Washed Away
Nature, first prize singles
00-02-2005
Destroyed palm trees line near Banda Aceh two months after the massive tsunami that swept over the area. It is estimated that the height of the wave exceeded 15m when it hit the shore. Almost all buildings, trees and vegetation around Lhoknga were washed away. Low-lying agricultural land behind the town remained under salt water for four days after the tsunami, with severe consequences for farmers. In some places nearly all of the sand on the beach was removed by the wave.
Location: Lhoknga Beach, Indonesia
Photo Credit: Massimo Mastrorillo
Massimo Mastrorillo is a photographer born in Turn and based in Rome, Italy. He has studied at the University of Perugia and is a graduate of the European Institute of Design in Rome.
Mastrorillo has been working mainly on long-term documentary projects devoting himself to the deep consequences of war and natural disasters and their aftermaths on society.
Among his major projects: “Mozambique at Nation Balanced Between Poverty and Dream”, “Indonesia: Just Another Day”, “White Murder”, “Bosnia and Herzegovina: Chaos awakens the Madness” and “Life after Zero Hour”, “Aliqual”.
His photographs have been published in numerous national and international magazines and have been featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions in festivals and galleries worldwide including the Noorderlicht Foundation, the Roma Fotografia Festival, the Berlin Museum, the FNAC and the VISA Perpignan.
His major awards include: The World Press Photo, The Pictures of the Year International (POYi, Third Prize as Magazine Photographer of the Year) and Best of Photojournalism (Third Prize as Magazine photographer of the Year), New Photography Talent FNAC, PDN Photo Annual, the International Photograph of the Year at the 5th Annual Lucie Awards, the Sony World Photography Awards, the nomination for the Prix Pictet 2009 “Earth”, the Aftermath Grant (finalist, 2011). His current project “The Sea is Us” was shortlisted for the Vevey Images Grant 2015. “Aliqual”, his body work on the earthquake aftermath in L’Aquila, Italy, has been nominated for the Prix Pictet 2015 “Disorder”.
He was Talent Manager at LUZ, one the main photo agencies in Italy and he was the founder of the Luz Academy, a school of photography where he was director of studies and teacher.
He was a Leica Ambassador and a teacher at the Leica Academy in Italy. He is teaching at the Roman School of Photography and the DOOR Academy.
Mastrorillo is a member of one of the founders of DOOR, a roman factory working with photography, visual art and publishing.