Places and people; Once upon a time by HJ Hunter

'Once upon a time' shows remarkable places and people I meet by chance in cities like Liège and Charleroi. They live in the harsh reality of high levels of unemployment and social tensions between groups in a multi cultural community.

‘Once upon a time’ shows remarkable places and people I meet by chance in cities like Liège and Charleroi.

They live in the harsh reality of high levels of unemployment and social tensions between groups in a multi cultural community. Both Belgium cities are often described as the ugliest places in Europe. They were once important industrial centers in steel making, mining and gunsmithing.

Is it the misery of a bankrupt society that attracts me and makes me come back over and over? I discovered that I’m less interested in abandoned factories than in how the people live, surrounded by relics of a surreal post-industrial world. I’m fascinated by this strange mixture of roughness, urban chaos and surprisingly friendly people. What moves me is that the majority simply seems to accept the circumstances and tries to make the best out of it.

Once upon a time by HJ Hunter
Once upon a time by HJ Hunter

About HJ Hunter

I’m a storyteller. In my puberty I discovered a talent for writing. I studied literature and wanted to become a journalist or novelist, but instead I developed a career as commercial writer. All my life I’ve had a ‘silent’ passion for photography. In the analog period I did some courses and had a dark room at home. But it’s only some four years ago that photography turned my life upside down. In 2012 I bought a decent camera and started doing what I should have done a long time ago: taking photography serious. Since then I work, eat and dream with photography. Finally I follow my heart, not yet knowing where this will bring me to.

Although my motivation comes from inside, it helps to get attention and support from professionals in the industry. That’s why I started to publish my work on curated websites like 1X.com and to participate in worldwide competitions. As a result, I saw my pictures published in the prestigious yearbooks ‘Passion’ (2013) and ‘Mono’ (2014) from 1X.com. Recently I joined the Magnum-award competition on LensCulture and saw my project ‘Once upon a time’ selected for the competion galery on their website. And from april to june 2015 I had my first solo-exhibition with streetphotography in a art galery in the Netherlands (‘Lost in the City’, Galerie De Gau, Vaals).

Once upon a time #3
Once upon a time by HJ Hunter

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Submission
Dodho Magazine accepts submissions from emerging and professional photographers from around the world.
Their projects can be published among the best photographers and be viewed by the best professionals in the industry and thousands of photography enthusiasts. Dodho magazine reserves the right to accept or reject any submitted project. Due to the large number of presentations received daily and the need to treat them with the greatest respect and the time necessary for a correct interpretation our average response time is around 5/10 business days in the case of being accepted. This is the information you need to start preparing your project for its presentation.
To send it, you must compress the folder in .ZIP format and use our Wetransfer channel specially dedicated to the reception of works. Links or projects in PDF format will not be accepted. All presentations are carefully reviewed based on their content and final quality of the project or portfolio. If your work is selected for publication in the online version, it will be communicated to you via email and subsequently it will be published.
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