© Philip Coburn
Series Finalist · Open Call 2025
Philip Coburn
These photographs were taken during two embeds with British forces in Helmand Province in 2007 and 2008. Life on embed meant censorship, restrictions, and proximity to constant danger, yet it was also the only way to witness the war firsthand. The Reconnaissance Force lived rough under open skies, pushing deep into Taliban territory, while loss and superstition shaped their lives in battle.
The series conveys the exhaustion and surreal tension of war: moments when violence erupted without warning, and others when the anticipation of danger created unbearable fear. Unable always to photograph direct horrors, the photographer turned to aftermath, confusion, and the altered mental state brought by sleeplessness and relentless stress. The images capture war not only as combat but as a lived experience of awe, fear, and haunting memory.
Eyeshot Magazine #20
The fourth Eyeshot Open Call, a reading of contemporary street and documentary photography across continents and approaches. Issue #20 collects six awarded works, single images and series, selected by a jury of seven photographers, editors, and curators. The works move between street observation, documentary practice, intimate portraiture, and political witness, presented as an annual reading of what photography is doing now.
NEXT EDITION
Open Call 2026
The next edition of the Eyeshot Open Call. Submissions open annually. Single images and series are welcome from photographers working in street and documentary photography.
JURY
Past Jurors
Each edition is read by a different international jury of photographers, editors, and curators. The full list of jurors who have read for Eyeshot is on the past jurors page.
OPEN CALL 2025
Discover more
AWARDS
Winners
The 2025 reading at its sharpest. Six awarded works across the single and series categories.
FINALISTS
Single Category
The 2025 reading at the scale of one image. Forty-four photographs read by the jury.
FINALISTS
Series Category
The 2025 reading at the scale of a sustained project. Fourteen photo essays read by the jury.