Sign up to our newsletter and become a Club Huck member.

Stay informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture

If You Leave: The world’s best single image photography

  • Photography by Thomas Line
Blown away in one shot — The If You Leave Showcase 2016 celebrates the photographs that pack a punch and say everything they need to say in just a single image.

The best documentary photographers build compelling stories through weaving images together. They spend days, months, years getting to know the people, communities and issues they’re documenting, adding a new piece to the story with each picture.

But what if you had to grab people’s attention, hold their gaze and say everything you wanted to say with just one photograph?

Photo by  Monica Forss (selected by Huck)

Photo by Monica Forss (selected by Huck)

Photo by Rafeal M. Milani

Photo by Rafeal M. Milani

If You Leave celebrates the best of contemporary photography which speaks in a single image – separate from any body of work. The 2016 IYL Showcase draws together twenty of the best single shots, selected by a panel of judges including Huck, Dazed and Confused, Aperture Foundation, and The Photographers Gallery, from thousands of entries made by photographers from across the globe.

The third edition of the Showcase takes 20 photographs, selected by 20 co-curators to be showcased in 20 distinct venues around London before departing for New York in January 2017. But you can see the full selection of 200 images on If You Leave’s Instagram and grab prints here.

Photo by Esben Bøg - Jensen

Photo by Esben Bøg – Jensen

Photo by Federico Ortega Sanchez

Photo by Federico Ortega Sanchez

For the first time, the Showcase has a base at Shoreditch’s Red Gallery, a new creative pop-up space that provides photographers with the opportunity to meet, communicate and learn. It offers visitors a wide-ranging series of talks, workshops, masterclasses, book launches, digital and analogue printing services, work spaces, film screenings and portfolio reviews that will take place during the course of the pop-up.

Photo by Angeles Peña

Photo by Angeles Peña

Find out more about the If You Leave Showcase 2016 and pop-up in London, November 30 to December 21 at Red Gallery’s The White Room.

Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.


You might like

Culture

The stripped, DIY experimentalism of SHOOT zine

Zine Scene — Conceived by photographer Paul Mpagi Sepuya in the ’00s, the publication’s photos injected vulnerability into gay portraiture, and provided a window into the characters of the Brooklyn arts scene. A new photobook collates work made across its seven issues.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Sport

Eating concrete with London Skate Mums

Parental steeze — Founded during the pandemic, the group has ballooned into a community, giving mothers of various ages and abilities space to pull tricks, fall and express themselves. Sydney Lobe meets them at the legendary Southbank Undercroft.

Written by: Sydney Lobe

Music

The heady bliss of Glastonbury Festival after the music

Not Done Yet — While the weekend’s headliners and stacked line-ups usually draws the majority of the attention, much of its magic occurs after the music stops. Mischa Haller’s new photobook captures the euphoria and endless possibilities of Glasto’s “in between” moments.

Written by: Isaac Muk

Activism

Confronting America’s history of violence against student protest

Through A Mirror, Darkly — In May 1970, two separate massacres at American college campuses saw deaths at the hands of the state. Naeem Mohaiemen’s new three-channel film memorialises the brutality. 

Written by: Miss Rosen

Activism

“Madness can be overcome”: Robert Del Naja releases statement after Palestine Action arrest

“Small price to pay” — The Massive Attack frontman was one of more than 500 people detained on Saturday on suspicion of supporting Palestine Action, a group that has been banned under the Terrorism Act 2000 by the UK government.

Written by: Ella Glossop

Huck 83: Life Is A Journey Issue

The cathartic roar of Vietnam’s hardcore punk scene

Going hardcore in Saigon — In a country that has gradually opened up in recent decades, a burgeoning youth movement is creating an outlet for youth frustration and anxiety. Frank L’Opez reports from the country’s biggest city’s underground.

Written by: Frank L’Opez

Huck is supported by our readers, subscribers and Club Huck members.

You've read articles this month Thanks for reading

Join Club Huck — it's free!

Valued Huck reader, thank you for engaging with our journalism and taking an interest in our dispatches from the sharp edge of culture, sport, music and rebellion.

We want to offer you the chance to join Club Huck [it's free!] where you will receive exclusive newsletters, including personal takes on the state of pop culture and media from columnist Emma Garland, culture recommendations, interviews and dispatches straight to your inbox.

You'll also get priority access to Huck events, merch discounts, and more fun surprises.

Already part of the club? Enter your email above and we'll get you logged in.