4th Golden Orchid International Photography Awards

Achraf Baznani
Achraf Baznani was born in Marrakesh/Morocco and is an autodidactic artist photographer. He uses his own imaginative worlds to create fascinating art. He plays with scale and proportion to create mise-en-scène that are dreamlike, introspective and a little bit whimsical. His images have been praised by art and photography lovers, hundreds of thousands of them follow him online. He loves surrealism as it is a means to disconnect from reality. His works were featured in various magazines worldwide. Baznani is best known for being the first artist in the Arab world to publish an art book based on surreal imagery. Achraf Baznani’s photography has received worldwide acclaim for a remarkably diverse array of work. He has been awarded the International Colosseo Award in Italy, The Golden Orchid International Photography Award and the "Kunst Heute" Award in Germany. His work has been exhibited in Germany, USA, France, Morocco, Hungary, Ivory Coast and Portugal.

Lucas Dragone
Lucas Dragone is an award winning visual artist and storyteller. He studied at the Lassaad International School of Theater. In the past few years he initiated a project of documenting various forms of theaters. By doing this Lucas hopes to contribute to the documentation of the performing arts.

Xiao “Freya” Gu
Xiao “Freya” Gu is a world traveler and award-winning photographer currently based in New York. Early experience of diverse cultures and exposure to different communities unleashed her fascination for humanity and nature. She is passionate about observing and connecting the world through travelling, social activities and photography. She has traveled to all 7 continents and has been a passionate volunteer for marginalized groups since she was 15. She takes her lenses to capture the precious moments, when she sees true beauty and dignity in human as well as the wilderness in nature.

Jing “Joy” Hu
Jing “Joy” Hu is an international award winning documentary and travel photographer. She has won international photography awards from 14 countries and photos exhibited in Africa, America, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Middle East. She is a passionate traveler and volunteer who loves bringing out the stories of the marginalized humans with dignity and virgin natural beauty through her photographs. Her footprints spread across China, Kenya, Qatar, Mongolia and the US, where she stayed, traveled and volunteered.

Frank Machalowski
Frank Machalowski is a German award winning photographic artist and photographer who lives and works in Leipzig. After studying Economics in Berlin and applying to various trades He works as a freelance photographer and artist since 2011. He is part of a permanent collection of the Bibliotheque nationale de France in Paris and a part of the project "Berlin-Photography" represented by the Carpentier Gallery in Berlin since 2014. His major areas of interest are the city and the country side. Some photographs of his series 'monster', 'multiexpo' and 'tierwald' were shown in Germany, France, USA, Spain, UK and Italy at renowned galleries and festivals.

Mattia Passarini
Mattia Passarini is an Italian photographer who has great passion for indigenous people and tribes as well as different ethnic groups. He considers traveling to the most neglected Asiatic countryside areas and capturing the traditions and cultures before they disappear. In recent years he focuses his research on the varieties, locations, habits and especially on the visible distinguishing features, which people express through body tattoo and body modifications. After spending few years between UK and USA, he moved to China in 2006 and lives there till now. At this moment he is working on some project focusing on local ethnic group, extending this to the neighboring country.

Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan
Mahfuzul Hasan Bhuiyan also known as Mahfuzul Hasan Rana- is one of the key Architectural Photographer as well as Documentary Photographer in Bangladesh. He graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Bangladesh University of Engineering & Technology. His passion has brought him to photographic practice professionally. His extended interest in different photographic genre inspired him to capture mundane life around the globe. He is a co-founder of Absurd Photos Ltd and currently represented by ZUMA Press inc. He has achieved a hundreds of international awards in the field of photography and exhibited in several countries as well as his works have been published worldwide. He is one of the co-founders of Bangladesh Society of Photographic Art (BSPA). He has been a fellow of several international photographic club worldwide. He has also severed as a jury member for many national and international photographic competitions.

Yingxi “Michael” Shi
Yingxi “Michael” Shi is a fine art and commercial photographer with international recognition. He is known specifically for his narrative and artistic dance photography in which he use bold color and unique lighting to express innovative themes including dance as art; fashion design; color variance; beautiful architecture and an expression of freedom. His work has been widely recognized by many international awards. He has been invited to exhibit his work globally including America, China, Greece, Czech Republic, Austria, Ireland and Dubai.