspired by formative moments with nature, including the awe of witnessing a summer storm, Joshua crafts atmospheric and ethereal imagery that reflects his deep appreciation for light, texture, and emotional resonance. His work invites viewers to slow down, feel, and remember.

Joshua Loftus

"I create photographs that explore the quiet tension between beauty and chaos. My fascination with nature began in childhood, when I first experienced the drama of a summer storm: lightning flashing across the sky, hail rattling the roof, sunlight breaking through dark clouds. That moment of wonder never left me. Through my camera, I aim to capture that same emotional electricity—images that feel nostalgic, dreamlike, and just a little surreal. My aim is to spark an emotion that lingers in the viewer."

"At Sea."

"My name is Donatella Carnevale, I was born and raised in Italy and have been based in Cologne, Germany for the past five years. I started shooting analog photography in 2022 when I first bought my Pentax ME Super, which has become my primary tool ever since. My photographic work is shaped around a strong emotional and cultural connection to a very specific place in the world: the Mediterranean Sea."

Donatella Carnevale

"My work consists of "analog photographs shot from different angles of the Mediterranean´s surrounding geographies. With some exceptions." This approach speaks to both my artistic identity and to why this open call resonates so personally. I travel through the Mediterranean Countries in order to capture the true essence of lives and cultures that grew and developed apart but in the very core have a common root: the sweetest of the seas."

"Alexandria."

"A Summer in La Goulette."

“The sea is never a separate presence. It shapes places and people, and alters the way we see the world. The house in the photograph, taken on the island of Samos, seems like an extension of the sea’s colors and graphic rhythm. The man, too, merges mysteriously with the sea’s visual dominance, as if drawn into the depth of its unfolding drama.”

Krzysztof Andrzejczak 

"The sea is never a separate presence. It shapes places and people, and alters the way we see the world. The house in the photograph, taken on the island of Samos, seems like an extension of the sea’s colors and graphic rhythm. The man, too, merges mysteriously with the sea’s visual dominance, as if drawn into the depth of its unfolding drama."

"Man in Blue."

"Retired architect. Living in Bavaria, Germany and Barcelona. Photograph since early youth. Go out every day. Always have your cam with you."

Klaus Meyer

"Empty Beach Volley, Barcelona."

"I majored in architecture at university, where, through the inspiration of my professors, I explored how architecture can be as dynamic and emotional as art. We have been trying to apply the theory of emotion and art architecture to understand how buildings can inspire people’s hearts, touch their souls, and stimulate imagination. Over the past 30 years, I have travelled to cities around the world to learn about beautiful art and architectural creations. When I encounter scenes that surprise and move me, I often capture and record them through photography. Through this process, I have accumulated a large collection of photographic images. Ten years ago, I began to create new artistic images using my photos and started participating in international photography competitions. These opportunities allowed me to connect with other photographers and discuss emotional works."

Hao-Long Hsu

"The imaginative interpretation of emotional architecture and the landscape environment presents a poetic spatial atmosphere, conveying the significance of place and the context of art. It shapes the emotional grammar and spirit of a location, creating a spiritual aesthetic and a poetic space. A vivid imagination and creative artistic language can make our cities more emotionally engaging, providing rich artistic experiences and displaying the art of imagination to create a more fulfilling world."

"Minimalist aesthetics sailing on the Ocean."

Helga Bahmer’s photographs in Zingst blend documentary observation with a poetic staging of the self. Inspired by Martin Parr’s perspective on mass tourism, she explores the tensions between beach culture, architecture, and identity. Her images reveal the duality of the seaside town, between idyll and spectacle, retreat and consumption. Unlike Parr, her gaze is softer, rooted in personal perception rather than sharp satire. Zingst becomes a stage where identity and society are continuously renegotiated.

Helga Bahmer

"Head in the sun."

"Picture with dogs."

Karen Safer is an international, award-winning California photographic artist, writer and poet. As a native Angelino, she was given a camera and crayons at 3 and exposed to dominant California motifs: light, palm trees, the ocean, music and vernacular architecture that helped define and influence her left-handed aesthetic. 
 
Fortunate to begin a life of travel as a pre-teen, it shaped her love of the exotic, accidental and unusual that jiggled the lens/frame of her eye; subsequently she has traveled and photographed in over 230 countries and territories. She was influenced by her dad who developed black & white photos in their back washroom/turned darkroom and by her mother’s thirst for knowledge and travel. 
 
