bright black sky by Julia Galdo

Hot Shot contender Julia Galdo has submitted a series of self-portraits that offer fragmentary narratives full of tension and curiosity. Julia writes, "What I learned while making [this] work is how to project emotions, problems, anxieties through the interaction of an environment. . . . It's my hope that they connect with the person in that frame in a sympathetic way."

Photographers who explore desire and female identity now constitute a distinct category of the modern canon, inclusive of Francesca Woodman, Cindy Sherman and Anna Gaskell. Galdo's work shares these qualities, yet possesses its own sense of isolation and everyday surrealism.

See more of Julia's photographs on her website.