Photographing intimacy requires trust between the photographer and the subject, as the camera becomes an intrusive object breaking that very moment it intends to capture.

This year’s theme seeks portraits that depict the concepts of a much-photographed genre – the closeness of space and time, the weight of memory we fall back to, and the subconscious desires which set off an emotional response. Intimacy can be many things to many people and yet in photography, we see it as a vital ingredient or requirement as to what is an engaging portrait. Intimacy means stepping into unknown and unfamiliar territory, allowing instinct and beauty to take over.

Self-portraits are in essence the ultimate in intimacy portraits where the roles of the creator and the created are one and the same.