Hilde Lillejord is a Norwegian photojournalist and portraiture photographer whose winter wedding procession snap shot earned a win in the Candids category of the 2011 Top Knots the New School of Wedding Photography Contest. The early deadline for the 2012 Top Knots Contest is TODAY at midnight PST.

“Beyond the glowing green and red lights, past the shimmering silvery tinsel, around the fragrant pine boughs, another Christmas lingers, a Christmas of contradictions. This Christmas is complex and at times, uncomfortable. It’s awkward and sometimes bleak. But it is also sincere and celebratory, colorful and creative.

This is the Christmas I capture in this first chapter of a photographic exploration of the biggest event on the American calendar. I grew up in a secular home and at times felt like a Christmas outsider, never connected to the holiday’s religious importance, or its more extreme cultural trappings. But in these photos, I become a Christmas insider, working to discover and reveal what holiday magic, or mania, compels so many to devote thousands of hours to hanging lights, to carving and painting figurines, to building miniature villages, to converting their homes, yards, garages and cars into monuments to merriness.

Initially inspired by the absurdity of a five story inflatable Santa who appeared to be guarding a tree lot, I have launched this survey of uniquely American Christmas traditions. “Christmas in America” is an unvarnished examination of the ways people mark the holiday’s meaning.”  – Jesse Rieser.

© JT Blatty

Flames ignite the night air as patrons revel. JT Blatty’s image is one of the entrants in PDN’s inaugural nightlife and event contest, The Scene. It is currently open for entries until August 30, but enter today to avoid late fees. A Fan’s Favorite winner will also be selected.

The bride gets a little help from her flower girl. Only her fingers could button the whole dress. Jacklyn Greenberg’s portrait was included in the winners gallery of the 2011 Top Knots wedding photography contest.

This photograph was taken during the Kirkpinar oil wrestling festival in Edirne, Turkey. Kirkpinar is the oldest sporting competition in the world and a fascinating subculture. It is a tradition with a 650 year past. Wrestlers train for this festival for a whole year and their dream is to finally attain the Gold Belt. To the participants it is not just a sport but a way of life: discipline and dedication. In this image, the wrestlers are waiting in the cage area watching the matches taking place on the grass. I have been working on this project, all shot on film, since June 2010. People and their passions are at the essence of my work. By using my camera as a way of capturing their energy and freedom I, in turn, am able to capture my own. – Pari Dukovic.  To see more of Dukovic’s work visit the gallery featuring the 2011 PDN’s 30 Emerging Photographers.

‘Dance Recital’ is a personal project made over several years of young girls backstage during their dance recital performances.  The moments are captured spontaneously, without direction. ‘Ballet’ is a series of images that are a look into a classic ballet class at the Joffrey School of Ballet, and was produced by Image Source.  Both series touch on ideas about body image, the concept of beauty, and the social pressures girls face growing up in America. – Carey Kirkella. To see more of Kirkella’s work click here.

Kenneth O’Halloran’s project “Fair Trade” captures the flavor of a group of Gaelic nomads with a tradition of gathering on special occasions to trade horses, ponies and other goods. He says women regard the trading fairs “as occasions worth dressing up for, lending a kind of delicacy to the day, a femininity to counterweigh the spit-in-the-hand dealings of the men folk. There is a vibrancy of colour, red hair, freckles and a range of ensembles.”
O’Halloran is currently based in Dublin.  To see more of his work click here.

© Bao Nguyen

Hours of pent up energy explode at New York’s Madison Square Garden as Bao Nguyen captures the moment Arcade Fire finally takes the stage. This crowd shot was included in the winners gallery of the 2010 Ultimate Music Moment contest.