Master of Photography

The contestants will return to their respective home towns with the aim of providing an account of themselves as part of those places. At least one of the three shots they will present has to be a self-portrait. The concept behind this task will show how the artistic personalities of the competitors coincide with their capacity to describe themselves, to expose themselves or, on the contrary, to hide and protect themselves from the gaze of others.

The finalists will have to present three to five photos, taken over 12 hours, which offer an unusual or particularly meaningful glimpse of a European or Mediterranean ethnic minority. The contestants will need to develop or refine their anthropological gaze, making respectful contact with people whose habits, customs, traditions and lifestyle are completely different to their own. One of the photos presented has to be a portrait and one has to describe the relationship between the locals and the environment where they live. Moreover, the pictures have to highlight how the environment has been influenced by the presence of humans.

In this task, the contestants will be working with a celebrity: Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA and Golden Globe winner, British actor and Hollywood star Clive Owen. The judges will commission a portrait that could be used alongside a magazine article. The setting for the task will be the famous Modern Art Gallery in Rome, where the contestants will have only 20 minutes to get to know Clive Owen, interact with him and try to create an original and effective portrait. This will be one of the most difficult tasks: for the first time, the contestants will not be helped by any guest photographer. Choosing a single image that best represents their way of viewing a Hollywood star, the photographers will have to be able to judge their own work objectively and make a positive impression on the judges.