The 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent Architectural Photography Award Winners

It’s time to announce the official winners of the 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent Award! The Early Career and Emerging Talent category is the APA Award’s most entered and most competitive category. Just like last year, we are blown away by the talent and hard work of all the new architectural photographers out there.

For this award, we asked photographers who have been practicing architectural photography for 5 years or less at the time of the contest deadline to submit 3 images that they felt best represented who they are as a photographer. Up for grabs was an all-expenses paid trip from anywhere in the world to Southern California for a one-on-one workshop, plus our 2022 Emerging Talent trophy. Second place is awarded $500 USD and our runner-up trophy!

Here are the 3 highest scoring entries for the Early Career Award as selected by our panel of judges:

Honorable Mention: Levi Wells

This year we’ve decided to include an honorable mention slot for each category of our awards. The 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent honorable mention goes to Mexico City based photographer Levi Wells. Levi has been photographing architecture for 5 years. You can check out Levi’s Instagram @leviwellsphoto.

Judge Mario Depicolzuane shares that he feels this entry is “Warm, authentic and technically well-executed. It shows the architecture and also tells the story.”

Congratulations on scoring so highly Levi, and thank you for your submission!

Runner-up: Pekka Lähteenmäki

The 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent Award runner-up is Pekka Lähteenmäki. Pekka is a photographer from Helsinki who has been photographing architecture for just 1 year. His Instagram is @arcphotopekka.

Pekka will take home the second-place prize of $500 USD and the runner-up APALMANAC Emerging Photographer trophy!

Pekka noted “I’ve always loved architecture and I aim to become a full-time architectural photographer. I’ve done much work to get my portfolio to a state I could show it to my future clients.”

Judge Lucas Blair Simpson says “Very strong POV. I know right away these images are from the same person. Very nice use of composition. The three images are of different subject matter but work together and display strong understanding of composition, light/shadow, and color but each in its distinct way. I want to see more!”

Judge Stewart Hicks shares what he liked about these, stating “Gorgeous colors and compositions. Flatness and depth combine the nature and architecture into surreal relationships.”

Congratulations Pekka! What a stunning submission, especially for being so new to the field.

Winner: Laura Deus

The winner of the 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent award is Laura Deus! Laura Deus is Lisbon based and works as both an architect and a photographer. She has been photographing architecture for 2 years. Laura’s Instagram is @laura.deus.

Laura says “When simplicity and architecture meet, for me, photography becomes art, expression, feeling. More than documenting, I intend to create pictures that allow the spaces to speak for themselves, throughout composition, lights, scale and colours. I believe human scale is a fundamental piece for the connection between architecture and feeling, so it is quite common for me to include people on my work. Plus, as a female photographer, I tend to prefer female figures that contribute to the feeling of lightness on spaces.”

Judge Lucas Blair Simpson shares “I love the graphic quality of these images. I immediately understand this photographer’s POV and I appreciate the consistency of vision.” Judge Celeste Bolt says, “Beautifully composed shoot. The photographer shows the scale of the project as well as its levels very smoothly, supported by a seemingly genuine owner/occupier participation which sets the series alight.”

Laura’s prize is an all-expenses paid trip to Southern California for a personal one-on-one workshop. She also will receive the 2022 Early Career and Emerging Talent winner’s trophy! Congratulations Laura, well deserved!

We’d like to extend a massive thank you to everyone who entered the 2022 APA Emerging Talent and Early Career Award category. We’re looking forward to what the 2023 Awards will bring!