Anja Bruehling is an award-winning documentary and visual storyteller. She grew up in Germany and partly in South Africa; she now resides in Hong Kong and in Chicago, USA. She has worked and traveled in over 70 countries. As a photographer, she is documenting people, diverse cultures, social issues, and the human condition around the world. She sees the camera as a medium to stay curious more than ever and to make observations, explore places, prosperity, beauty, people, and the socio-economic problems they face.

Anja’s work has been exhibited internationally and has been published in PDN, Lenscratch, SDN, Px3, AP (American Photography) amongst others. Her work has been included in Critical Mass, mulitple Julia Margaret Cameron Award, 1st and 2nd place wins in the International Photography Awards (IPA), in 6 categories the prestigious Px3 - Prix de la Photographie, as well as a winner in prestigious American Photography 31, 32, 33, 35, 36 and 39.

She had several solo shows in the US and India and her work has been exhibited widely in shows around the world, including Foto Biennale (Barcelona), Centro Fotográfico Álvarez Bravo in Oaxaca, Mexico, and Photoville in Brooklyn, New York.

Curriculum Vitae

Solo Shows

2019 – 2020

Brick Workers – Kriti Gallery, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

2016

Brick Workers - Leica Rangefinder Gallery, Chicago, IL

Accolades

2024

2023 Tokyo International Foto Award (TIFA) in the categories:

People / Children – Contortion - Bronze
Events / Sport – Rodeo - Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa – Bronze

2023

American Photography 39 – Chosen Winner

2022

The Prix de la Photographie (Px3) in the categories:

Portraiture / Children – Contortion - Bronze
Press / Sports – Rodeo - Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa – Honorable Mention

18th edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers in the categories:

Culture / Daily Life – Mongolia - Winner
Children – Contortion - Honorable Mention
Documentary - Rodeo - Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa – Honorable Mention

18th edition of the Pollux Award in the categories:

Culture / Daily Life – Mongolia - Winner
Children – Contortion - Honorable Mention
Documentary & Reportage - Rodeo - Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa – Honorable Mention

Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA 2022) in the categories:

Events / Others – Rodeo - Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa – Silver Winner
People / Children - Contortion – Silver Winner
People / Culture – Mongolia – Honorable Mention

2022 International Photography Awards (IPA) in the categories:

Editorial - Press / Other – Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa - Honorable Mention
Editorial - Press / Sports – Contortion – Honorable Mention
People / Children – Contortion - Honorable Mention

2022 ND Awards (Neutal Density Photography Awards) in the categories:

People – Contortion - 2nd Place
Editorial - Daily Life – Mongolia – Honorable Mention
Editorial - Documentary – Labor Day Weekend in Dayton, Iowa - Honorable Mention

2020

The Prix de la Photographie (Px3) in the categories:

Book / People - Brick Workers - Bronze
Book / Documentary - Brick Workers - Bronze
Press / Travel/Tourism - Portraits of the Omo-Valley - Bronze
Press / People/Personality - Trumpers - Keeping America ??? - Bronze
Press / Sports – Charros, Mexican Horsemen – Honorable Mention
Fine Art / People – Brick Workers – Honorable Mention

American Photography 36 – Chosen Winner

2019

Budapest International Foto Awards (BIFA) in the categories:

Events – Charros, Mexican Horsemen – 2nd Place
Events – Sport - Charros, Mexican Horsemen – Gold
People – Portrait – Portraits of the Omo-Valley – Honorable Mention

Siena International Photo Awards – Finalist – People - Portraits of the Omo-Valley

IPA – International Photography Awards – Street Photography – Honorable Mention

American Photography 35 – Chosen Winner

2018

2018 Tokyo International Foto Award (TIFA) – Bronze Winner - Charros – Mexican Horsemen

2018 International Photography Awards (IPA) in the categories:

People, Culture – Portraits of the Omo Valley - 1st Place
Competitive Events – Charros, Mexican Horsemen – 2nd Place
Event, Social Cause – Brick Workers – 2nd Place

Critical Mass (Top 200) – Portraits of the Omo-Valley

Latin American Fotografía 7 – Winner – Los Diez

The Independent Photographer – Documentary – 3rd place - Brick Workers

11th edition of the Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers in the categories:

Children – Green Eyed Girl - Honorable Mention
Culture & Daily Life – Charros, Mexican Horsemen - Finalist
Documentary & Reportage – Brick Workers – Honorable Mention
Portraits – Portraits of the Omo Valley - Honorable Mention

All About Photo - Faces

2017

American Photography 33 – Chosen Winner

2016

American Photography 32 – Selected Winner

Latin American Fotografia 5 – Selected Winner

Social Documentary Network- Finalist – Visual Stories

2015

Critical Mass (Top 200)

American Photography 31 – Chosen Winner

Published

2023

Social Documentary Network – In Focus - International Women’s Day

Social Documentary Network – Spotlight #212

2022

FotoNostrum Magazine (Issue #27 - 06/22)

2019

Dispatches from Latin America

2018

All About Photo - Faces

2017

Dispatches from Latin America

Photographie - Magazine, Germany

Don’t take Pictures

Lenscratch – Protest Exhibition

Lenscratch – Conversation Exhibition

2016

What will you remember – photography blog

Social Documentary Network – Spotlight photographer

Edge of Humanity Magazine

2015

Lenscratch – Brick Workers

A Photo Editor

Group Shows

2022

3rd Barcelona Foto Biennale – 7th Biennale of Fine Art and Documentary Photography
(17th and 18th Julia Margaret Cameron & Pollux Awards)

2021

Paris Photo Prize Exhibition – PX3 Winners – Espace Beaurepaire

2019

Budapest International Foto Awards Winners – Hybridartspace Gallery, Budapest – Hungary

Photoville Brooklyn – Los Diez – Latin American Fotografia

photo19 Zurich – Directors Choice Series

Where we live – Invitational Exhibition, Perspective Gallery Evanston

2018

Los Diez - Latin American Fotografia – travelling exhibition sponsored by Epson

Barcelona Foto Biennale – 5th Biennale of Fine Art and Documentary Photography

The Independent Photographer Annual Exhibition, Berlin - Germany

Environmental Portraits, Photoplace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, Juror: Elizabeth Avedon

2017

Eclipse Show, Blue Sky Gallery, Portland, OR, Juror: Christopher Rauschenberg

2016

22nd Juried Exhibition, Griffin Museum, Winchester, MA, Juror: Elizabeth Avedon

Taller de Fotografico, Museo – Centro de Fotografico Alvarez Bravo, Oaxaca - Mexico

2015

CNN and the International Center of Photography present Picture This: New Orleans,
featuring the work of renowned photographer Mary Ellen Mark (1940–2015) – (Included into MEM student part of the exhibit)

Books / Catalogs

2022

3rd Barcelona Foto Biennale / 7th Biennial of Fine Art & Documentary Photography - Exhibition Catalog

2019

Brick Workers - Exhibition Catalog

Photoville - Catalog

2018

Latin American Fotografia 7 – Los Diez – Catalog

Photoplace Gallery – Environmental Portraits - Catalog

2017

Blue Sky Books – The Eclipse Show - Catalog

2016

Griffin Museum - 22nd Juried Show - The Peter Urban Legacy Exhibition - Catalog

American Photographer 32 - Book

Latin American Fotografia 5 – Catalog

2015

Aperture Mary Ellen Mark on the Portrait and the Moment - The Photography Workshop Series - Book