She has a master’s degree in art, a career in design and architecture and is principle of ArtFocus International. She's been in 12 solo shows, exhibited in over 480+ international/national venues, received over 400+ awards.

Karen Safer

"I am an Aquarius water baby. I’ve grown up, lived and been a beach dweller all my life and traveled all the oceans covering the globe. There is nothing like the sea - endless and timeless and a renewal to the spirit. There are sunsets and sunrises and lapping of the waves on the shore. We try to capture the sensations in each photo we take but it is an endless quest. I love all the images of the sea - these images span from Mexico to South American to Africa to Europe. We are always rejuvenated by the sounds of the sea and images that we capture."

"Rio Shoreline."

"I have always been an artist. My passion for art and photography began early in my teens. I embrace the natural world and man-made as well. I am influenced by everything from the ancients to Cindy Sherman and while I embrace color, I revere black and white, realistic and abstract. I am a student of the universe, history, art, architecture, music, literature and all the arts."

"Seashore Dwellers."

Nicolò was born in Italy and developed an early passion for photography, focusing on travel and landscape imagery. At 19, he held his first solo exhibition in Milan, documenting his travels in Myanmar. That same year, he interned at Vogue Italia under the mentorship of the late Franca Sozzani, further nurturing his love for fine art photography. Nicolò continues to pursue photography passionately, always with a camera over his shoulder. He currently splits his time between Europe and South Africa, capturing moments exclusively on film since 2023.

 Nicolò Stortiglione Pudel

"Shot at midday under the hard sun of a Cape Town summer, this image captures the temporary architecture of leisure. An umbrella, two beach chairs, a few soft bags, set against the vast, indifferent symmetry of the sea and sky. The colours are warm, almost nostalgic, but nothing here is romanticised. I was drawn to the way the light stripped everything down to shape and contrast: pastel against blue, shadow against sand. There's something quietly theatrical about it, like the scene has been left waiting, mid-sentence."

"Camps Bay, Cape Town."

"I am an artist photographer with the Photoclub of the Republic of Poland and a member of the Łódź Photography Society. What I do has its roots in a youthful passion from many years ago. I believe that, despite the passage of time, I haven’t lost that youthful spontaneity, fortunately, and photography will always remain my great passion."

Artur Jastrzębski

"Parking."

Brigitte currently lives in Switzerland. She is a self-taught photographer, started shooting as a child inspired by her grandfather whose name she chose to bear as her artist’s name to honour him. 
 
She shot with a film camera for years be it color or black and white, spent hours developing her films in a dark room. In her twenties she travelled around the globe taking her camera along and thus gained great experience especially in landscape and street life photography. 
 
Being reasonable instead of listening to her passion she studied medicine and is still partly working as a medic. Though after a life changing event she had more time for herself and the passion for photography came back stronger than ever. Still taken mostly by landscape and street life photography but also starting to experiment with other approaches.

Brigitte B Burckhardt

"It’s summer, but not really warm, and raining at times. Kids and youngsters don’t mind, though. I went down to the beach and saw them at play. It inspired me to take some candid shots. They were having fun; it was uplifting."

"Having fun."

Michael Eckart has spent significant time in Japan, Bali, and other parts of Asia, but Venice now feels like home. 
 
From a young age, he aspired to be a photographer or designer, always drawn to creativity. However, these passions did not take center stage in his career until much later. 
 
In the 1960s, he began designing window displays and creating objects for visual merchandising. 
 
During this time, MoMA requested some of his designs for an exhibition on contemporary design in New York. By the late 1980s, the scale of his creations changed as he transitioned into jewelry design, working with materials such as buffalo horn, bone, and especially sterling silver. 
 
From 2004 to 2006, he exhibited his jewelry in Paris, where he was awarded the Étoiles de Mode for Best Design three consecutive times. 
 
His jewelry gained widespread recognition, with features in 
prestigious publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Elle, and others. 
 
In 2016, his son gifted him an old camera.

Michael Eckart

"Bali, Indonesia’s hip tropical island, attracts surfers from all over the world with its beaches, turquoise waters, and perfect waves. But it’s not just adults who find surfing fun here, the island is also an ideal place for children to surf or learn the sport from scratch. Local children who live near the coast often start surfing at an early age. For them, the beaches offer a largely free adventure that often becomes a lifelong passion. Many of Bali’s coastlines, with their gentle, rolling waves, are perfect for young surfers; like "Surfer Kid" who I met on Seminyak Beach. And yes, the photo looks like a staged postcard, but it was actually just a snapshot!"

