People are a constant source of inspiration and subject matter for photographers, with the range of different looks and personalities out there that are asking to be captured. Some of these interesting people and their portraits won big in our Photography 2021 Awards competition, and we want to share the stories behind each of them with you!
Geoff Story is an American documentary filmmaker and photographer. While he usually photographs strangers and people he meets on the streets, he had the opportunity to get to know his subject Gene while making a self-initiated documentary about his life. During their time together, Gene shared many stories, both on camera and off, talking about the struggles and sometimes thrills of living between worlds as a trans woman in the 1940s and 50s.
He wanted to capture the essence of Gene/Miss Gina Dawson’s story in a single frame, and arguably does so. In the Gold-winning “Gene/Miss Gina“, an 88 year-old Gene faces the camera while sitting in an easy chair. Around him hangs various types of pictures, and a football game plays out on the holds a photo of himself as a young Miss Gina. But the picture that the viewer mainly focuses on is the picture Gene proudly holds of himself as Miss Gina. Story’s portrait reflects Gene’s fortitude, both in his lifelong fight for equality and in the face of a terminal illness, and the light, the color, the drapery across Gene’s lap, and the formality of the pose are inspired bring a feeling of an Old Masters painting, bringing a timeless quality to the image. The photograph is currently published in Gene’s self-published memoir, “Farm Boy, City Girl,” and though Gene passed away in September 2020, his portrait will live on as a part of LGBTQ+ history.
