Neil Mota has gone and done it. As we announced last week, the Montreal-based photographer’s pic of gas masked GURU drinking won him first prize in our Street Style Photo Challenge. We thought we’d tell you all a little bit more about the winning artist…

An old school portrait artist, the majority of Mota’s photography is done in black and white, he always uses film and he develops his own work (meaning that $500 Astral Photo gift certificate should come in handy pretty soon).

Mota is of Scottish and Portuguese descent and both one of four brothers and a father of four boys himself (meaning the year’s supply of GURU should come in handy, too!).

“The photographers whose work I admire the most are Irving Penn and Richard Avedon,” says Mota, who is currently working on a book of portraits of approximately 300 artists.

Check out his upcoming photo exhibition, “Skulls,” which will take place September 4-6 at Windsor station during the Montreal Tattoo Convention.

Portrait of Neil Mota c/o Matthew Kingsley Williston