Clarissa Bonet, a Chicago-based photographer is the final grand prize winner of the Hasselblad X You Grand Prize, with an image created as part of a fashion editorial shot for Chicago Magazine.

The fusion of fashion and street photography in Clarissa Bonet’s photographs attracted the attention of the Hasselblad jury, and the Chicago-based photographer is the final grand prize winner chosen among the 12 weekly winners. The selected photographers encompass multiple countries across the globe with their own shooting styles, colour palettes, and stories behind who they are, what the X System does for them, and how they captured their stunning imagery.

Each weekly winner won an XCD lens in addition to accessories from competition partners Peak Design and PolarPro. Then, when the internal Hasselblad jury and the Hasselblad X You inspirational spotlight photographers add to choose a final grand prize winner,  the choice became clear: Clarissa Bonet.

Fashion and street photography

“For me, this image stands out because of the mixture of subjects and genre – fashion vs street – all while maintaining a clear focus on the model. So much to take in and yet there is still a strong focus when viewing this image. Very nicely done,” says 2018 Hasselblad Master Jorge de la Torriente. Creative content duo and Hasselblad content partners Daniel Rueda and Anna Devís remarked, “As architects, we really appreciated the effort of the photographer in building – no pun intended – a connection between fashion and architecture with her photography.”

Clarissa Bonet is an artist based in Chicago whose work explores issues of the urban space in both a physical and psychological context. She holds an MFA in Photography from Columbia College Chicago and a BS in Photography from the University of Central Florida. Bonet’s work has been exhibited at the Bauhaus Archive in Berlin, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Aperture Foundation, Magenta Foundation, and Catherine Edelman Gallery. Her work has been published in many publications both nationally and internationally, and her photographs are in permanent collections at various museums and collections.

How the winning shot was created

“This image is part of a fashion editorial I shot for Chicago Magazine that celebrates both the Bauhaus movement and architect Mies van der Rohe. I knew the images must reference the Bauhaus style – minimalist, graphic, with bold lines and shapes. After scouting the location at multiple times of the day, I knew exactly when a slim beam of light would open on the west side of the building, creating a bold, graphic band of light for our model to stand in.”

As the grand prize winner, Clarissa Bonet will be flown to Hasselblad’s headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden for a behind-the-scenes look at what goes into making the industry-leading medium format cameras. Alongside her time at the factory, a guided tour to the Hasselblad Foundation and permanent exhibition, Hasselblad and the Moon, at the Gothenburg Museum of Art are on the itinerary. In addition to her visit and the previously awarded Weekly Winner prize of an XCD lens and Peak Design and PolarPro accessories, she will also receive her own 907X Special Edition camera, her choice of Peak Design Travel Collection bag, and the PolarPro Summit filter system and additional QuartzLine filter.