If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. – Robert Capa

There are many ways to approach the subject in photography. Proximity and distance are tools that can be used to conceptualize, document, and make the world more beautiful. A photograph, is in itself a fragment of reality, but it can nonetheless represent a larger whole. Moving closer towards something in photography is about more than just physical distance; it can also serve as an entry point into another dimension of understanding.

When we move closer to our subject matter, we invite ourselves to see it in its most intimate and raw form, free from distractions and external contexts. Getting closer therefore provides a different perspective than observing something from a distance. If we get close enough, the entire subject may even dissolve. In macro photography or close-ups of people, we do just see things as they are but also how they can be something more. A wrinkle on an elderly person's face, the fibres of a leaf, or the texture of a stone – all these details are transformed from the mundane to the sublime. Susan Sontag wrote in On Photography that the camera can both distance us from reality and bring us closer to it. By moving closer, a paradoxical effect emerges; we pull away from the bigger picture, but simultaneously dive deeper into the essence of what is in front of us.

Getting close to something also has an emotional aspect, a willingness to put one's empathy into play to better understand the world. Proximity invites a connection between the photograph and the viewer, potentially reducing the distance between people, events, and perceptions. However, getting close also brings the risk of confronting the uncomfortable or the unknown. Additionally, it can mean crossing boundaries and invading the private sphere—without an invitation to do so. Through the theme Closer, Oslo Negativ Photo Festival in 2025 seeks to explore the contradictions and possibilities that come with moving closer.

This year's Preus Museum Open Call and Oslo Negativ Photo Festival share the theme "Closer."

What winners receive

The winning submission will receive a cash prize of 20.000 NOK and a place in the collection of Preus Museum. The winner will be exhibited at the Oslo Negativ Photo Festival 2025, where Preus Museum covers the production costs and travel expenses to the exhibition (with a price cap). Preus Museum will curate the exhibition in dialogue with the winner.