THE ROBERT GIARD GRANT FOR EMERGING
LGBTQ+ PHOTOGRAPHERS

Michael DeCristo, 2021 Finalist

Michael DeCristo is a queer artist from North Carolina currently based in New York. Their early portraits of women served as a vessel for an exploration of femininity in a time and space that wasn’t safe. They discovered their love for analog photography at 17 after moving to New York to study photography formally, and has exclusively shot film since. Like her role model Avedon, DeCristo toes the line between editorial and fine art gracefully. Their works pack a dreamy, soft punch with easy warm tones and expressive content and composition. Their personal artwork explores their own gender identity through their relationships with themselves and the people around them, with more recent self portraits serving as self affirmation of their womanhood.

You can learn more at their website or Instagram.