"Surfer Kid."

"I've had a passion for photography ever since I was a child, and I primarily focus on two different types these days: event photography and wildlife photography, particularly birds. I love to find shapes in nature and play with light in black and white, but still enjoy the occasional bit of street photography and capturing of social moments."

Miles Memory

"The Sandpipers."

"Go Dog Go."

"The Seagull."

Kylo-Patrick Hart is an award-winning photographer (Budapest International Foto Awards, European Photography Awards, Global Photography Awards, Golden Shot International Photography Awards, London Photography Awards, Pollux Awards, Tokyo International Foto Awards, etc.) and chair of the Department of Film, Television and Digital Media at Texas Christian University (Fort Worth, Texas, USA). 
 
He received his formal training in digital media arts while a student at the University of Michigan and Wayne State University, with additional instruction provided by offerings of the Maine Media Workshops and Santa Fe Workshops. 
 
His photographs have been exhibited in numerous cities throughout the United States and in several countries abroad.

Kylo-Patrick Hart

"Photography has been my passion since early childhood. My motivation is to discover and capture the beauty, even when it is not always readily self-evident, that surrounds us continuously in all areas of our everyday lives. I believe the finest images are those that are serious yet playful, aesthetically appealing yet a bit quirky. As both an artist and an admirer, my favorite photographs tend to be ones whose contents speak loudly for themselves, even when it is not immediately clear exactly what they are saying. They seek to inspire their viewers to wrestle with their intriguing contents and, as a result, ponder various aspects of our surrounding world in new and unique ways."

"Rocky Shoreline."

"Mermaid."

"Isle."

Rainer Würth (1967) writer, photographer (portraits, body & nude, landscape). In his photos inner and outer landscapes often blur into one another. He is interested in the open, in fragments and abstraction. For him as a photographer it is all about the moment, motif and composition. In the process of taking pictures Rainer Würth experiments with apertures and exposures, intentional camera movement (ICM), light and color. The camera is a tool for him to create visual poetry or to tell a story.

Rainer Würth

"I have lived by the sea for ten years, and so the ocean and its various appearances and moods are an important motif in my photography. For the exhibition, “By The Sea“, I have selected pictures in which the sea is more of a background and a setting. From here, stories develop in the mind of the viewer and visual poetry emerges. In my photography work, I have always been very interested in the open and the fragmentary and the sea is a wonderful motif for this."

"Lands end."

By the Sea

Jonathan Lei, a 24-year-old Chinese photography artist currently based in the UK, is renowned for his ability to seamlessly integrate documentary techniques with visual storytelling. 
 
His work excels in capturing the nuanced emotions embedded within everyday scenes and portraying diverse natural landscapes encountered during his travels. Through his exploration of various cities and regions, Jonathan employs his keen observational skills and sensitive emotional expression to highlight moments and scenes that are often overlooked in today's fast-paced lifestyle. He asserts that photography transcends mere information presentation; it serves as a medium to evoke profound emotions in the audience, transforming them into cherished memories.

Jonathan Lei

"As a professional photography artist, I am captivated by the subtle moments in people's lives that are often overlooked and the profound emotions underlying them. These moments may appear small but carry immense significance. My work primarily revolves around two domains: the intricate emotional nuances embedded in everyday life scenes and the tranquil, remote landscapes that stand in stark contrast to the urban pace. Both themes reflect my central interest in exploring how individuals' identities, cultures, and emotions interplay with their surrounding environments. I was born in China and currently reside temporarily in the United Kingdom."

"A beautiful family vacation."

By the sea, perception changes. The coastline offers both openness and boundary, a place where attention becomes more deliberate through repetition rather than demand. Being near water, wind and shifting light encourages a different kind of looking. Forms become unstable, surfaces behave unpredictably, and movement appears steady even when it is not. Observation in this environment is not passive. It requires patience, awareness and a willingness to notice what is often overlooked.

The works collected here reflect continued attention to coastal environments. Each image carries a distinct perspective, but all emerge from the same physical context. Water, air and light interact constantly with land, with built forms and with the act of looking itself. Rather than explain the sea, these photographs remain in dialogue with it. They record moments of contact, of observation and of response, without fixing them into certainty.