Judges

Phil Carpenter

Photojournalist for The Gazette

Phil Carpenter has been a photojournalist for 14 years and is currently a photo and video journalist at The Gazette. He is the author of Breast Stories: Cancer Survivors Speak Out (2012), which consists of portraits and personal essays of women across Canada who have had a mastectomy. The book explores aspects of mastectomy, body image and feminine identity.

Carpenter’s work has taken him across the globe and he is committed to documenting history and the human condition. He is also a part-time professor in the Department of Journalism at Concordia University.

Linda Rutenberg

Fine Art Photographer

Linda Rutenberg is a Concordia Alumna and our one returning judge this year. She was born in Montreal, Canada, and has a BFA in film and music and a MFA in Photography from Concordia University.

Linda has taught photography and worked as a freelance photographer for thirty years. She has led workshops in different parts of the world and has organized photographic trips to Mexico and the United States. In 1995 she opened Camera Lucida Image Centre in Montreal which housed a darkroom rental facility, a lab, a school and a gallery. In 1997 she left Clic and opened Galerie Mistral, a fine art photography gallery in Montreal, Canada.

Her fine art work has been exhibited internationally, (Canada, US, Mexico and Europe). Her work has always been about cities, the environment, its people, and the interplay between these elements.

www.lindarutenberg.com

Valerie Simmons

Commercial and Fine Art Photographer

Uniting the worlds of commercial and fine art photography, Montreal-born photographer Valerie Simmons' work is a reflection of her theatrical sensibilities and keen artistic eye. A background in fine arts and dance studies has played an integral role in her development as a photographer, providing an in-depth sensitivity and appreciation of the human form.

During the course of her career, Valerie has worked with national clients including The Canadian Opera Company, American Express and Dove Soap, and has received numerous prestigious national and international awards.

www.valeriesimmons.com/

Damián Siqueiros

Commercial and Fine Art Photographer

Photographer and visual artist Damián Siqueiros was born in the North-west of Mexico and currently resides in Montreal. As an artist, Damián feels particularly invested in the search for Beauty -- not the narrow concept proposed by media -- but a deeper sense of beauty, one that embraces the transformative power of art to change our surroundings.

Over the span of his career he has won several grants and prizes such as the Public’s choice Scotia Bank Prize 2010 in Montreal’s Art Souterrain and has exhibited his images in museums and galleries in Mexico, Spain, Paris, New York, Washington D.C. and Canada. He has also worked with clients such as Vogue Mexico, Elle, Esquire, Porrua and Les Grands Ballets Canadiens of Montreal.

www.damiansiqueiros.com

Benjamin “Von Wong”

Commercial and Wedding Photographer

Benjamin “Von Wong” is a Montreal based photographer whose highly conceptual works have garnered worldwide attention. He works closely with other artists to create his elaborate set pieces. His current project is a cross-continental artistic collaboration involving dancers, choreographers, emerging music bands, pyro-technicians, paralympic athletes and independent filmmakers.

On what inspires him, Benjamin says: “Dreams drive me, inspire me and push me to challenge the impossible in creating unique compelling artwork.”

www.vonwong.com